“That shouldn’t have happened,” Johnston said.
“I saw that dog attacking my sheep.
“It’s getting that bad I’m thinking of selling up and moving.
“It’s getting to the point where I can’t have livestock on my property.”
Johnston said one of his ewes who was pregnant with twins was also attacked and killed by two off-leash dogs being walked by two girls on January 18.
“The sheep jumped the fence to get away, but the dog got her anyway.”
Johnston said he reported both incidents to Far North District Council’s [FNDC] animal control team.
“They should all come down and uplift all the dogs that are unregistered.
“There’s a bunch of them down the road and nothing’s been done about it.”
Two unregistered dogs attacked and killed 18 sheep and lambs on John and Lily Coleman’s property on the outskirts of Kaikohe in November.
While one dog, a large male mixed breed, was shot dead by a neighbour, the second dog, a female mixed breed, was later impounded by an animal management officer.
The Colemans – who are semifinalists for this year’s Kiwibank Senior New Zealander of the Year Award - wanted to know what action was taken and whether the dog was put down or returned to its owner.
The Far North District Council (FNDC) said appropriate enforcement action was taken - the detail of which is withheld because making the information available may likely prejudice the maintenance of the law - including the prevention, investigation, and detection of offences.
FNDC said the animal management team was informed by the Colemans that they did not want further action taken.
FNDC delivery and operations acting group manager Trent Blakeman said: “We agreed with that approach.”
“However, an infringement of $200 was issued to the dog owner concerned for failing to keep their dog under their control.”
Northland MP Grant McCallum said the issue of dogs attacking sheep and people in Northland is “totally unacceptable”.
McCallum, who is also a farmer, said he’s seen the impact of dogs attacking sheep.
“It’s quite devastating for the farmers and the animals,” he said.
“I would implore the council to do their job, which is to actually administer the local bylaws and where they can identify the animals which should be dealt with appropriately.
“Once an animal worries sheep they keep doing it because they get a taste for blood and keep coming back.”
Blakeman said dog owners are required under the Dog Control Act to keep their dogs under their control.
“Failure to do so is an offence under the act.
“The council actively promotes responsible dog ownership, which includes owners keeping their dogs under control at all times, to ensure dogs do not pose a threat to the public or other animals.”
The recent attacks follow similar dog attacks on the Coleman’s property in 2022, when about two dozen of their sheep and lambs, along with a calf and several chickens, were mauled and killed.
- This story has been updated as the previous version said the Far North District Council refused to comment. They did in fact provide comment which has now been included.
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.
