(Note: Parts of the video shown above may be disturbing for some viewers)
A Ledgeview farmer says he lost 10 of his sheep — and more were wounded — in two overnight attacks in the past three months.
- The first attack happened the night of August 8, and the second occurred the night of November 12.
- The farmer, Mark Handelend, has raised sheep for three decades and says attacks were extremely rare before August.
- He believes a nearby domestic dog is responsible for the attacks, but the dog's owner says otherwise, hinting coyotes are likely the culprits
- Local law enforcement has yet to determine if charges for criminal or negligent actions will be issued.
- Ledgeview town constable Christopher Lauder says he is "aware of the situation" and "taking every step" to help the farmer.
- The Brown County Sheriff's Office reminds landowners that they have a right to protect their persons and property from attacks.
- The next step for Handeland is learning from the Town of Ledgeview Public Safety Committee, and Brown County, whether he'll get any reimbursement for his lost sheep.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, with additional details added for the web)
Sheep have been grazing out here in this field for decades, mostly peacefully. But now, the farmer is worried that his flock is not safe. We're looking into a series of attacks — and we do want to warn you, that some of the images in this story can be disturbing for some viewers.
"There were some dead ones and many wounded ones," Mark Handeland said.
Three lambs died and more were bloodied and wounded in an overnight animal attack in August. And last week — it happened again.
"There were dead lambs laying all over the field," Handeland said.
This time, seven sheep died. For Handeland, who has tended this flock for years, it was devastating.
"It was very hard," he said.
Handeland says he believes he knows what's behind the killings.
"It was, to my estimation, clearly a dog attack," he said. "Dogs attack sheep way differently than coyotes do, and I'm, unfortunately, very familiar with coyote attacks."
He points to paw prints, a neighbor's game camera spotting, and other past incidents as reason to believe a local house dog slaughtered the sheep. The dog in question is a white husky mix, and Handeland says it was caught in the area after both attacks.
"I thought, 'Oh, that dog again?'" Handeland said.
Local authorities have yet to determine the cause, or what to do about it.
We also spoke with the owner of the dog. He told NBC 26 he's been ticketed because his dog's gotten out before, including the night of the sheep attacks, but says the dog wouldn't kill anything.
"He's not gonna lash out on anybody," the owner said. "He's a sweetheart."
The owner mentioned seeing coyotes in the area, suggesting they might be responsible.
Several county and municipal officials we spoke with Wednesday were unsure which agency would determine if the dog should be euthanized, saying these cases are rare. The consensus was that the Ledgeview constable or Brown County Sheriff's office would decide.
State law says municipalities can hold an animal "for cause" if "there are reasonable grounds to believe that the animal poses a significant threat to public health, safety or welfare."
Handeland says Brown County Sheriff's deputies have a simple solution for him if he catches a dog attacking his flock: shoot the dog.
"They said, 'Mark, you have to protect your sheep.'"
The Sheriff's Office told us the same Wednesday, writing, "Property owners do have a right to protect their persons and property."
But Handeland says he shot a dog that was attacking his sheep once before, around a decade ago — and it was traumatic.
"I hated to do it," he said. "It still haunts me, so I don't want to do it again."
As for why he doesn't get a sheepdog, Handeland says sheepdogs can also be aggressive, and he doesn't want to endanger passing walkers and bikers. He says he's had llamas before, and may look into getting a donkey.
The next step for Mark, other than looking into new ways to protect his flock, is learning from the Town of Ledgeview Public Safety Committee and Brown County whether he'll get any reimbursement for his lost sheep.
