Sheep pinned to the ground by a dog near Selby

Police are investigating a livestock attack in which a sheep was pinned to the ground by a dog in Drax, Selby.

At 7.50am on Tuesday 9 February, a woman was seen walking her dog on a public footpath on New Road. The dog was off the lead, and ran across to a field full of sheep enclosed in electric fencing.

The dog pinned one of the sheep to the ground. The woman then went into the field and dragged the dog out. When challenged by a farm worker, she returned to her car and drove off.

The woman is described as white, with short dark hair and wearing a waist-length navy jacket. The dog was a medium-sized black dog, similar to a Labrador.

The sheep was injured in the attack, and required treatment.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce are investigating the incident. Anyone with information that could assist enquiries is asked to come forward. Please call 101 and quote reference number 12210056001.

Speaking earlier this year, Inspector Matt Hagen, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said: “With lambing season approaching, we need dog owners to take responsibility for their animals.

It’s vital that dogs are kept securely when at home, and on leads and under control when walking near sheep fields.

Farming is not an easy job at the best of times. The last thing our hard-working farmers need right now is to have to deal with the bodies of sheep who have been attacked and left to suffer painful injuries – not to mention the economic impact on their livelihoods.”