South Canterbury farmer fed up after dogs kill 50 sheep in three months

GRAPHIC WARNING: A Pleasant Point farmer says "enough is enough" after losing 50 sheep to dog attacks in just three months.

The attacks have been described as the worst to have taken place in South Canterbury by the region's Federated Farmers president.

For farmer Stu Westgarth, the "disgusting" attacks have proved costly.

Westgarth's stock have been subjected to several attacks over the last three months from a dog he suspects lives close to his sheep and beef farm.

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On Thursday, he woke up at 7am for the third day in a row to race to his farm and see if the dog would be there, only to find two more sheep mauled.

"It nips them on the front leg to trip them over on their side then it goes for the jugular," Westgarth said.

The latest deaths added to the 20 sheep killed since Queen's Birthday Weekend.

"Well now I'm up to 50 sheep which would be $6000. There's my holiday gone.

"Its just disgusting and enough is enough."

In a bid to identify the elusive dog, which appeared to target only one section of the farm, he would install video cameras.

The first attack happened in early March.

Westgarth found about 10 dead sheep, which he believed were the work of two dogs that found a way into the property through a small gap somewhere along the deer fences.

A further 17 were so badly injured they had to be shot in order "to end their suffering".

Westgarth said he was extremely disappointed to lose so many sheep that he had spent time raising, but he thought the occurrence was a one off.

But on Queen's Birthday Weekend, Westgarth was on the West Coast settling a property when he was called back a day early for a family bereavement.

He was told by his daughter when he returned that another six sheep had died.

"I thought 'you have got to be kidding me', they had just been drenched so I thought it was worms. But as soon as I saw one I knew.

"I honestly thought after the first 30 that would be it."

It was just sport to the dogs, he said.

"They are just going for the jugular then going for the next one, it is just a game, they're not even eating them."

Westgarth said he had permission to shoot the dog on sight, but since it attacked in the night it was difficult to track.

"Who's gonna sit out here every night and hope like hell he arrives at some point, while freezing."

Westgarth said he was tired of having to constantly pick up bodies of the bloodied animals.

"The worst part is getting the tractor to go pick them up and then dispose of them."

He had contacted police about the issue.

Federated Farmers South Canterbury president Mark Adams said he had never heard of such a high number of livestock deaths in South Canterbury.

He had heard of similar stories of farms located near big cities like Wellington or Auckland.

Livestock farmers lived in fear when near urban areas with a high population, because they were at the mercy of dog owners if the animals were not trained or kept tied up, he said.

"You are relying on them to manage their dogs but every now and then a dog will go rogue.

"It is just sport, dogs will move from one thing to another. In their mind it is just fun."

He said he suspected people were ignorant as to what dogs did in the night if they were not tied up.

Adams said he hoped the local police would be hard on catching the dog and owner responsible.

Constable Kris Howes, of Pleasant Point, said police were aware of the matter and had been working with the local dog control officer.

"At this point, we understand no-one has witnessed the dog harming the sheep."

Inquiries were ongoing, he said.