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Farmer shoots two huskies, one of them dies

Story about a farmer here who shot two huskies when they ran into his farm with one of them dying and another left seriously injured, there are claims that he didn't fire a warning shot first before he shot them. Was it fair he shot them?

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/farmer-shot-two-beautiful-huskies-12465875

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Sounds fair enough to me. He is entitled to protect his lambs. Its the owner's fault for letting the dogs run riot.
Reply 2
He is completely within his rights to shoot the dogs if they pose a risk to his sheep. I'm sure he didn't want to do it, and it sounds like they weren't under control - the police linked it to a report of dogs running free on an A road. If they'd been hit by a car then, I'm sure the Birmingham Mail would have written an article blasting the owner.
Sad that these dogs are dead

But yes it was completely fair the farmer shot them. They shouldn't be on farmland, and should definitely be on a lead
Reply 4
Tragic, regrettable, but nonetheless excusable.
Farmer has a right to protect livestock. Very sorry for the dog and the owner, it was clearly just a very bad day.
Original post by Rock Fan
Story about a farmer here who shot two huskies when they ran into his farm with one of them dying and another left seriously injured, there are claims that he didn't fire a warning shot first before he shot them. Was it fair he shot them?

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/farmer-shot-two-beautiful-huskies-12465875


He'd have got into serious trouble if he fired a "warning shot". That's probably why he didn't, and why farmers in this situation don't do it. This thing in the article about a legal requirement for warning shots is rubbish.

Dogs don't even need to attack livestock to be a threat - they can chase animals and put them under enough stress to abort their young, and there are incidents of sheep suffocating to death because they all get packed into field corners by out of control dogs. It doesn't matter one bit that there were "only" 3 sheep in the field, or that there "was not a mark on them".
Reply 7
Original post by RF_PineMarten
He'd have got into serious trouble if he fired a "warning shot". That's probably why he didn't, and why farmers in this situation don't do it. This thing in the article about a legal requirement for warning shots is rubbish.

Dogs don't even need to attack livestock to be a threat - they can chase animals and put them under enough stress to abort their young, and there are incidents of sheep suffocating to death because they all get packed into field corners by out of control dogs. It doesn't matter one bit that there were "only" 3 sheep in the field, or that there "was not a mark on them".


How could firing a warning shot got him into trouble?
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by stoyfan
How could firing a warning shot got him into trouble?


It would likely be seen as threatening behaviour. If you fire your gun you fire it to hit something, not to act as a warning.
I'm 5 months from being a vet. Last year I saw the after effects of a single dog attack on lambs and ewes last year. It was absolutely horrific and will stay with me for a long time.

Farmer was absolutely justified
Original post by RF_PineMarten
It would likely be seen as threatening behaviour. If you fire your gun you fire it to hit something, not to act as a warning.


Well isn't shooting the dogs also threatening behaviour?
Original post by stoyfan
Well isn't shooting the dogs also threatening behaviour?


No, because it's not a threat.
:colonhash:
Well within his rights. Dog owners should take note.
Huskies will not stop from a warning shot. One of ours got onto a farm once and killed 3 fully grown sheep (we paid the farmer)! They are deadly! Also tried to kill a calf by herself while a bull was there to fend her off. Luckily I grabbed her and took her away, risking my life when this bull chased after me (released the dog when he got close :colone: then eventually got her back).

Seriously, don't get huskies!

EDIT by the way, with one of the sheep she literally tore its face off
(edited 7 years ago)
Rather pathetic and hypocritical that people thought this was fine when you're going to eat those lambs anyway.
Original post by Angry cucumber
I'm 5 months from being a vet. Last year I saw the after effects of a single dog attack on lambs and ewes last year. It was absolutely horrific and will stay with me for a long time.

Farmer was absolutely justified

Btw why don't they have rams to protect them? And where are all the rams? Do male lambs get killed at birth or something?
Original post by econwarwicker
Rather pathetic and hypocritical that people thought this was fine when you're going to eat those lambs anyway.


Surprised it took this long for somebody to have a problem, and not really, the shooting is protection of property, what's later done with that property is largely irrelevant to the right to protect it.

If you're demolishing your house in 6 months does that make it alright for somebody to demolish it now?

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Original post by RF_PineMarten
It would likely be seen as threatening behaviour. If you fire your gun you fire it to hit something, not to act as a warning.


That's ridiculous. Firing a warning shot to protect livestock is common practice.
Reply 18
Original post by Mistletoe
Huskies will not stop from a warning shot. One of ours got onto a farm once and killed 3 fully grown sheep (we paid the farmer)! They are deadly! Also tried to kill a calf by herself while a bull was there to fend her off. Luckily I grabbed her and took her away, risking my life when this bull chased after me (released the dog when he got close :colone: then evhentually got her back).

Seriously, don't get huskies!

EDIT by the way, with one of the sheep she literally tore its face off


Since you own huskies would you put this down to instinctive behaviour or poor training?

I must add I side with the farmer, it's down to dog owners to control their dogs.
(edited 7 years ago)
Yeah heard stuff like stress can **** a sheep up. Defo fault of the owners.

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