I've covered enough sheep worrying stories over the years to see first hand the terrible carnage a really vicious dog can leave behind. Even dogs like Duke cause damage as pregnant ewes are delicate creatures and can easily abort foetuses through shock. Fortunately, not all farmers have horror stories to tell. It seems to me that people round here with dogs are generally quite responsible. Elsewhere, however, the picture is not so rosy.
Most attacks result in the death or injury of one or two sheep but there have been large losses.
Texel ewes were killed by a bull mastiff and its puppy. Sounds appalling and few can complain if such dogs are put down. But I wonder if a sheep aversion training scheme might be the answer for lesser villains, something I could have enrolled Duke on if it had been available. I'm no expert but introducing dogs to sheep in a controlled environment might help - even if a bullying ram has to drive home the message. More carnage in the countryside.