The heartbroken family blamed the locals the dog owners after a beloved pony was found dead after a suspicion of “deadly pursuit”.
The pony Arya is believed to have died in a “blind panic” after her body was found in a hedge in the Flintshire village of Pennyford in north Wales. North Wales live.
Peta Hutchinson, who rents land where ponies live, told North Wales Live that her tragic death could have been “completely avoided”.
Describing how her 16-year-old grandson Josh – who had an “extremely close relationship” with the animal – found Arya lifeless on her farm, Pete told North Wales Live: “My grandson and daughter went on Wednesday to feed the horses as usual and only noticed two horses in the field.
(Image: North Wales Live WS)
“They called me and we spent hours looking for Arya. We checked all the fences and couldn’t find a place where she could get out. We were so worried.”
Josh has emotional issues and he always feels at ease next to horses, so his grandmother “breaks his heart even more” that he eventually found a pony.
“It was obvious that she went there during a blind panic. It looks like she went to the trees with her head, ”she said.
Peta believes that the fatal incident was caused by the fact that a freed dog was allowed to chase Arya across the field, and commented: “In the fields around ours there are public footpaths. No matter what time of day you will always see someone with a dog.”
(Image: North Wales Live WS)
She said that no matter how well-trained a dog is, sometimes “their DNA” has an instinctive pursuit that causes the pony’s natural propensity to run away.
The family will most likely never know exactly what happened, as four acres of the field are not covered by CCTV cameras.
Helen Lacey of the registered North Wales Horse Watch charity, which works closely with police, said the stray dogs have become a “big problem” for livestock and horse owners across the country.
She confirmed that the incident had been reported to the North Wales police. Anyone with information is advised to call 101 and cite reference B079060.
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