Trenow farmer shoots dead rare-breed cow attack dog
A dog that attacked and injured three rare breed cows in a field in Cornwall has been shot dead.
The Whitebred Shorthorn heifers were bitten by two dogs at Trenow Farm at Perranuthnoe, near Penzance, on Tuesday evening.
Farmer Nick Wall shot and killed one of the dogs, but the other escaped.
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) said Whitebred Shorthorns are on its critical list, with less than 150 breeding females left in the world.
The most seriously injured cow was Pendeen Guinevere - the first of the endangered breed to be born in Cornwall.
Owner Gerald Babcock, who has nine Whitebred Shorthorns, was wintering his animals at Trenow Farm with Karen Wall, who also has three of the breed and operates a micro dairy.
He said the bites and injuries to the heifer's head and face required 40 stitches.
"Guinevere came charging in to rescue the other cows who were being attacked and the dogs turned on her and grabbed her by the neck," he said.
"I couldn't believe it - I've been raising cattle for 35 years and never had anything like this before."
But RBST conservation assistant Ryan Perry said the cow's action was not unusual.
"It's the herd instinct to work for one another, so she was probably trying to protect the others," he said.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said no action would be taken against the farmer who had been within his rights to shoot the black labrador-cross dog.
No action would be taken against the dog's owner either, the spokesman added.
Mrs Wall said the dog attack had left her husband with "no choice" but to shoot the dog.
"It was absolutely horrific and it was the bravest cow that came off worst - the dogs were both at her throat and she was about to go down," she said.
"It's the first time he's killed a dog, but either the cow or the dog was going to die and the dog was not going to let go - even the dog's owner admitted that.
"Dogs are pack animals, so it's not their fault it's the human beings... so if you can't train them you shouldn't have them."