The owner of a dog that killed four sheep and injured 15 others at an Angus farm is being sought by police.
The frenzied attack took place in the field at Newbarns Farm in Inverkeilor at 12.30pm on Tuesday.
The alarm was raised by a couple of dog walkers who noticed the carcass of a sheep lying near the roadside and then saw the dog a black and brown Staffordshire bull terrier-type animal still in the field.
A girl ran near to a nearby farmhouse while her boyfriend entered the field and restrained the dog using his belt.
Gordon Wilson (51), who lives nearby at Newbarns Farmhouse, called the farmer, who then contacted the vet and police.
Mr Wilson said: ”The girl came running here thinking this was the farmhouse for the field. She said that they’d been walking their dog also a Staffie when they noticed that one of the sheep was badly bloodied around its neck.
”Then they noticed there was still a dog in the field. She ran to my house for help.”
He added: ”I phoned the farmer and when we got back to the field her boyfriend had very bravely gone in and managed to restrain the dog by tying his belt round the dog’s neck. Even then the dog was still trying to get back to the herd.”
Mr Wilson said the two-acre field was a bloody scene, with injured sheep everywhere.
He said: ”The dog had clearly been in the field for quite some time as there were sheep down all over the field. It had obviously been chasing the herd, pulling one down, attacking it, then going back to the herd again.”
He added: ”The girl’s boyfriend said that the dog was exhausted when he caught up to it. I know most of the dogs in the area and who owns them but no one seems to know who owns this black Staffie.”
The dog was later removed by Tayside Police, who are appealing for information about the incident.
A spokesman said: ”Tayside Police want to trace the owner of the dog and the group of people who were in the area at the time of the incident. The dog itself is described as being a large powerful dog, very dark brown in colour and is believed to be a Staffordshire bull terrier.”
He added: ”Anyone who can assist with inquiries should call Tayside Police on 0300 111 2222, or speak to any police officer. Alternatively information can be passed anonymously via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Councillor Bob Spink called the event ”absolutely dreadful”.
He said: ”This emphasises the risk we take having dogs like this in the community if indeed it’s a Staffordshire bull terrier.
”These are incidents that happen far too often with far too great a regularity. Some stricter controls have to be found.”
Angus Help for Abandoned Animals vice-president Ian Robb said: “This has obviously been someone out walking and has not had proper control over their dog. It is a lot of damage for one dog to do.”
Speaking from the charity’s Kinaldie base, a few miles from where the attack took place, Mr Robb said no dogs had escaped from the kennels and there had been no abandonments reported in the area.
He said: ”It is the same old story, whether it be in the rural areas or in the towns. The general public are not taking responsibility for their dogs and you only need to look at the number of attacks over the last year.”
He added: ”People need to realise that they are responsible for their dog’s behaviour when they are out in the community. If an owner can’t keep their dog under control then, under new legislation, they will be severely fined.”
Cross-breeding ‘status’ dogs such as Staffies, rottweilers, boxers and bullmastiffs is on the rise in Angus, and Mr Robb warned that tighter controls are needed.
He said: ”The likes of bullmastiff crosses, that are not reared properly, can be totally vicious. A lot of them have a very short fuse and it doesn’t take much for them to go over the edge.”
He added: ”In my opinion there are certain bloodlines that shouldn’t be mixed.”