13 sheep attacked by dogs in Whangārei leaves Northland couple devastated

Otaika couple Kim Booth and Gabriel Henry are still reeling from shock after they lost 13 sheep to dog attacks. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A Whangārei couple are devastated after a pair of roaming dogs mauled 13 of their sheep during two attacks in the past three weeks.

Gabriel Henry and his partner Kim Booth woke up around 3am last Thursday to an “unusual squealing” noise coming from their paddocks. It wasn’t until morning that they found five of their sheep lying lifeless in a mutilated condition.

The morbid sight wasn’t a first for the couple as they had previously lost eight of their sheep to a dog attack in November.

“Although I didn’t see our sheep get attacked this time. I do remember seeing a big black dog chasing one of them in the middle of the night during the first time,” Henry said.

Back then, he recalls waking up to a similar eerie squeal he heard last week and after he headed down to his paddock, he discovered the mangled remains of his dead sheep everywhere.

At the same time, he reportedly saw two people walking at a distance and suspected the dogs belonged to them. He couldn’t catch up to the duo as he stayed behind to comfort the remaining sheep which survived.

“That night I couldn’t sleep well and woke up every moment I heard something. The next day, I took the dead sheep to the vet who confirmed through the bite marks that there were two dogs involved – one big and another a small one,” Henry said.

His partner Booth said they have had enough after the second attack.

“While some surviving sheep are still reeling from the injuries they sustained during the attack, others are living in fear.”

The couple decided to go public with their experience in order to share their concerns with the community and hold the dogs’ owners responsible.

Kim Booth says their surviving sheep are still recovering from the injuries sustained during the dog attacks. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Their neighbour Sue Steven also lost sheep last Thursday, although she said only a couple were killed.

Steven, who lives behind the Otaika Valley School, said she had woken up to the sound of “dogs barking” but couldn’t locate the canines in the dark.

However, after sunrise she found her sheep lying in the paddock with their legs in the air and throats ripped out.

“This is the first time something like this has happened to me. I feel that whoever owns these dogs knows what’s happening because their dogs must have been covered in blood when they went home.

“And once dogs get a taste of sheep, they will keep coming back,” she said.

Council manager for health and bylaws Reiner Mussle said while they have no firm leads on the dogs responsible, two suspected stray dogs were filmed on the school grounds around the same time as one of the attacks.

“A letter with pictures of these dogs has been distributed to see if they can be identified. By this, we hope to reach a large number of people and in the meantime continue our investigations,” Mussle said.

Steven’s neighbour Henry said people who own stocks should remain vigilant.

“ ... and irresponsible dog owners should be held accountable as it’s not the dog’s fault but the one who trained them.”

Federated Farmers Northland President Colin Hannah says setting dog traps on paddocks was a safe way to prevent roaming dogs from attacking sheep.

Federated Farmers Northland president Colin Hannah said in rural farms it was not uncommon to hear of dogs mauling sheep.

He recalled a time when he had to shoot down two rabid dogs from a neighbouring property who killed 31 lambs on his farm in Waikato.

“Although for urban-centred farms, trapping would be more suitable and safer. And Whangārei District Council’s Animal Control team would be able to help with it,” he said.

Both Henry and Steven said they had already contacted Animal Control and were waiting to hear back from them.

Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.