FARMERS and dog owners are being asked to submit their opinions to an online survey about dog attacks on sheep.

Last year, police were called to more than 1100 dog attacks on sheep in the UK.

But, according to the SRUC researcher who has launched the survey, it is not fully understood how sheep and dog owners view this issue and how their opinions may differ, both in terms of what preventative measures they are willing to take and what penalties they find reasonable for dogs who attack sheep.

Supported by the college, the online survey has been created by Nicole Hayes, who is studying at the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.

Nicole said: “We want to see how dog and sheep owners might differ in their views of sheep worrying and better understand what might encourage people to change their behaviour and reduce this growing problem.

“The views of sheep farmers are particularly important, as it is thought not many officially report dog attacks on their flock and so the extent of the problem is not being fully recorded.”

The survey can be completed at https://edinburgh.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/attitudes-towards-sheep-worrying-in-the-uk and will run til June 24, with the results expected later in the year.