A 64-year-old Ross-shire man whose Husky dog twice attacked pregnant sheep at a nearby farm had sentence deferred for nine months at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday.
But Sheriff Margaret Neilson warned Edal Ebrihem of 25 Highfield Circle, Muir of Ord, that “this is not a case I would intend to admonish”.
He is due to re-appear for sentence on June 30, 2016.
Defence lawyer Natalie Bruce told the sheriff that the dog was now muzzled and “kept under lock and key in a metal cage” after her client admitted being the owner of the animal which worried and bit the sheep on View Croft, Muir of Ord, on March 16 this year.
The Sheriff said: “I am deferring sentence to ensure there is no repetition of this offence when the next lambing season comes around.”
Fiscal depute Martine Eastwood told the court that the field had 29 ewes which were two weeks away from lambing, saying: “The dog was seen chasing the sheep and biting them.
“The owner found bits of wool lying all around and the sheep were seen to be crowded together in a corner of the field.
“The police were called and the shepherd managed to restrain it as Mr Ebrihem arrived. But when the police attended, the dog managed to escape and again ran amongst the sheep, scattering them.
“It took some time before the dog was brought under control.”
Miss Bruce told the court her client was a first offender and the dog was “a powerful and intelligent animal. It managed to escape from its enclosure and indeed also managed to escape from the police who attempted to tie up the dog.”