Professional dog walker fined for double sheep attack
© Tim Scrivener A professional dog walker has been ordered to pay compensation to two farmers after a Dobermann under his supervision attacked sheep in two separate incidents.
Peter Stonehouse, 58, who runs WoofNBoots Dog Walking and Pet Services, was sentenced at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (6 May) after pleading guilty to the two offences of sheep worrying under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock Act) 1953.
In total, Mr Stonehouse was ordered to pay £1,999.65, including fines, court costs and victim compensation.
On 23 December last year, Mr Stonehouse was in charge of a Dobermann dog which was involved in a sheep worrying incident at Winslade, a hamlet near Basingstoke.
See also: What to do if you’re a victim of… sheep worrying
A farmworker witnessed the dog chasing a flock of Lleyn cross Texel sheep, the court was told. The dog was seen to bite some of the lambs – one ewe lamb was later found with severe bite marks causing tears to its front leg.
Another dog walker who was walking with Mr Stonehouse caught the dog. The farmworker took a photograph of the disk on the dog’s harness to keep as evidence.
One of Tim Cooke’s injured ewe lambs © Tim Cooke
The following day, a vet was called to the farm to treat the injured sheep. The bill was about £350, including callout fees and medicines.
Second attack
While Hampshire Police were investigating this incident, they received reports of a second dog attack on sheep in the Basingstoke area on 25 January.
On this occasion, Mr Stonehouse was walking the same Dobermann dog at Ewhurst Park, in Ramsdell, Tadley.
While off its lead, the Dobermann scented sheep in a field about three-quarters of a mile away and ran off. Mr Stonehouse chased after it. He was able to monitor the location of the dog through a tracking device on its harness.
In the field, the loose dog chased a flock of New Zealand Romney lambs until it was caught, totally exhausted.
Six lambs died in that attack, three as a result of their injuries from bite puncture wounds. The other three died from shock and stress from the trauma of being chased.
The flock is run on rented land by Gordon Wyeth, a former Farmers Weekly Sheep Farmer of the Year who manages about 20,000 sheep across the south of England.
On 7 February, Mr Stonehouse attended Basingstoke Police Station voluntarily and admitted being in charge of the Doberman dog at the time of both incidents.
At Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court, Mr Stonehouse, from Charlbury Lane, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, was fined £176 for the first offence in Winslade and ordered to pay the farmer £492.65 compensation. He was also told to pay £85 court costs.
For the second offence in Tadley, Mr Stonehouse was fined £176 and ordered to pay Mr Wyeth £950 in compensation. He was also told to pay an additional £85 court costs and a £35 victim surcharge.
‘Warning to others’
PC Andy Reid, area beat commander for Basingstoke Rural South, who investigated both incidents, said the case should serve as a warning to dog walkers about the need to always keep pets on a lead in the countryside.
“This is an excellent result for these sheep farmers and I hope that it will be a warning to others who frequent our countryside and fail to maintain proper control of their dogs, especially in the area of livestock,” he said.
Farmers Weekly contacted Mr Stonehouse, but he declined to comment.
Farmer victims give their verdict on the sentencing
Sheep farmer Gordon Wyeth said he felt the sentencing in this case was too lenient and the victims had paid a bigger penalty than the defendant.
“He [Peter Stonehouse] can just carry on running his ‘professional’ dog walking service,” said Mr Wyeth.
“He will likely claim the money back on his insurance, so all this will cost him is £170 court costs. There will probably be a bit of a dent in his reputation too.”
Mr Wyeth said the very least he would have expected was a letter of apology from Mr Stonehouse, but this had not been forthcoming.
He asked: “What has happened to common decency, for God’s sake?”
Dealing with the aftermath of sheep worrying attacks was a “pain in the backside”, he said.
Since the incident in January, he has suffered a further five sheep worrying attacks across his farms.
He said: “The onus is on the farmer to try to get your money back. You are fighting with the insurance companies. Things have to change.”
Tenant farmer Tim Cooke said the dog attack on his flock in Winslade caused both him and the vet huge inconvenience.
The vet had to make a one-hour car journey to the farm on Christmas Eve to treat the injured ewe lamb.
Mr Cooke said the injured lamb had to be treated for a week for its open wounds, which were infected and could not be stitched. It then had to be kept indoors for a month to recover.
“It annoys me that people do not understand that this is people’s livelihoods. They do not seem to care,” he said.
“I have had so many arguments with people about having dogs on leads. They have only got to keep a dog on a lead, especially near livestock. It really isn’t too much to ask.”
Mr Cooke said he was concerned that the Dobermann might commit further attacks. “There was no order made to destroy the dog. But once a dog has a taste of sheep worrying, it is likely to do it again.”