A dog walker was taken to hospital with serious injuries after he was hit by a vehicle near Ripon.
The driver failed to leave any details and police are now trying to trace him.
The victim was walking his black Alsatian dog when a vehicle struck him and his dog.
The dog is believed to have been injured and ran off.
The incident happened at around 6pm on Sunday, September 11 on a country lane at Gate Bridge Road, which is between Grantley and Galphay.
The driver is described as a white man with short brown hair, a local accent, a short stubble beard and aged 30 to 40 years old.
He drove the victim to Harrogate District Hospital, left him outside and drove off without leaving any details.
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The victim, who is in his 30s, cannot recall the make of vehicle but remembers it was black.
He suffered serious injuries, which are not life-threatening. The dog has yet to be found.
North Yorkshire Police today urged anyone who has information, dashcam footage from surrounding roads at the time, or saw anything in the moments leading up to the incident is asked to email craig.taylor@northyorkshire.police.uk
You can also contact Traffic Constable Taylor on 101, select option 2 and ask for Craig Taylor.
Quote reference 12220163189 when sharing information.
Meet the Knaresborough woman who is a dog chaperone at weddingsWould you like to have your dog walk down the aisle with your wedding ring?
It’s all part of a service offered by wedding dog chaperone Katie Abbott, who looks after couples’ pooches during their special day.
The Knaresborough-based professional dog walker first heard about the trend from America, and she thought she could offer newlyweds something a bit different in Yorkshire.
“People were getting family members in to look after their pets, but it took the day away from them.”
Prices start at £225 to hire Ms Abbott as a wedding dog chaperone. She usually stays with the dog for the wedding service and photos afterwards.
She can also stay overnight with the dog whilst newlyweds enjoy themselves at the reception and evening party.
Ms Abbott said the service is particularly popular with millennials who look at their furry companion as a member of their family.
“They want their dog there for the biggest day of their lives.”
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Ms Abbott is trained in canine body language, so on the day, she looks out for fear or stress signals to make sure the animal is not overwhelmed.
At a recent wedding, an excitable labrador charged down the aisle, so she took the dog outside for a walk to calm it down.
One of her jobs is ensuring that the bridal dress is not spoilt by mucky paws — and the dog is kept safely away from the cake.
She’s been to two weddings this year where she walked the dog down the aisle, and there are even custom collars with on them pillows so they can carry the ring.
She said:
Claims new Bilton woodland will spoil open space“I love my job so much. As an animal lover, being able to work with dogs is amazing, as is being at a wedding, which is the happiest day of people’s lives.
“Having a dog there is the cherry on top of the cake.”
A woman in Bilton says thousands of trees that are being planted in fields close to Nidd Gorge will spoil a wildlife meadow and treasured open space.
Harrogate Borough Council is currently planting the trees in Bilton Fields as well as at Upper Horse Shoe Fields in Knaresborough.
The planting is part of the government’s White Rose Forest initiative to create 10 community forests in England. Oak, hornbeam, hazel, alder, cherry, crab apple and other native trees will be planted.
Rowen Hardcastle, who owns a dog walking business in Bilton, was brought up in the Harrogate suburb and said she has spent over 40 years enjoying the fields. Her husband even proposed to her in the fields because he knew how much she liked spending time there.
Ms Hardcastle said she is in favour of more trees being planted in the district to improve the environment, but the location means it will spoil one of the few open spaces in the area. In the summer, it is a popular spot for games of football and family picnics.
She said:
“It’s not the trees at all, it’s the positioning. It was a beautiful wild flower meadow with kids running around it.
“But they’ve gone right across the kids’ playing pitch. Now they can’t have a kickabout without damaging the trees.”
A map of where the trees will go. Credit – HBC
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The new woodland will have footpaths and some open areas but Ms Hardcastle said many people, particularly women, like to walk in the open fields as they feel safe.
She believes the planting should have been done in a more sympathetic way that retained more open space.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of elderly ladies. They’ve walked around there for last 60 years because it’s safe, but future generations won’t have this vast open space.”
A council spokesperson said:
Warning to dog owners after rare disease found in Knaresborough“The White Rose Forest is the community forest for North and West Yorkshire that works in partnership with local authorities, landowners, businesses and communities to plant more trees across the region, improve our natural environment, combat climate change, create jobs and provide happier and healthier places for us all to live, work in and enjoy.
“The scheme has been well received since it was first adopted by the council. And has been publicised widely in the local media – including on the Stray Ferret in both December 2020 and October 2021 – along with the council’s Residents’ News and on social media.
“The planting of the trees reflects what the Royal Forest of Knaresborough would have originally looked like and will complement the surrounding area, create open areas and natural footpaths through the existing fields.
“More than 40% of the site will remain as ‘open space’ and wildflower meadows will be established and managed to further encourage biodiversity, help address the climate situation and deliver carbon reduction initiatives throughout the Harrogate district.
“Funding for the White Rose Forest project has come from the government’s Trees for Climate Fund. The funding covers planting, establishment and management of the woodland for 15 years.”
Dog owners have been warned to be alert for the symptoms of a rare disease after a case was found in Knaresborough.
Cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy, better known as Alabama rot, begins as skin lesions but can develop quickly and lead to kidney failure.
Specialist veterinary referral practice Anderson Moores, which leads research into the disease from it Winchester base, confirmed yesterday it had seen three new cases in the UK including one in Knaresborough. There have been 271 confirmed cases of the rare disease since it first emerged in the UK in 2012, with 20 since the beginning of this year.
Hannah Philipson, who runs The Harrogate Dog Walking and Pet Company, said while there was no need for alarm, dog owners should be aware of the symptoms of Alabama rot.
“It tends to be their feet and legs that are affected more, which is why they advise you wash your dog down when it’s muddy after a walk.
“It can be treated if it’s noticed early – it’s down to your vet and how quickly they act, whether they think it’s something else. It does tend to take hold in a couple of days, which is very fast.
“If it takes hold, it’s really unlikely a dog would survive.”
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When she posted about the Knaresborough case on Facebook, Hannah said some people were alarmed and said they would not walk their dogs in the area any more. However, there is no evidence that the disease can be transmitted by dogs being walked in the same place, and vets do not know how it is contracted.
Hannah said she has known families with two dogs, both cared for and walked together, where one has caught Alabama rot and the other has not.
She has spoken to fellow dog walkers to discuss what measures can be taken to minimise risk. Rather than trying to avoid it, she said the best thing to do is to be vigilant for the early signs and speak to a vet if there are any sores or swelling on the dog, particularly around the legs and paws, but also on the face, mouth and body.
She added that, with a rise in dog ownership during the pandemic, it was more important than ever to raise awareness of the rare disease.
“A lot of people don’t know about it and what to look for – they might think it’s just a sore and nothing to worry about.”
A paw lesion in a case of Alabama rot
David Walker, a specialist in small animal internal medicine, leads the team at Anderson Moores and is the UK’s foremost authority on Alabama rot. He said:
“Sadly, we find ourselves at the time of year when cases are most commonly identified. It is understandably a worrying time for dog owners with regard to CRGV; however, the disease remains rare.
“The disease seems to appear across many counties at this time of year. January and February are typically our highest case number months and, sadly, this year was no different.
“We’re advising dog owners across the country to remain calm but vigilant and seek advice from their local vets if their dog develops unexplained skin lesions. If a dog becomes affected by CRGV, the best chance of recovery probably lies with early and intensive veterinary care which may be best provided at a specialist facility.”
Although around 90% of cases to prove to be fatal, he said the team had recently successfully treated a Labrador for the disease.