A FARMER has called for dog owners to keep their pets under control after his sheep were attacked twice in the last two weeks, leading to one sheep’s death.

Jon Terry, 56, whose keeps sheep are in fields between the M4 and the canal near the Allt Yr Yn nature reserve in Newport, said that he has lost 10 sheep in the past three years and that the attacks are becoming a big problem for him.

The last attack was on Sunday afternoon, when a big dog jumped over the fence and got into the field, Mr Terry said.

“The dog ripped apart one of the sheep, which we had to kill,” Mr Terry, who lives just outside Cwmbran, explained. “Another sheep had bite marks on the top of her nose and forehead – I’m surprised she’s still alive.”

Mr Terry said that the previous attack was only two weeks, when a sheep was bitten on the cheek.

He said: “I’m very angry and upset, I don’t like to see my sheep suffering.

“They’re not just there to make money, they’re my flock. I started with 15 sheep and I’ve 140 now.

“It’s a big problem for us – in the past three years, I’ve lost 10 sheep to dog attacks.”

Mr Terry said that he used to have sheep on a field in Rogerstone, but that he had to move them because too many dogs were getting in the field.

“It’s not the dog’s faults, it’s their instinct,” he said. “It’s the owner’s responsibility to keep the dog under control, especially when there’s livestock around. Dogs can easily jump over a fence.

“If it’s going to chase a sheep, it could chase a small dog or a child next.

“The only way to stop this is to have the dog on a lead."