A dog has killed a rare breed of sheep after the owner let it off its lead in Standish Woods.

The owners of Standish Park Farm found the Llanwenog ewe dead with a bite from a white and brown/grey spaniel in its rear on Wednesday, May 2.

The spaniel, which had been allowed to run free by its owner, made its way through the woods to the farm where it began chasing sheep.

Farmers spotted the dog but they were too late to stop it killing the ewe.

The dog ran back to the woods before the farmers could let the owner know what had happened.

Stroud News and Journal:

The dead ewe being taken away

On the same day of the attack another dog with long brown hair was also spotted chasing sheep by the farmers, though it did not kill any.

The farmers lamented how such attacks are becoming more frequent.

“We do not want to stop people walking their dogs in the wood, but we would ask they make sure they know exactly where their dogs are and do not let them off the lead if they are prone to go off out of sight,” said Annabelle Crump of Standish Park Farm.

“It’s very possible that the owner had no idea what their spaniel was doing - but it must have returned with blood on its mouth as it made a big bite”.

Her husband Jonathan Crump, who runs a Gloucester cheese stall at Stroud Farmers’ Market, is equally frustrated.

“Rather than hiding in the woods, I wish the owner had come out, admitted to the mistake, and faced the consequences.”

Along side the stress caused by the incident, Standish Park Farm is now out of pocket.

The ewe cost £60 and had to be taken away for another £20 - and its lambs must now be bottle fed, which takes up more of the farm’s time.