AN Auchinleck farmer wants to raise awareness after one of their lambs was killed by a dog.

Barbara Spittal of Berryhill Farm witnessed the attack on Wednesday, May 2 before taking the lamb to the vet where it had to be put down.

This isn’t the first time sheep have been attacked by dogs at Berryhill and Barbara wants people to be more aware of the affects their actions can have in the countryside.

Barbara said: “People are entitled to come into the countryside but they need to be aware of the their actions and the devastation that it can cause.

“The lamb was taken to the vet in Mauchline but it had to be euthanised. There were two men with a dog in the neighbour’s field.

“My husband has rushed out to stop the dog. The gentleman said that it broke off the lead. It was a crossbreed, about the size of a Labrador.

“I have seen people out coursing for hares before, obviously there is no evidence for that but a wee white fluffy lamb is going to look no different to a dog than a hare. I didn’t get the man’s name either.

“We haven’t reported it to the police, only to the vet. A couple of years ago we had three adult sheep killed and we reported that to the police.

“They said that they couldn’t do anything and that we were well within our rights to shoot the dog.

“In this instance, in the time it takes to get the key to the cabinet and get the gun out then get the key for the cabinet with the ammunition, there would have been more damage done than by my husband running out and startling the dog.”

The Scottish Outdoor Access Code provides guidance for dog owners when out in the countryside.

It states that you shouldn’t take dogs into fields with young farm animals.

If you do go into fields with animals, you should keep your dog on a short lead and as far as possible from the animals.