Two people have been charged following an alleged livestock worrying incident which consequently resulted in the death of three sheep.
A 32-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman have been charged following the incident involving a dog at a farm in the Dunphail area near Forres, north Scotland.
The incident happened on April 27 and 3 sheep died as a result.
Sheep and lambs are particularly vulnerable at this time of year and the incident could have been avoided had the owners had their dog on a lead, Police Scotland said.
PC Jeanette Thompson said: “We would like to remind dog owners and people walking dogs in the countryside to keep their animals under control.
“All dogs should be kept on a lead when being walked next to livestock.
“Even those animals not directly attacked can suffer stress causing miscarriage and death.”
She added: “It does not matter how trained you think your dog is it only takes a moment for it to enter a field which has consequences for the farmer, owner and ultimately the dog.”
Farmers are legally entitled to protect their livestock which can result in the destruction of a dog by shooting it.
The man and woman have been reported to the Procurator Fiscal.
It follows a recent related case where a man was sentenced to a 12 month community order and ordered to pay out nearly £1,000 after his dog killed at least 13 sheep.
