Shropshire Star

Horror sheep attack captured on camera by Telford man

A man today spoke of his horror after capturing pictures of dogs attacking a sheep in the Welsh countryside.

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Amateur photographer John Breuilly, from Telford, was snapping pictures of the scenery around Llyn Ogwen Lake, near Bangor, when he saw the attack taking place.

The 29-year-old sales manager from Hadley was taking pictures in the valley which is known as a spot where the RAF does a lot of its low-level flight training and was armed with his long lens.

He said: "We heard a commotion coming from right on the other side of the valley but we couldn't see anything with the naked eye.

"But through the camera we could see the sheep falling and running down this steep cliff and the dogs chasing it.

"The dogs got hold of the sheep and pinned it onto the floor then they chased it into the water."

Mr Breuilly used his camera to capture the events as they unfolded.

He said that the dogs eventually lost interest and moved on, but he was shocked at the attitude of their owner.

He said: "He shouted at them a bit but the dogs weren't really paying any attention, he was just standing there with his hands on his hips."

Eventually when the dogs did leave the scene, accompanied by the owner, they were not put back on their lead and Mr Breuilly said they began chasing more sheep.

Although he was not able to check on the sheep's condition, he said that if it didn't drown it was likely that the animal would have died of shock after the attack.

He posted the images of the attack on Facebook and they have now been shared more than 11,000 times.

Mr Breuilly said he has been contacted by people who say they know the dogs' owner. They believe that he is a shepherd, but this has been refuted by experts.

The attack happened on June 23 and North Wales Rural Police and the RSPCA said they believe the photos show a case of sheep worrying, which is a criminal offence.

North Wales Police confirmed they are investigating an alleged sheep attack.

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