A FARMER says she will shoot dead the next dangerous dog that strays on to her land.

Su Illsley issued the threat after a frenzied dog attack on her flock of Portland sheep caused a terrified pregnant ewe to collapse.

The dog wreaked havoc in a field at Fancy’s Farm on Portland on three occasions on an afternoon during lambing season.

Distraught Mrs Illsley said three of her rare breed sheep were attacked by a jack russell and yorkshire terrier cross-breed and the owner swore at her when she was confronted.

One sheep collapsed and was unable to get up for five hours, Mrs Illsley said.

She added: “The dog mauled three different sheep. It was just hanging off them.

“I have to protect the sheep. They cannot protect themselves.

“If people are going to be irresponsible then they are going to have to be accountable.

“If it happens again then I don’t know what I will lose so I will have to shoot the dog.”

Lambing season at the community farm Mrs Illsley runs in Southwell will continue until the end of June.

She said: “I wouldn’t even round up a sheep with a dog at the moment because they are pregnant.

“The stress can cause them to abort or can cause the lamb to die inside them.”

There are signs placed around the farm warning dog owners to keep their dogs under control.

Mrs Illsley said: “There are signs everywhere. This just makes me mad.

“Ten people ran up on to the field to try and get the dog out of there.

“When they shouted, the dog ran off. It ran back to its owner then ran back in and went after a different sheep then ran back to its owner and went in again.

“My fence is stock-wired and the dog was that small that it could get through the fence.

“It caused mayhem and we had sheep running wild because this dog was everywhere and we couldn’t catch it.

“We told the owner that next time we would shoot the dog.

“She was not a pleasant lady and she swore at me.”

Mrs Illsley called Dorset Police after confronting the dog’s owner.

A police spokesman said: “We received a call from a woman on a mobile phone to say there had been sheep worrying at Fancy’s Farm on Portland.

“She reported that a dog had attacked three sheep and that one had been injured.

“The matter has been referred to the dog warden and officers will be trying to locate the dog’s owners.”