A RIDDLESDEN woman has warned people to be vigilant after one of her sheep was savaged to death by a dog.

Audrey O’Gorman was shocked to discover the Wensleydale dead and bloody by a stone wall at High Woodhead Farm, off Banks Lane.

She believes the animal had tried to escape over the wall before falling and being ripped to pieces by the dog.

She said: “If there’s a dog loose and attacking sheep it must be a big dog because Wensleydales are the biggest kind of sheep.

“I know the sheep ran down to the bottom of the field to jump over the wall, because a couple of heavy stones were on the ground next to it. Its leg was trapped through a fence and its back was torn up.

“There’s no question the dog killed the sheep. He was a big and healthy sheep who loved being stroked.”

Mrs O’Gorman found the body while checking her flock of nine pet sheep on Sunday evening after returning from a day out.

She said the incident could have happened any time after Saturday evening, when she saw the sheep running down the field, but at no time did she see a dog.

She added: “There’s a public footpath through the field where I have the sheep so people do walk through with dogs.”

West Yorkshire Police said they received a report about the attack on Sunday at 8pm, and a crime had been recorded.