An Auckland man is distraught after another member of his flock of sheep was killed by a dog.

During late August, the man who did not want to be identified claimed that seven of his animals were attacked on his farm in West Auckland.

Five of them did not survive the attack by what he termed as a big dog.

He said the attack was brutal and the dog must have been covered in blood by the end of it all. The sheep’s heads were all but chewed off while the throats and ears were ripped off. However, that was not the end.

Early in September, the man claimed another animal, and some of the neighbors’ were found dead after another attack.

He was not in the country at the time and came home to the sad news a few days ago.

The man claimed this one had the shoulder ripped out during the attack. He said it looked gruesome and must have been a terrible death.

After consulting with his neighbors, he now believes there was more than one dog which was involved in the attacks.

He had placed out posters within their letterboxes after the first attack when he was looking for information.

He was contacted by neighbors who confirmed their sheep were also victims of dog attacks. They chased the dogs off the property.

The Auckland Council manager for animal management, Sarah Anderson stated they attended the scene where three sheep and two lambs were found dead. Unfortunately, there were no witnesses or dogs were found.

They did say they have DNA samples and set traps. She emphasized a reminder to dog owners to keep their animals under control and adequately confined all of the time.

This is mainly in the rural regions should the dogs not be familiar with stock.

It is not the first time dog attacks on sheep have been recorded in the surrounding areas.

A family in Waipapa was left devastated after a dog attack left half of their flock dead in June. It was the third attack on their sheep within six months and left 16 sheep dead.

The most disturbing thing was most of the dead were pregnant ewes.

Animal control did manage to find the culprit of the attack, which was a big black dog and euthanized it. Its accomplice that was a puppy at the time was neutered and kept under control.

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Sheep Pixabay