Waikato District Council investigating dog attacks on livestock

Waikato's Federated Farmers’ provincial president Keith Holmes recently lost 16 sheep to roaming dogs. Photo / Waikato Regional Council

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Waikato’s Federated Farmers’ provincial president Keith Holmes says once roaming dogs “get the taste of blood”, they don’t stop.

One recent attack left 16 of his sheep dead.

This month, killer dogs have struck again, with the Waikato District Council investigating two separate attacks that left another 15 sheep mauled to death, including two pregnant ewes close to lambing.

One incident was on Lignite Street, Huntly on August 7 about 8am, while the other was on Kiwi Road, Te Kauwhata, on August 19 just after 5pm, a council spokesperson said.

The attacks were on private land and Waikato Herald approached both landowners for comment but neither wanted to comment.

“In both instances, the offending dogs were not sighted and at this stage, there are no witnesses,” the council spokesperson said.

If witnesses come forward, they would interview and take their statements, and review CCTV and other evidence supplied to identify and further investigate the dogs.

“If the dogs had been witnessed and clearly identified, they would’ve been uplifted and impounded. Our Animal Control team would then fully investigate before proceeding with any enforcement actions.”

Holmes said attacks on livestock from dogs were no surprise as their basic instinct was to be “frenzied killers”.

“All dogs are born to kill, it’s in their DNA, even if you have the nicest and calmest dog,” he said.

“Dogs have a pack instinct and will work together and do incredible damage. Not only will they kill the animals, they’ll round them up or push them over fences, into gullies, or over cliffs.”

Holmes said during spring, things are happening that dogs want to explore, which can take a toll on farmers.

As a farmer, he said it’s always a worry when unleashed and uncontrolled dogs wander around livestock.

Wandering dogs killed and mauled sheep and lambs at Lily and John Coleman's property in Kaikohe in 2022.

“There are sheep lambing and cows calving, and the animal’s natural reaction is to protect their newborn.

“Then fences, electric fences, and material that animals are restricted by usually are ignored, and animals go bizarre to protect themselves.

“Dogs hound the animals to the point that they kill it, and they’ll enjoy it so much that they’ll go out and kill more ... it’s absolutely devastating and stressful.”

Holmes said once dogs get the taste of blood, they don’t stop, and get into a “kamikaze killing mode”.

“A dog that has a taste of blood doesn’t know the difference between animals and humans, it will attack a child just as willingly, that’s why we’ve had so many issues with dog attacks in the urban situation.

“There’s like a big switch in their brain ... they smell blood and taste it and it’s almost as if they turn into a different animal or being.

“There is generally no going back, you have to put the dogs down ... it’s the only humane way to deal with a potential ongoing problem.”

Holmes said it’s also a hefty cost for farmers when livestock is killed.

“Sheep are worth around $500 and cows are around $2000 per animal, you’re losing a significant amount of money,” he said.

Farmer Rex Roadley stands next to the mass grave of sheep killed after an attack by two wandering dogs, in 2022. Photo / supplied

“If it’s a smaller animal, you would just dig a hole and bury it and for the bigger animals, unless you have an operational or internal disposal method of burying or burning them, you would call someone else.”

Holmes said he buried his 16 sheep and his kids put little crosses on their graves.

“Asking someone else to pick it up is a small fee of around $90, that hurts again.”

Holmes said he’s blunt when it involves his animals and encourages other livestock owners to be the same.

“If I see a dog wandering over my farm and I know who the owner is, I will let them know first. The second time I see it I will shoot at it, and if I see it again I will shoot to kill. It’s a very serious situation.

“I think it’s important that if you get a new neighbour with dogs, you are proactive and bring it to their attention that if that dog is in your property, the owner respects it’s your property. A part of being a responsible dog owner is accepting the responsibility of it too.

“It’s very traumatic for a farmer, especially at this time of the year, but at any time of the year it’s a horrible thing.”

The council acknowledged how distressing it is for owners to experience livestock attacks.

“Our Animal Control team do their best to act quickly and put preventative measures in place to avoid recurring incidents. These include placing dog traps and increasing patrol in the affected areas.

“Some preventative measures for owners could be electric or high dog-proof fencing (deer fencing), guardian dogs, or alarms.

“We encourage our community to contact us if they see roaming dogs to help us act as quickly as possible.”

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.