He doesn't need to shout a warning, the damage to his stock could weell have already been done.

It is very sad that this has happened and I really feel for your friends, I would be devastated if that happened to my dog.

But, as others have said, the farmer was acting within the law. Particularly at lambing time the farmer would have been very concerned to see a dog worrying his sheep. The farmer may have lost livestock to dogs before making him quicker to react?

Run free little Jack Russell.

I agree with all thats been said, the dogs shouldn't have been near the sheep. You never know if this has happened before.
Run Free babies

The farmer could of shoot near the dogs a couple of times..im sure the little JRT would of run back to there owners terrified!!
He could of a least tried an alternative first..shows what sort of person he is!!!!

By and large, farmers are practical people, and, in situations like this, the most practical and effective way to defend the sheep is to take down the dog - giving the dog a fright is not guaranteed to work. JRTs are remarkably tenacious little beggars - I've known one that killed a ewe several times its size!

I had occasion once to check this out with our local cop, after a neighbour (now deceased) accused Kali - falsely - of chasing his goat. The dog does not have to be worrying the livestock at the time, it only has to be in the same enclosure. This is why the TZBCs have been trained always to respect fence lines, even if the fence itself is a disaster area (as many round here are ).

With sheep valued at a minimum of £80 a skull, you can understand why farmers worry about them!

Snorri

I don't know of a jack russel that would be so easily scared off if it was that determined to do something. The farmer did not have the luxury of thinking about it he had two choices; protect his livestock or let them be injured or killed, in his position I would have done the same. It's not about the sort of person he is. You could use the same comment about the owners that allowed this to happen in the first place. Farmers don't go around looking for dogs to shoot, they do it because they have to and it is negligent owners that put them in that position

Sorry, as a farmers daughter, I am 100% behind the farmer on this subject. The repercussions of having a dog running amok in a field of long awaited lambs is devestating, and will and can cause many of the sheep to abort.

I do own a dog with a high pery drive and never let him loose in fields or anywhere near livestock , he is always on a long line. If he did get away from me and he was shot, it would be my fault, not the dogs and not the farmers.

Very sad - are you convinced no warnings given - as if perhaps people irresponsible enough to allow dogs to worry sheep maybe the full truth isn't out - I know I'd be ashamed and might alter the story slightly to make me appear less bad - well not that I'd ever be in this situation but when I had an accident on a banana skin I altered the tale so I sounded less of a fool ...... people do that???

one of my friends lost over forty lambs because of dogs being loose in their fields,the females abort them if stressed,chased etc,that was in just under an hour of being chased,not forgetting the after care of the adult sheep,vet treatment etc,it cost them a lot of money,and of course the upset of losing animals,it is after all their living,because of one wayward dog,I really do not think dogs that do not belong to the farmer should be allowed off lead in fields with livestock in,
Wendy

I agree with all you say,just wish people would follow the country code ,poor dogs.