A farmer is urging dog owners to keep their pets under control and if in doubt on a lead after one of his flock was mauled by a labrador.
Rob Hodgkins made the bloody discovery on Monday morning after being alerted by the distraught dog owner.
Her labrador had chased and bitten an eight month old lamb causing injuries so severe that the animal had to be put to sleep by a vet later that day.
Odsey-based Rob, 33, who recently started farming in the area and keeps his flock on various land around Baldock, Letchworth and Stevenage, said: “There was a lot of blood. We tried as farmers to sort it out ourselves but later on that afternoon we realised it was still in a bad way and called out the vet.”
The farmer, who moved to the area from West Sussex around 11 months ago, now wants to raise awareness among dog owners to ensure there are no other killings, following the distressing incident just outside of Littlington, off Royston Road.
He said: “Keep dogs under control, in sight and if you are at all worried keep them on a lead.
“If you are not entirely confident that your dog will come back to you when commanded then it should be on a lead for everyone’s sake. A dog has to be under control.”
Rob has a flock of 600 ewes and two sheepdogs.
In August a sheep was discovered with fatal neck wounds following a dog attack in a fenced meadow on Gibbet Hill at Weston Hills Local Nature Reserve in Baldock.
The sheep had been reintroduced to the area earlier in the month as part of conservation management efforts.
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