Cameron Farquharson said his pregnant Highland cow, Gladis, had been grazing at Eggardon Hill near Bridport when she was chased off one of the hill fort’s 30 foot ramparts in a suspected dog attack on the evening of 26 May.

“This attack should never have happened,” said Mr Farquharson. “An act of complete negligence by someone has left this beautiful and much loved animal and her unborn calf dead and both my family and I utterly devastated.”

Glady wasn’t found until the next day. The discovery was incredibly distressing for Mr Farquharson and his family. He said: “Had I been informed at the time, Gladis might not have languished all night in serious injury, pain and distress, and we might have been able to save her and her unborn calf.

“Sadly, this is not an isolated case. Farmers are not feeling supported by the government or the police on these matters and until they are, they’ll keep on happening. If we report these incidents to the police, they can investigate, and the figures will get added to the stats, but there’s not often a resolution, especially when the owners haven’t come forward.”

A proposed change to the law is being supported by West Dorset MP Chris Loder, who pushed through parliament the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act, and is also campaigning to end live animal exports. To support the ‘Gladis Law’, Mr Farquharson is calling all farmers to come forward with their own stories, and to pledge their support for the bill by emailing hello@redlandscoppice.co.uk.

Mr Farquharson added: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the tremendous support from the public on social media and it means a lot to me and my family. What we need now is the farming community to speak up and help us protect our livestock from dog attacks.”

To support the Gladis Law email hello@redlandscoppice.co.uk.