National park bosses in the Lake District are urging dog owners to act responsibly as the lambing season approaches.
The national park authority is asking walkers with dogs to keep them under control and to clean up any mess the animals make.
The authority is providing lambing signs to landowners to remind dog owners of their responsibilities under the Countryside Code.
It said, although there may not be lambs in the fields yet, many ewes are preparing for their arrival and people are being asked to pick up after their pets and to ensure that they are kept under control at all times.
National park farming officer Briony Davey said: “The threat of dogs stressing sheep during lambing season is a real concern to farmers as it can lead to injury and even cause the ewe to abort the lamb.
“So dog owners are being reminded of the Countryside Code, to keep their dogs under close control at all times and preferably on a lead on most occasions.
“The Lake District is a wonderful place to be just now with lots to see and do for families, but we just need to remind dog owners in particular to think about how they can affect our wildlife and our countryside at this exciting time.”
Dog owners also need to be aware of is the damage dog fouling can cause to sheep and cattle, the authority said.
Local vet Ann Noble said this is especially important for dogs that haven’t been wormed.
She said: “As the dogs don’t display any symptoms, owners may not know that they are infected, but any sheep or cattle grazing on contaminated grass are at risk of becoming very ill, which is a worry for farmers.
“It’s a very real problem, as I know of a case recently where 42 sheep were made severely ill from this type of infection, which meant a loss of at least £3,000 to the farmer. Treatment to worm dogs is very simple and should include worming for tapeworm to avoid these problems.”
Ken Pears, who farms at Caldbeck Common, said: “It’s an unpleasant problem that is so easily avoided by dog owners being aware of the issue.
“Although most dog owners are responsible, there is a minority who put livestock at risk by not picking up after their pet and taking the bags home with them.”
Chris Shipley
20 February 2019I am at a loss. In many many countries dogs herd and keep the sheep safe without any human intervention. So how can said dogs pose a threat to their charge through their natural functions. I don't believe this article I am sorry. In my very humble opinion we are being herded in a false direction of untruths.
Lakeland Walker
21 February 2019And what is your humble opinion based on, Chris? You don't believe the contents of the article, written and researched by farmers and the National Park Authority, so it is untrue? Just because you don't agree with something, doesn't mean it is false.
Dogs are a threat to livestock through the inconsiderate and thoughtless actions of a small percentage of dog owners, who do not worm their dogs and let them off the lead with no control whatsoever. I've seen dogs chasing sheep on several occasions, so in my humble opinion the 'Lakeland Bosses' are spot on.
hughwestacott
21 February 2019Well said, LW!
I don’t like dogs but I’m well aware that they can be trained to do a number of tasks such as performing in circuses, police work, search and rescue. Border collies will herd sheep as anyone who has visited the Lake District can attest.
But a dog that is a household pet cannot be trusted in the presence of sheep. I once found a flock of sheep in a field in Buckinghamshire that had been attacked by two terriers which had torn of chunks of fleece from every animal.
Farmers have a legal right to shoot dogs that are attacking their livestock which is yet another reason why owners should keep their pets under proper control.
Hugh
Sheepy
21 February 2019Last year just coming down from Easedale Tarn a I witnessed a dog chasing a sheep relentlessly over a considerable distance of fellside. Far behind it came a woman shouting to no avail. Her response was to laugh and say "how embarrassing" I pointed out that she should get the thing on a lead and keep it under control. The chase only ended by the dog holding the sheep down with a grip around its neck. Fortunately the sheep appeared to be physically unharmed but I'm sure it was traumatised.
It is not the first time i have seen this over the years, So I agree with Lakeland above and wonder what Chris has been drinking?
Mike
21 February 2019Absolutely 100% right, LW and Hugh. Further, I'm pretty sure Lakeland farmers have got this, thanks very much - no further assistance required from the legion family mongrel mutts on the hillsides.
While we're at it, can the poo-baggers please stop leaving their filthy little xmas decorations in trees? And can the rest of us please take EVERYTHING away with us when out on the fells... this INCLUDES tissues, orange peel, banana skins... take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints. Thanks!
Ruth Mason
22 February 2019It's not about the dog, it's about the owner! However, as is so typical, the anti-dog brigade weigh in with their observations and pontifications and tar all pet dogs and owners with the same brush.
Twenty five years ago, whilst a member of an MRT, I attempted to train my border collie as a SARDA dog. Sadly he didn't have the aptitude (he wouldn't bark and was terrified of scree) but he was absolutely 'stock safe.' He wouldn't so much as look at livestock. I've since trained all my other dogs the same way, and not one has ever had any interest in livestock. Obviously dogs need to be kept under close control around farm animals, that's the law. A responsible owner will do this (one way or another). The issue is a bit like access rights in general; there has to be a presumption that most people are responsible.
The original poster made a fair comment though. Be responsible and ensure your pet is wormed, but let's get away from the ridiculous fetish of bagging dog poo at all times. What's appropriate for Brompton High Street isn't necessarily so on the C2C. The most environmentally responsible thing to do is allow it to break down naturally, if in an appropriate place. We might need to bag it sometimes, but at others a flick with a stick to remove it from a path is a better option. It saves plastic waste, and, most ridiculous of all, those idiots who neatly bag it so it won't decompose, and then leave the bag.
hughwestacott
22 February 2019Of course it's not the dogs that are at fault, Ruth, but their irresponsible owners!
You write glibly about allowing faeces to break down naturally because it is the most environmentally-friendly method. Have you not heard of neospora caninum that, if swallowed by pregnant cattle and horses, can cause them to abort or in extreme cases to die?
One of our local farmers has a field with a right of way through it but many dog-owners treat it like common land and allow their dogs to roam at will. This seriously affects his farm management because he durst not pasture his dairy herd in that field.
Some years ago I expostulated with a woman who was allowing her two dogs to chase sheep around a field. She told me that her dogs need the exercise and this was easier than walking with them!
Hugh
Michael Haden
22 February 2019Oh Does that go for the lakeland hunts as well, I haven't seen their terrier men going round with poop bags. Just seen sheep flocked together on the fell side whilst a pakc of dogs run freely. But I suppose that's different hunting with dogs is above the law in the lake district.
S. Lee
22 February 2019I think the only thing I can get behind that will safely solve all of these problems is the mass execution of all dogs.
Mary
22 February 2019Dog owners: please remember that you have responsibilities in law that take precedence over your opinions. The Kennel Club is firmly on the side of responsible dog owning and provides pages of reminders for your guidance.
Mary
23 February 2019I think the only thing I can get behind that will safely solve all of these problems is the mass execution of all humans.
hughwestacott
24 February 2019Unfortunately, Mary, there will always be the last executioner left alive!
Hugh
Jen White
24 February 2019Not if my dogs get to him first - under close control, naturally. I'm with the pro-dog comments on this one as I can't abide the sight of nasty little plastic bags littering the countryside. It is possible to train even the humble mutt not to excrete in inappropriate places and to walk through a field of sheep without taking a blind bit of notice of them. All it takes is people who understand both the countryside and dog behaviour. No such thing as a bad dog - they just learn to interpret the body language and manners of their owners.
denzil bell
25 February 2019Fully agree Jen my two Labradors will walk past sheep without taking a blind bit of notice of them. I've even got a photo of them taken between Scafell and Slight Side with three Herdwicks who wandered up to us for the photo shoot. It's all about training but I will add that on the lower intakes I do put them on a lead amongst cattle and sheep, I know my dogs but the farmer in all fairness doesn't. As to the question of poo I'm with Ruth on that one, after all, every other creature or bird on the fells poo everywhere and that includes the hounds as pointed out. All my dogs have ever taken off the fells are sheep ticks, does that mean all sheep are to be exterminated after all humans catch Lymes disease from ticks.
OutdoorsAndy
08 March 2019Remember also what we then do to the sheep. We remove their babies for our eating pleasure. This has a massive traumatic effect on both mother and baby. You can hear them calling after they are split, one of the saddest sounds in the countryside, but we worry about dogs! (Which to be fair, sheep worrying by poorly controlled dogs in bad).
It’s surprising how many people don’t realise this trauma or understand why the heard increase in mournful calls post removal. Would you all for your missing child?
Then there’s the trauma the sheep experience when they are rounded up for slaughter. I worked at an outdoor centre next to a sheep farm and will always remember their distress. I asked the farmer what had caused it, (as they had never reacted so badly before when rounded up), and he explained they know it’s the end.
But hay, control your dogs right, because thats the worst these sentient animals are facing right now.
OnlyOneBiosphere
08 March 2019Remember also what we then do to the sheep. We remove their babies for our eating pleasure. This has a massive traumatic effect on both mother and baby. You can hear them calling after they are split, one of the saddest sounds in the countryside, but we worry about dogs! (Which to be fair, sheep worrying by poorly controlled dogs in bad).
It’s surprising how many people don’t realise this trauma or understand why the heard increase in mournful calls post removal.
Then there’s the trauma the sheep experience when they are rounded up for slaughter. I worked at an outdoor centre next to a sheep farm and will always remember their distress. I asked the farmer what had caused it, (as they had never reacted so badly before when rounded up), and he explained they know it’s the end. But hay, control your dogs right, because that the worst these sentient animals are facing right now.