A Co Monaghan sheep-farming family is calling for new dog-control regulations and more supports for farmers who lose their sheep in dog attacks.
Father and daughter Eamonn and Niamh Monahan suffered four dog attacks in five years.
They are campaigning to raise awareness around sheep worrying and they are seeking financial and mental health support, as well as increased enforcement measures like a DNA database.
'Absolute scene of carnage'
The latest official figures show that in 2024, 1,592 sheep were attacked by dogs.
Of those, 494 were killed, maimed or had to be euthanised.
In the Monahans' case, they lost five sheep and nine unborn lambs following a dog attack on their farm in Inniskeen in January 2025.
Eamonn Monahan described it as "an absolute scene of carnage".
"They were shredded, along with a ram in that field. I'm farming a long time, and I never witnessed anything like it. It'll stay with me for a long time," he said.
Niamh likened what happened to a "horror film".
"There was wool everywhere, there was blood everywhere. Two ewes were alive, but their injuries were so horrific that they had to be put down," she said.
The impact of the attack continued long after that day, as the Monahans went on to lose lambs during lambing season.
They also believe a dormant virus in one of their flock was triggered by the stimulus of the dog attack. As a result of the virus, they lost the rest of their flock, too.
"The incident on the day was horrendous, and we suffered quite a bit in the weeks and months after it," Eamonn said.
They estimate the total financial loss of last year's attack to be around €30,000.
"Unfortunately, we never got the dogs involved in our attack. We were told by the dog warden it was more than likely a couple of dogs," said Niamh.
She praised the warden and the members of An Garda Síochána, who "walked every inch of the farm with us".
But Niamh said they never got the dogs, and "there was never any more about it".
The Monahans now want the Government to introduce measures to support farmers with the financial cost and mental stress of dog attacks, as well as raising awareness around responsible dog ownership and the impact these attacks can have.
There is currently no compensation available to farmers when sheep worrying occurs, and although a dog owner can be liable for loss, in many cases, the dogs are never identified.
Niamh said that there is a need for compensation, mental health supports, a media campaign and better enforcement.
"Some sort of compensation for a farmer, it's never going to take away the trauma, but I suppose if you've had the trauma of an attack and lost all your financial savings that you've put into these animals, and you have bills in the local co-op or wherever, that have to be paid, that can also have an impact on your mental health, the worry and the stress of 'how am I going to get the money back?," she said.
They are also calling for a DNA database for dogs to be introduced and a DNA sample taken from every dog in the country, traceable to their owner.
"If a dog is wrongly accused of being involved in an attack, the DNA is there to prove it. If a dog is involved in an attack, unfortunately, it's there to prove it as well.
"That would be something we would love to see.
"DNA would be a massive assistance to farmers who find themselves in a similar position," Niamh said.
Niamh said this would be more effective than microchipping in these cases.
"In our case, microchipping wouldn't have helped because the dogs were gone. The sheep were only just attacked, there would've been DNA left on our sheep. If we had of had DNA, we would've been able to get the dogs," she said.
Above all, they want to continue to raise awareness for dog owners of the devastating impacts these attacks have on livestock and farmers.
"People don't realise, it can be any dog, any breed, any time. On a farm, on a beach, on a walkway, in a forest.
"Anywhere there is livestock. The fear and worry can cause a sheep to miscarry and abort their lambs, and have detrimental affects for the farmer as we saw. If a dog gets into a field, it will cause havoc.
"We're massive dog people and we love dogs, but dogs are animals too and people need to be aware that if they're the responsible owner of the dog, they need to make sure the dog can't get away," Niamh said.
‘Massive problem’
George Graham is a Wexford sheep farmer and also the National Vice Chair of the IFA's Sheep Committee.
He said that sheep worrying and dog attacks were a "massive problem in every county in Ireland".
"There's rules, there's regulations there, but they're not being enforced.
"It's a massive problem, and it's not just the carnage you find on the day when you have this massive dog attack, it's the effects after.
"It's the stress on the farmer, the mental aspect and the financial loss can be frightening. It can run into thousands and thousands," he said.
Mr Graham said he did not believe the official figures represented the true level of dog attacks on the ground.
"What we see and what we hear is only one part of it. We also have a lot of dog attacks that are not reported, and we would encourage every farmer, if you've any dog attack at all, to report every single one of them to the gardaí and the dog warden," he said.
Like in the Monahans’ case, George Graham said that the impact of dog attacks is not just on the day, and continue to cause miscarriage in ewes and other difficulties during lambing.
"What you often see on the day is like a battlefield, that's often not the worst thing, the biggest problems can come after," he said.
"It's the financial loss to the farmer, and the mental stress to the farmer. I know a lot of farmers who can't go asleep at night because they're afraid of what they're going to find the next morning," Mr Graham added.
Mr Graham said the IFA would support any measures that would help farmers and keep dogs under control, but he said that enforcement is key.
"You can have all the rules you like, but they have to be enforced," he added.
He also stressed that when these attacks happen, "it's not the dogs fault, its the owner".
Livestock worrying is a crime and dog owners can be prosecuted under Section 9 of the Control of Dogs Act, if a dog is found to have worried or attacked livestock.
A person found guilty could face a fine, imprisonment of up to one month, or both.
Last year, responsibility for dog control was brought under the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
A spokesperson said Minister Martin Heydon and the department are "fully aware" of the devastating impact dog attacks can have on farmers on their families.
They said that Local Authorities have responsibility for all enforcement, and have the power to appoint dog wardens, provide dog shelters, seize dogs, impose on-the-spot fines and take court proceedings against owners.
Extra funding to hire dog wardens will continue this year and a spokesperson said the department is also in the process of developing "communication resources" with the aim of increasing public awareness around responsible dog ownership, including in relation to livestock worrying.
The minister is also awaiting the recommendations of a high-level stakeholder group set up in 2024 to consider policy and legislation around dog control and dog breeding.
Their remit includes the issue of sheep worrying and how this might be addressed.
This group is expected to make its recommendations shortly.
The Monahans team have already brought their campaign to Leinster House and recently briefed members of the Oireachtas on the results of a survey they carried out themselves of 500 sheep farmers around the country.
They said they had a "fantastic response" from all parties.
While this issue is particularly important around as lambing season begins, they say their calls for action will continue.
