In Grabau in the Uelzen district two six-month-old ... were killed on the evening of 28 October 2026 lambs were killed after two dogs broke through a protective fence around the animal owner's garden. According to the account of the owner concerned, who wishes to remain anonymous, the attacking animals were a Kangal and a wolfdog. Two lambs were so badly injured by targeted bites to the throat that they died; three others survived, but are under stress, according to the owner. The police and the veterinary office have been notified. (Report updated: 3 November 2026.)
According to the owner, the dogs, said to belong to an employee from Bavaria, had apparently broken free from their supervision. A family member says they were confronted by the Kangal while inspecting the property shortly before midnight, and managed to escape into their car. A neighbour contacted the dog owner, who later managed to recapture the animals. A lawyer for the animal owner is currently considering claims against the dog owner; police are not treating the incident as a criminal offence at this stage, investigators told the media.
The case raises legal and animal-welfare questions: under Lower Saxony's Dog Act, dog owners are subject to duties of care and liability; statewide guidelines on sheep farming also set minimum requirements for fencing and flock protection. Flock protection recommendations include fences at least 120 centimetres high, electrified strands and protection against digging underneath, to prevent attacks by dogs, foxes or wolves. The veterinary office is to establish whether the protective fence in this case met these recommendations.
Legally, the key question is whether the dog owner breached their duty to ensure public safety; a proven breach could have civil and criminal consequences. In practice, decisions often depend on the facts of each case: court and administrative rulings in Lower Saxony assess an animal's dangerousness and its owner's responsibility based on the animal's specific behaviour, previous bite incidents and the reasonableness of security measures.
For the animal owner concerned, the issue is not only legal clarification but also the loss of something with financial and emotional value: she hand-rears the lambs in her garden until they are ready for pasture. The veterinary office is to assess whether further protective or preventive measures are needed; the police investigation is ongoing. No claims for compensation or criminal consequences have yet been confirmed, and these will depend on the results of the ongoing inquiries.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).