Regarding the argument that it is how a human feels about a dog that dictates the way it should be treated (i.e. because they are much loved pets they should not be shot):

Does that mean you think it would acceptable for a farmer to shoot a stray dog caught sheep-worrying? Or a mistreated dog, or one whose owners didn't love it? I'm afraid I cannot see the logic in this argument.

Surely how much the animal is loved is irrelevant, be it dog or sheep. You could get an unloved dog attacking a much-loved sheep, just as you could get a much-loved family pet attacking a sheep that is "just" a commodity. The action of the dog is the same, no matter who its owners, how much they love their dog, or what purpose the sheep has in life.

My dogs are not at all trustworthy around sheep or other livestock. For that reason I keep them securely on lead whenever we are in the vicinity of animals; by this I mean a lead tied around my waist to a secure harness they cannot back out of. If something were to happen that resulted in them chasing a sheep and being shot, the only person I would be angry at would be myself. I would be totally and utterly devastated, of course, but it would be unfair to judge the farmer for protecting his/her flock and acting within their legal rights.

OK, so dogs are pets and sheep are just a commodity for the farmer. But they are not - they are the farmer's livelihood and as such are as important to him and his family as pet dogs are to their owners.

I love my dog desperately but if she got into a flock of sheep and destroyed any of them, I would never blame the farmer for shooting her.

Indeed I would consider it my failure, my fault. I cannot allow mine to be a nuisance to other people it's in the deeds to my home that they are my responsibility and mine alone. I don't see them attacking sheep as much different to if they bit a neighbour it would all be my fault. Sadly they would pay the highest price but money cannot compensate in many cases.

Where a dog is loose around sheep and is attacking or causing harm, unfortunately, I can see little other choice but to stop the pain and suffering continuing.

The dog is not to blame; the sheep are not to blame; the farmer is not to blame. The blame lays wholly with the owner of the dog

Gosh some of you are so paranoid it is just a discussion - you guys wanted more so you are getting them

Off-topic but I will address this anyway. Nobody is ever banned for their opinion on any dog related matter - if you look through our debates you will see hundreds of discussions and possibly thousands of people disagreeing with me personally - yet hardly any of them have been banned. Those that get banned do so because they break rules or continue to disrupt threads. If this wasn't the case I am sure our mods would have walked out a long time ago - because they see everything

I am not saying some farmers don't care - I am just saying that our relationship with our dogs is much deeper, and having a dog shot/killed would be far more traumatic for us - so much so that it is almost incomparable.

Thank you - I glad you can finally see what I am trying to say

With regards to putting food in your bellies, I see it as no different to other businesses - shop keepers lose a considerable amount to shop lifters, many can actual go bust after a ram raid - because insurance companies cap the amount they pay out OR you have to spend thousands on things like metal bollards and shutters.

How on earth did you come to that conclusion. No where have I said dog owners should stop being responsible. In fact I have specifically said the opposite - that if your dog damages someone's property you have to take responsibility and pay - which may even include prosecution.

Why oh why do people have to start making personal remarks?

We all know this is a topic that I feel strongly about, so why does there have to be some conspiracy?

Can we concentrate on the topic please rather than posting digs at each other?

Ditto my last response. No conspiracy - just a topic I feel strongly about, Tangy Pat

Ditto again.

And if me trying to highlight a key, fundamental issue makes me pedantic then so be it. It is a crucial point imo, one I feel should not be swept aside.

Not always Chris, as per the news story I posted in an earlier post

Nothing more to say I guess you see things in a very different way to most people I would suggest as the law is on the side of the sheep and the farmer too.

Sadly dogs and sheep will continue to suffer though unless we are responsible and stop our dogs being out of control.

Hi Gemma, welcome to the discussion

No, I don't think it's ok for strays to be treated differently - because there's almost no way of (easily) telling whether a dog is a stray or not. Plus in the UK at least, a very very small percentage of dogs are strays.

Well said, me neither. I would blame MYSELF, but not the dog, and certainly not the farmer.

Very well said

The onus of keeping your dog safe and away from being shot is just as much your responsibility as it is the farmers to keep their livestock safe. Is it a car drivers fault if your dog is offlead and it runs out in the road and gets hit?