The incident highlighted the increasing number of cases where dogs have been let loose and disturbed livestock, said Guernsey Farming Association president Michael Bray.
The idea of a register of all local dogs which would include details of every animal’s owner, micro-chipping and a DNA database was first suggested several years ago by States veterinary officer David Chamberlain.
In the wake of the recent animal death and other cases where livestock had been worried by dogs, Mr Bray said there was now more need than ever before for the database.
‘During Covid and post-Covid there seemed to be a steep rise in dog ownership and we’ve certainly seen a significant increase in incidents. Being a small island we’re very close to communities and that probably exacerbates the problem,’ he said.
‘We’ve had incidents where we’ve gone to fields and fences have been ripped down. The cows just go wild because they’re not used to being chased and they run through the fences and break everything down.’
In the vast majority of cases the dog causing the trouble is not seen, but Mr Bray said that the animal believed to be linked to the sheep’s death was spotted.
Aside from the distress caused to the livestock, he said there had been many occasions where dog mess had been found in fields and if a dog had worms they could spread to the grass which was eaten by the sheep or cows and make them ill.
Dog owners had many other places they could let their pets run free.
‘There are lots of pathways, cliff paths, beaches and parks so go to these areas,’ said Mr Bray.
All farmers wanted was for people to treat their land and animals with courtesy and respect.
He thought it was time that the idea of a DNA database was brought to the fore again and he said the GFA had helped the States previously on the subject.
There had been a huge number of incidents of dogs worrying livestock in the UK and he wondered if this was because people did not realise the huge responsibility of owning a dog.
Sheep owner Kevin Gaudion said that in his four years of keeping them he had not had a problem so far.
‘But it is a worry. I’m not out of the public eye and my sheep are all over the north of the island where dog owners walk.’
But he supported the idea of more information being stored about dogs, in particular DNA.
‘It would be safeguarding all animals – sheep, cows, horses and domestic pets in the back garden,’ he said.
Deputy States veterinary officer Grace Hodgkinson, said that a dog DNA register was not currently being pursued, although it would be beneficial in incidents like this.
‘Although this isn’t currently prioritised in the Government Work Plan, if a political decision was taken to pursue this in the future, resources could be directed to explore this further,’ she said.
A Guernsey Police spokesman said the incident that led to the death of the sheep had been reported and was being investigated.
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