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Pet owner’s plea: ‘Control your dogs’
Friday, November 02, 2012 • Sophie Rishworth
FOR 11-year-old Mollie Clarke, it is not easy to forget the sight of her pet lamb Joey barely alive and covered in blood.

The eight-week-old lamb had to be put down after it was mauled by a roaming dog that jumped a fence into her family’s property in Valley Road on Sunday morning.

“When I went to get my other lamb Pearl, I spotted him lying in the grass covered with flies and bleeding really bad,” said Mollie.

She wanted to talk to the Herald after finding Joey, who she had fed with a bottle every day for six weeks, to let dog owners know she thinks it is a “bad idea” that they let their dogs wander around.

“They don’t know what they are getting up to. So watch your dog or keep it on a leash, and discipline your dogs so they don’t attack people or pets.”

The family have a small property with chickens, a couple of calves and a few sheep. Mollie is “very dedicated” to hand-rearing some pet lambs that could not stay with their mothers.

Her mum Jan said Mollie did not sleep that first night and her daughter could not stop thinking about the grizzly sight.

“It was an absolutely horrific sight, even for an adult — imagine what it did to an 11-year-old. She treated her lambs like babies and they followed her everywhere.”

Mrs Clarke said her daughter was worried the dog would return. All the neighbours had been contacted but no one had seen the dog.

“The dog would have come home covered in blood — it was that horrific. The owners would know something had happened.”

Gisborne District Council animal control team leader Steve Greaves said he was notified about the attack and patrols were in the area to look for wandering dogs.

Last week a foal was attacked at Whatatutu, reportedly by dogs as well, he said.

Mr Greaves reiterates the requirement that dogs have to be controlled at all times.
LAMB LOST TO DOGS: Mollie manages a smile after a kiss from Larry her pet lamb but the 11-year-old is still finding it hard to rid herself of the image of another of her pets mauled and barely alive after an attack by a dog. Eight-week-old lamb Joey, in the picture she is holding, had to be put down. He was hand-reared by Mollie on her family’s Valley Road property. She has talked to the newspaper to alert dog owners to stop their dogs from wandering. Picture by Dave Thomas
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