Northland family’s pet sheep killed by roaming dogs, council criticised

The sheep had been hand-reared by the family's children.

Warning: Distressing images and some content may be upsetting to readers.

A Northland family are distraught after their four pet sheep were killed by roaming dogs.

They believe the dogs responsible may have been caught if Animal Control had visited the property on Crane Rd, Kauri, the day of the attack.

The family were instead contacted a day later and after one of the dogs had returned.

However, the Whangārei District Council says there was no guarantee it could have attended or caught the dogs on the day.

The family were driving nearby when they received a call about 4pm on July 13 from the woman whose land their sheep were grazing on.

She told them all four of their ewes had been attacked by two dogs, which were still on the property.

One of the sheep killed.

They immediately called the Whangārei District Council.

When they arrived at the property, they found all four of their sheep dead, one of them missing its head.

One of the dogs had eaten its bottom jaw.

The dogs were still at the property, and, despite attempts by a neighbour to shoot them, they were startled by a quad bike nearby and left.

One of the dogs responsible for killing four pet sheep which has left their owners devastated.

The next morning, one of the dogs was back at the property.

The family contacted Animal Management, asking why no one had contacted them, and an officer was assigned to the case.

The dog left before Animal Control arrived.

The incident has left the family’s children “distraught”.

Three of the sheep had been hand-reared by the children for their school’s pet day.

One of the dogs which killed four pet sheep in Kauri just south of Whangārei.

The fourth sheep was an offspring of one of those sheep.

“It wasn’t just four sheep, it was their [children’s] babies.”

They said the sheep were known in the community for being “so friendly” with people, and would often run up to the fence line to greet them.

Their daughter was traumatised knowing the sheep had been mauled as her dog was attacked by other dogs last year.

“It bought that all back for her,” the mother said.

The family believed pet dogs were responsible for the attack as both canines had collars on.

In their opinion, irresponsible dog owners were at fault but they wondered what could be done to curb the issue.

They were angry that the dogs had got away and believed if Animal Control had turned up on the day of the mauling, the dogs may have been caught.

They said neighbours were concerned and had brought their sheep in at night following the attack.

Whangārei District Council health and bylaws manager Reiner Mussle said the initial report about the attack was received on July 13 but, for reasons not yet known, wasn’t forwarded by the compliance officer to Animal Management officers as required.

He said they were contacted again the next day asking why no one had replied.

“An AMO was assigned straight away who arranged to attend.“

Mussle said even if an officer had received the job on the day, there would be no guarantee they would have been able to attend immediately.

He said it would have been challenging to catch a dog running around a paddock.

“Dog trap and cameras have been set up on the property and the investigation is ongoing.”

Although collars could indicate the dogs had owners, it was unknown at this point.

Mussle said they had not heard anecdotally about the issue of roaming dogs in the Crane Rd area, however, acknowledged attacks on stock had a major impact on owners and witnesses.

Mussle said the public should stay away from the dogs and report any incidents to Animal Management.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.