FARMERS are warning a killer dog is on the loose in Holderness after turkeys and chickens were attacked and killed on several farms.
John Wright, who farms at Wyton, near Bilton, is guarding his 1,400 Christmas turkeys with a shotgun after several were killed.
A poultry farmer at nearby Thirtleby has also reported the dog has killed a dozen chickens.
Mr Wright is now warning people to be on the lookout for the dog, believed to be a terrier.
He said police have told him he can shoot the animal to protect his free-range turkeys.
Mr Wright said: "Knowing this dog is out there is a worry.
"It's bad enough having foxes, this is a little terrier dog.
"It has got the taste of poultry now and has also killed chickens at a farm a couple of miles away at Thirtleby.
"I can't get the dog wardens to come unless I can catch it.
"The police have said I can shoot it if it has attacked my turkeys, so I have permission to shoot it."
Mr Wright wants to warn other farmers to be on the lookout for the dog.
He said: "It is a dog that knows how to kill. It doesn't appear to be a family pet that has escaped.
"It could belong to people who go hare coursing and couldn't get the dog out of a hole.
"It will be hungry if no one has fed it and it will keep killing poultry."
Mr Wright said he has been unable to catch the dog, which attacked his turkeys on Sunday.
He said: "It seems to be afraid of adults, you can't get near it.
"It has got scruffy longish hair and is black, brown and white."
PROTECTION: John Wright and his father, also called John, of Wrights Turkeys in Wyton.Another Holderness poultry farmer, Sue Shores, of nearby Thirtleby, said the terrier killed 12 chickens in a shed at her farm.
She said: "It pulled some wood off the back of the shed and killed a dozen chickens.
"It didn't look like a stray that had been around for a long time, it didn't look unkempt enough.
"People have been trying to catch it but I couldn't get close enough.
"It's quite a big problem because I have livestock and quite a lot of people in the area have livestock too, as well as pets, such as rabbits.
"It needs tracking down and dealing with."
A spokesman for Humberside Police said: "A dog attacking other animals is not a criminal offence, though we do understand the distress to the farmers.
"If anyone has any information about who the owner of the dog may be, please contact the police so we can speak to them and give them words of advice about the control of their animal."
An East Riding Council spokesman said: "This is a case of animal worrying.
"The farmer has greater power to protect his animals than the council has to deal with this dog."
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