A suckler farmer in Fethard, Co. Tipperary, has expressed his shock following a dog attack on his livestock on Sunday morning, February 23.

Speaking to AgriLand, Brian Sheehy explained he had 10 suckler cows and a bull in a field on his outfarm in Co. Tipperary.

At 9:00am on Sunday morning, one of the cows calved. The calf was perfectly healthy and all seemed to be in order.

However, shortly after the cow had calved, a pit bull terrier entered his field and started attacking the new-born calf.

He explained that the cow then attempted to drive the attacking dog away but the dog then proceeded to attack the cow as well.


Brian noted: “Thankfully, a neighbour was passing by the field and disturbed the dog. It then ran off.”

The owner of the dog is unknown, and Brian added that all the cows in the field “are heavy in calf”.

I took the cow and calf home in case the dog would return and informed the local vet.

The new-born calf suffered bites to its legs and the cow has a ripped cheek because the dog bit the cows cheek/mouth area.

Brian noted that the cow and calf are recovering in a shed at home and said a similar incident had “never happened before” and said “I have kept cows there for over 20 years”.

Concluding, Brian outlined that dog owners should keep their pets on a lead and added that dangerous dogs should be muzzled.