Was I being overly sensitive? *TW animal death

[alphapie]

So I live in a small Villiage, as a previous city dweller some of the downsides of living in the countryside have taken a while to get used to, such as cows waking us up at 5am, free roaming peacocks destroying our cars paint on the roof and general manure smells every now and again. But after 4 years we are getting there.

Last night a local farmer had 40 lambs killed, he thinks it was a dog attack, instead of just putting a normal post about it on the local FB group (like he and other farmers have before) his son instead decided to share 20 graphic photos of the dead lambs along with the post asking for information or if anyone saw anything.

Now I was pretty upset to be scrolling through FB and to then see images of lambs ripped apart, insides everywhere, pilled on top of each other and commented this on the post. Reminding him that there are teens and young people in the group and it's maybe not the best thing to put on here, to be fair I'd expect many people, adults included would feel upset seeing these images on their FB feed.

I was jumped on by the farmer, other farmers in the village, the 'we've been here for 30 years, go back to the local city if you don't like it' lot and even accused of being the attacker, despite not owning a bloody dog.

I personally also think 40 lambs in one go is unlikely to be a dog attack, but didn't comment that of course.

Was I being unreasonable or overly sensitive to find this shocking and to maybe suggest it's a bit too much to post in a FB group where local children often post looking for summer work or weekend car washing for pocket money? Am I turning into one of those 'think of the children' people!

I think that if the other PG posts obviously haven’t worked perhaps the shock factor of seeing the reality might.

@RunningFromInsanity I think this is my biggest issue with it, what difference would these images make, no one is going to say 'oh yeah shit it was me and Fido, soz'

And on the flip side, who would see anything in the middle of a 10 acre farm past midnight.

As I said I have huge doubts it was a dog at all, as who would be walking a dog that late and not stop it after one or two dead sheep, how can one dog do so much damage, and there are careless owners but letting your dog rip apart 40 animals over what must have been a longish period is on another level. Surely

For me, the farmer was right.

The harsh reality of what happened to those poor animals needs telling.

Some folk think the rules of the countryside don’t apply to them. Especially since lockdown. They think that their dog wouldn’t ever possibly do such things. But they can and they do.

I’m not blaming the dogs - but the owners. And sometimes they need telt.

It is distressing to see such things. But not half as distressing as it would have been for the animals. Or their owner to see the outcome.

Sounds awful. I think the point is to show people what a dog csn do to lambs and hopefully owners will be more sensible in future. The graphic image may have more impact.

I can understand it might not be nice to see but would be more sympathy for the farmer.

YABU you can see bits of dead lamb in the supermarket.

I think it's the farmer themselves that's making it hard for me to be sympathetic, if it was the ones who live a few doors down I don't think I'd mind as much, so probably am being unreasonable on that part.

They don't take very good care of their sheep or ensure their fencing and boundaries are maintained, every time a sheep or group of sheep are running down the street it's their farm, everyone in the village has their mobile numbers as 99% of all sheep related incidents are from their farm, it's a bit of a joke at the moment. There was a car crash last year because 22 of their sheep escaped and ran wild during rush hour. There are 6 farmers in the village, only they have issues - it's quite annoying tbh. But not sure if their lacklustre care is what led to the 'dog' attack

Imo people need cold facts however awful.
Those poor babies.

Yeah but it's a bit different seeing lambs who have been literally ripped apart close up on your FB feed. You expect it at the supermarket, you don't expect to see such extreme images on FB as you're scrolling down.

Do people need to know in this detail though, sheep attacks are bad, but are images going to prevent those careless owners from being twats, unlikely. So there is little to no return on those images being posted

Firstly, unlikely one dog would take that many but two out of control dogs behaving as a pack-definitely.
I don't know if these posts are likely to help catch the owners but personally I don't have an issue with these kinds of images- it's become a real problem recently and it is so heartbreaking and financially ruinous for farmers that they must feel pretty powerless when it happens and this is a way for them to try and do something.
Sorry, but I think you are being precious. I'm sure children see worse things online than dead lambs.

It probably wasn't one dog, cases near me where a group of dogs run off together or meet a loose dog and run away from owners and a kind of pack instinct takes over and they go a bit savage, the panicing sheep excite them even more and then recall doesn't work even if the owners are nearby. I've known ponies chased like this too and breaking legs.
In one instance it was two huskies being walked by a teenager while his parents were away, he let them off lead and they took off and wouldn't come back to his voice commands, shot by the farmer while chasing sheep, sad all round.

Yes, it'll be a dog attack. Frankly, the farmer will be sick to the back teeth of having to deal with the carnage and expense, let alone the heart ache of loosing stock to thoughtless, irresponsible people. Everyone in a rural community has responsibility of making sure this type if attack does not happen. ANY dog is capable of doing this damage, sheep are very vulnerable to attack and stress related death. Seeing the evidence in the published photo's should be enough to make sure you report any loose dog, however small and cute to your local farmer. You need to be part of the rural community not an lily livered, hollow legged visitor. Stop complaining and FIT In! The dog needs dealing with, give farmer a fighting chance to protect his stock.

To be honest, yes it's grim, but many dog owners appear to have no bloody clue when it comes to livestock and maybe pictures like this are what is needed to get it through to them what an unrestrained dog can do.

It's also rather strange that you say you don't imagine it could be a dog - what else could it be? Foxes aren't big enough to do that much damage to so many animals, so unless you think you have a very sick individual killing livestock, it has to be someone's dog.

Dog attacks don't usually happen because a farmer has dodgy fences. They happen because people don't control their dogs, let them off without thoroughly checking and don't stock train them. And it's bloody horrible to find even one sheep killed by a dog.

It's also entirely possible that a dog or two could kill 40 lambs. I know farmers who have lost in the high teens in a single attack. And what else is it going to be? We don't have wolves loose in the UK (which is where I assume you are).

The FB pictures are unlikely to flush out the culprit (I hope that farmer got DNA off the carcasses - it might help secure a conviction). They're there to scare the living daylights out of local dog owners who will think, shit, I'd better keep a close eye on Fido. They might help prevent another incident, not that you will ever know. Better mauled lambs on FB than more mauled lambs out in the fields.

How is this not 'fitting' in 😂

The only lose dogs round here usually belong to the farmers anyway (not just those ones, but most have working dogs that are allowed to roam free) who is out at midnight looking for dogs in a 10 acre field.

Yeah but it's a bit different seeing lambs who have been literally ripped apart close up on your FB feed. You expect it at the supermarket, you don't expect to see such extreme images on FB as you're scrolling down.

To me dead lamb is dead lamb.
You wouldn't complain about a picture of a lamb roast dinner on fb.

The villiage is small and mostly old people, so I just highly doubt someone is off in the fields with a dog past midnight tbh.

It doesn't make much sense, why walk a dog in the pitch dark with no lighting in the middle of a 10 acre field. The part of the field they're kept in after giving birth is quite far from the road too. So the dogs would have to be off lead and ran pretty far

YABU tbh. Dogs can and do kill this many sheep in one go, it's a common occurrence. It's usually a few loose dogs that go together and get into a frenzy. No human could convince them to stop.

These attacks are vicious, brutal and distressing for both the sheep and their owners. Imagine the distress of having to clean up the dismembered bodies of your animals, all while knowing your income for the year has been lost? Imagine the stress of not knowing how you will pay your bills now, and the stress of having to nurse the injured survivors.

And imagine your local village dog owners not caring, and allowing it to happen again and again. Nobody thinks that their cuddly pet could be responsible.

You and your neighbours are seeing the reality of it for yourself now. I'm sorry that you have found the images upsetting, but I hope those images have made a few dog owners near you stop and think.

Well no because it's an entirely different scenario. The fact you think they're at all comparable is a bit weird.

Thankfully FB has taken the post down as it breaks community standards.

YABU - to make unfounded assumptions about the damage that even one dog can do in a flock, let alone a pair or small pack, loose from a single home, and also to think your sensibilities are more important that those sheep's lives, or the farmer's livelihood.

You don't like looking at photos - that farmer has had to clear up that carnage, and watch their already slim profit margins wane even further. Get a bloody grip, or move back to the city.

OP - these dogs were unlikely to have been out for a walk. They're more likely to be dogs whose gardens are not secure.

You are coming across as extremely ignorant.

When did I say my 'sensibilities' were more important than their lives.

Putting those photos up will not help anyone, it will not prevent another attack, it won't help find the person who did it, it serves no purpose than to shock those who wouldn't do this anyway.

Thankfully FB has removed the image as it breaks community standards.

Yabu and should have kept out of it. The farmer was clearly upset and wanted everyone to know how serious this was. You should have kept your opinions to yourself.

If graphic images on FB prevent one person from taking a risk around livestock then it's worth it.

You say that the photos are unlikely to help identify the owners of the dog(s) involved. I disagree. Even responsible owners find their dogs escape/run off. If a dog had been missing overnight and comes home with blood on his face the owner would be made aware of who to contact by the post.