FOUR dogs have been shot and a further six rescued after a farmer discovered the pack killing one of his sheep.

The incident occurred near the town of Moffat on Saturday, with Police Scotland initially cautioning motorists to be aware that the group of six dogs were roaming the B719 between Moffat and Greenhillstairs.

They said: “The dogs are currently on the roadway, however are regularly moving along the road, therefore we are uging motorists to exercise caution whilst travelling on this road.

“We are also aware of a further four dogs which are believed to be from the same pack of dogs which are on farmland near Moffat.

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“As well as asking motorists to slow down we are keen to try and identify the owner of these dogs or establish how they came to be at this location.

“At this time we are making efforts to safely get hold of the dogs and we have sufficient resources attending to assist with this.”

It was later confirmed that the four dogs on the farm had been shot and destroyed after the pack attempted to kill one sheep and attacked another of the farmer’s land at around 8:40 on Sunday morning.

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However, the six later found on the road have been rescued and are now being cared for by Glencaple Canine Rescue.

Police say inquiries are ongoing as to how the dogs came to be roaming around the area in such a large pack.

Since 2021, dog owners whose animals attack or worry livestock can be fined up to £40,000 or even face a jail sentence.