were "massacred'' by killer dogs.

And she warned parents that young children could be the beasts' next victims.

Mrs. Jennifer Hedges said her own two sons had been emotionally scarred by the killings.

Her 12-year-old, Kris, cannot bring himself to speak about the slaughter or look at his animals' bodies. And her other son Trevor, 14, was "hysterical'' when the family discovered the deaths.

The massacre happened over two nights last weekend at the family's home on Panorama Drive in Bailey's Bay.

Mrs. Hedges has herself been unable to talk publicly about it until now. But she has spoken out because she fears for neighbours' children.

The crazed dogs killed the boys' pet sheep Zumples, a pygmy goat called Iris and her month-old kid, Iniki. Patricia the rabbit and three chickens also died.

"They were killed very, very savagely,'' said a tearful Mrs. Hedges. "It was horrific. They were torn to pieces.

"The sheep had been given to us as a lamb by the Maritime Museum because he was night blind. When we found him his tail was missing, his neck had gouges out of it and his legs were gouged.

"I believe the dog that attacked him could attack a child, if it could attack an animal as big as Zumples. He was no pushover.

"There have been a lot of attacks in our area and people just don't know about them.

"People should look out for their own pets, and I think if a little child were to run from one of the dogs, it would be just as much a target.

"We have stacks of neighbourhood children who come and visit the animals.

It's like a little farm.

"Now I have told them not to come because I'm scared stiff.'' Mrs. Hedges said the dead animals were all pedigrees, and the nanny goat had won Agricultural Show prizes.

"We loved them a lot. They were like people, and we feel that we spoke to them. That's the relationship we all had with them.'' Now all that remained of the "farm'' was a billy goat, two rabbits and six chickens. Trevor had asked his parents to get a home for the goat because he was worried about him.

"It's wrong for a child to feel that way.'' Mrs. Hedges added most of the animals were in pens or hutches. "I thought they were all safe because we barricaded them.'' The attacks came within days of a pet spaniel being attacked by a pit bull on the railway track near Red Kiln Road in Hamilton Parish.

The spaniel, belonging to hospital credit manager Mr. Allan Clark, was badly mauled.

Mrs. Hedges said she believed the attack on her sons' pets could be linked.

She is also concerned about a German Shepherd and a husky-type dog seen in the area.

HAPPIER TIMES -- Trevor Hedges, 14, with his beloved nanny goat and kid, weeks before the pets were killed by savage dogs.