A farmer has voiced his fury after being reported to the RSPCA for rounding up his own sheep.
Tom Trueman, 42, received a complaint from the animal welfare charity after his border collie had been seen "worrying" sheep.
RSPCA noted the incident and sent the farmer a letter with two animal welfare pamphlets titled "dog behaviour" and "how to look after your dog", but Mr Trueman, from Buckfastleigh, Devon, said the notice contained "no real information".
But after making further inquiries, the eighth-generation farmer learned it was in relation to his sheepdog Tilly, an eight year-old border collie, rounding up his own sheep, which had escaped onto a nearby road.
In a video, which has now received nearly 16,000 Facebook reactions and one million views on Instagram, he said an RSPCA inspector called him two days later.
The incident, as described by the inspector, involved his dog "attacking sheep" on the road.
Mr Trueman said that at the time, he was moving sheep from one field to another when a number of his animals scattered into the road.
"So someone has reported me to the RSPCA for my sheepdog worrying my sheep, as I'm there rounding the sheep up," he said.
Farmer Tom Trueman shared his detailing of the incident on Instagram, garnering a million views
|FACEBOOK/TOM TRUEMAN
The farmer described the whole ordeal as a "waste of my time, a waste of the RSPCA's time, and possibly the police".
He was concerned when he saw the notice since black-and-white Tilly did not usually stray from the farm.
"A collie, by its very nature, is a sheepdog. That's what they're bred for. For someone to report a collie for rounding up sheep while the farmer is standing there is just baffling," he said.
The report was likely placed by someone unfamiliar with farming, the Devonian said.
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The border collie was reported as it was herding Tom Trueman's own sheep (file photo)
|GETTY
"Usually, if you see sheep, a sheepdog and a farmer, you put two and two together," he added.
Viewers on social media were flabbergasted, with one commenter saying the incident "leaves you speechless", and another saying it was "ridiculous".
Mr Trueman noted that some on social media were grateful someone had the "decency" to report it.
"But decency and common sense go hand-in-hand," he said.
Mr Trueman was able to quickly clarify the incident with the RSPCA.
He said the inspector was a farmer's daughter from Devon and quickly understood the situation, even telling Mr Trueman to "tear up the letter and put it in the bin".
Despite some on social media slating the charity, Mr Trueman admitted to DevonLive it was just doing its job.
"The woman I spoke to was nice as pie," he added.