A farmer has been fined after a pensioner and his canine have been trampled by cows on a public footpath in June final yr.
Patrick Atherton, 70, and his 13-year-old Border Collie known as ‘Lad’ have been knocked to the bottom by seven cows whereas walking in Ottery Saint Mary, Devon.
The Border Collie and Mr Atherton, who’s a retired chartered surveyor, have been solely saved when an individual, believed to have been the farmer, ushered the cows away.
Mr Atherton was left with cuts and bruises, whereas the Border Collie sustained severe accidents after being kicked and stamped on by the cows.
Having skilled Border Collies for a lot of years, the pensioner had stored Lad on the lead after noticing two young calves within the discipline at Birdcage Farm.
‘I thought we were going to die’
The pensioner, initially from The Wirral, Merseyside, mentioned: “There were about seven cows involved, but it was the very aggressive black cow that was trying to kill my dog.
“I thought we were going to die. I had been powerless to do anything.”
Though the canine survived, he needed to be medicated for the remainder of his life, and Mr Atherton mentioned Lad was by no means the identical.
Mr Atherton added: “I just want to make other people aware of the risks when out enjoying popular footpaths such as this one.”
