Ørjan Hadsel Berger is a sheep farmer on Hadseløya in Hadsel municipality. On Sunday he was called by a neighbour, who had found a dead sheep. Berger moved out to retrieve the animal. DESPAIRS: Farmer Ørjan Hadsel Berger. Photo: Privat He quickly suspected that it was a dog attack. There were two things that made Berger react: – One is that the animal had a lot of foam around its nose and mouth. It can often be a sign of overexertion. – A sheep should not run for very long at full speed, before it starts to have problems. In addition, there were nibble marks and scratch marks from teeth on the leather. He has shared the following photos with news: The sheep has foam running out of its nose and mouth. It is a sign of overexertion. The sheep had nibbling and scratching marks from teeth on the skin. This is how sheep farmer Ørjan Hadsel Berger found the sheep lying outside in the grazing area. The sheep Berger lost was going in for breeding. Ideally, the farmer should have had six to seven years of production with the sheep. – Terribly unnecessary. I become a combination of sad and angry. – We are talking about many thousands of kroner. And as long as I don’t know whose dog did the damage, it’s a loss I have to bear. Berger is far from alone. Growing problem Norsk Sau og Geit estimates that between 800 and 900 sheep and lambs are killed each year as a result of dog attacks. This is revealed in a survey carried out in 2020. Pasture and rangeland advisor in Sau og Geit, Per Fossheim, says there has not been a thorough survey until 2020. – But until then, it was reported that the problem was increasing from our county leaders . The Farmers’ Association says the same. INCREASING TREND: The feedback from the county teams to Norges Bondeland indicates that there has been an increasing trend in dog attacks in recent years. Photo: Eivor Eriksen / Norges Bondelag – The reports from our county associations indicate that in recent years there has been an increasing trend in attacks by dogs, says Bodhild Fjelltveit, second deputy chairperson of Norges Bondelag. Reported case Neither the police, the Farmers’ Association nor Sau og Geit have any specific figures on dog attacks on sheep. – The police have encouraged sheep owners to report all cases when there is no contact with the dog owner to resolve the situation. Photo: Privat But according to the aforementioned survey, approximately 25 percent of the cases are reported. – The vast majority of cases are not reported to the police, says Fossheim. If the sheep owner does not know who owns the dog, it will be difficult to report the case. And the farmer is not entitled to any form of compensation. A sheep farmer who, on the other hand, reported dog attacks is Jan Tore Johansen. Witnesses told him what had happened. Johansen thus had a good basis for reporting the case to the police. – I’m a little shocked. You know it can happen. But the fact that they abandon the animals while they are still alive is shocking. – We had a sheep and a lamb three weeks ago, where there were witnesses who saw violence against a dog. The dog’s owner left the animal without giving notice. Photo: Jan Tore Johansen Pig farmer Ørjan Hadsel Berger thinks it is striking that there have been two dog attacks in the space of a month. He thinks it may be because there has been an increase in the number of new dog owners during the pandemic. – As we have experienced two such episodes in such a short time, we have thought about whether it could simply be due to people who have acquired dogs in the corona era, who do not have the same routines as those who have had dogs for decades . Costs a lot Violation of the restraining orders leads to a fine of NOK 5,000. This is in addition to any compensation for damages. But the costs for the farmer can be even greater. If the dog owner has not been convicted in the case, the farmer must pay the compensation himself. – It is a big loss. The sheep and lamb is a loss of NOK 9,000, says farmer Jan Tore Johansen. – Would you say there is an increase in the number of dog attacks? – Yes, it is clear that it is. We meet more and more often people with stray dogs, who do not take us seriously when we point this out. – You get the impression that it is you who is difficult. The police: Receives inquiries Stine Marie Brox Gundersen is an animal welfare crime investigator at Dyrekrim Nordland. – The police will encourage everyone to adhere to the leash in order to protect animals and prevent animals from being exposed to danger and unnecessary suffering. Photo: The police Gundersen says that the vast majority of people comply with leashes, but that there are some cases of violations: – The police receive inquiries about loose dogs and where in some cases there are stray dogs that attack sheep and other animals during the period of legally imposed leashes . Fjelltveit in the Farmers’ Association encourages dog owners to think about the consequences and comply with the leash requirement: – The leash requirement applies to all dog owners, and we expect them to comply with the legislation. In theory, and to that extent in practice, this should not happen either.
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– Leaving the animals while they are still alive – news Nordland
