A young farmer whose pregnant sheep were savagely attacked by a dog has shared the tragic outcome in the hope that owners will be more responsible.

The sheep, who were part of Freddie Waller's small flock of rare breed Cotswolds, were found badly injured and one had to be put down.

Two days later the dog's owner is understood to have made the decision to euthanise the dog.

“It was a horrible thing to discover,” Freddie said.

“I’d checked them the night before, they were fine - but when I went to give them their breakfast on Wednesday morning there was wool and blood everywhere.

“I found Ashleigh first, she was clearly hurt badly - then I saw Sapphire, she was away from the flock and I knew something was really wrong.”

Horrified Freddie phoned the vet who immediately rushed to his field in Horsley, next to Ruskin Mill.

“Both ewes were in lamb - and both of them probably miscarried due to the trauma of the attack," Freddie explained. "There were 14 other pregnant ewes in the field, some of them could miscarry too."

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard:

It is hoped that Ashleigh may recover from her injuries, although she miscarried as a result of the attack

Tragically, Sapphire, who was one of just 1350 breeding ewes of the at risk breed in the country, had to be put down.

“It was awful but nothing could be done to help Sapphire, we just kept finding injuries.”

“From the wounds we think they could have been chased for hours, it's horrible to think that they would have been in the field suffering overnight.

Freddie, who is 23 years old and has been keeping sheep since he was 13, said that the owner of the dog came to see him after seeing his appeal for witnesses on the Facebook group Nailsworth Chat & Information.

He said that they apologised and explained that the dog was being walked by someone else who let it off the lead despite notices explaining that there were pregnant sheep in the field, and reminding owners to keep their dogs on the lead.

The owner also offered to pay the £400 for the vet bills and the cost of Sapphire.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard:

Sadly, Sapphire had to be destroyed due to the severity of her injuries

“It’s not about the money, we don’t make money from our flock - we love them, we give them names," Freddie said.

Sadly, as this was not the first time that the dog had attacked sheep, it had happened once before near Wotton under Edge, the owner had to make the decision to put the dog to sleep.

“The owner said that they understood that they needed to have the dog euthanised - it's a terrible outcome, but the right one - what if it had happened again, or if it had attacked a child?.”

According to the All Parliamentary Group on Animal Welfare around 15,000 sheep were killed by dogs in 2016.

A survey of more than 3,000 dog owners carried out by the RSPCA found a quarter that of owners said that their dog chases livestock. Worryingly 43 per cent did not consider the behaviour a problem.

Under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953, it is an offence for a dog to be off lead or otherwise unsupervised in an enclosure or field stocked with sheep.

Additionally under the Animals Act 1971, the owner of a dog that kills or injures livestock is liable for the damage caused and can be sued by the farmer.

But many people are unaware that a farmer may legally shoot and destroy a dog that is attacking or chasing, injures or worries farm animals.

"I cannot think of anything worse than having to shoot a dog," Freddie said.

"It would be my worse nightmare, so please keep your dog on a lead, especially now it's lambing season - otherwise their life could be at risk too."