'Absolutely horrific': Dogs attack pet sheep in Dunedin

Showing the blue marks where their sheep had to have antibiotics applied after surviving an attack by dogs are Mike and Jan Hart, of Dunedin. Photo / Gregor Richardson

A series of brutal dog attacks in Dunedin has left pets dead and the pet owners are worried a child could be next.

Jan Hart and Lisa Lamb kept their small flocks of pet sheep across the road from each other in Emerson St, in Concord.

During the past two months, both of their flocks were attacked by dogs.

Lamb said her flock had been slaughtered completely.

She had three pregnant ewes and two lambs, all of which were torn apart by dogs three weeks ago.

Some of the animals had been hand-reared from lambs and were loved as pets.

The aftermath of the attack was "absolutely horrific" and one of the most brutal sights she had ever seen.

"You should never see animals in pieces like that."

Her sheep had been "thrashed apart".

There was a playground down the street and she was worried a child would be attacked next.

"The size of that sheep's leg is the same size as my niece who lives nearby," she said.

"I'm terrified."

Her brother-in-law caught the dogs during one of their attacks and tried to shoot them.

He believed one to be a large black rottweiler and the other a medium sized black Labrador-cross.

The attack was reported to police and to the city council animal services.

Police could not offer much help, but animal services had taken the issue "very seriously" and had installed cameras and taken DNA swabs at the attack scenes, she said.

Hart had her flock attacked twice.

One ewe pregnant with twins was killed six weeks ago and two more sheep were attacked on Sunday.

Her husband had come home and found the sheep barely alive.

They had been chased around the paddock and were covered in blood and bite marks.

The animals were still alive, but had bad injuries and were on antibiotics, she said.

There was a good chance they would not make it through the week.

A family member had taken in the sheep so they would not be attacked again.

"If they can do that to a sheep, what could they do to a little kid?"

The owners of the dogs must have seen the blood on them after the attacks, she said.

She hoped they would take responsibility for their dogs and encouraged anyone who saw loose dogs in the area to report them to the council.