A Harrogate woman who found a dog tied up outside a supermarket during the heatwave today has condemned the owner.

Lizzie Meakes went to shop at Morrisons in Starbeck when she found the dog near the entrance at about 2pm.

The temperature at the time was close to 30 degrees centigrade on what is likely to be one of the hottest days of the year.

Worried about the dog’s panting, Ms Meakes asked staff at Morrisons to get water for him to drink and pat on his back to cool off.

She stayed with the dog for 30 minutes until she had to return to work, and the owner still did not return. Staff at Morrisons also helped to look after the dog.

Ms Meakes told the Stray Ferret:

“Bless him. He just look so distressed and couldn’t catch a breath without any water in sight. I held his paw which was wet through with sweat.

“I just felt so sorry for him, if I could have taken him home I would have.

“I do not understand what the owner needed so desperately from the shop to leave their dog out in this heat.”

Read more:

• Harrogate district records highest covid rate since start of pandemic
• How to keep running in a heatwave

Lizzie with her dog Rosie.

Social media has been awash with posts by people concerned about the welfare of animals during the heatwave.

But they appear to have gone unheeded by the unidentified dog owner.

Ms Meakes put a post about her experience on the Facebook group Harrogate Host to spread the word, and more than a hundred people have so far commented.

North Yorkshire firefighters came to the rescue of a Labrador called Henry when he fell 15 metres into a ravine at Nidd Gorge yesterday.

Henry fell from a path at the popular dog walking spot but fortunately landed on a ledge.

Henry’s owner tried to scramble to his rescue but was unable to reach him.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was summoned to help at 11.15am.

Crews from Harrogate, Ripon and Tadcaster came to his aid in the gorge woodland, to the west of Knaresborough.

Using specialist rope equipment known as a gotcha pack, a firefighter was lowered into the ravine to save the dog.

The firefighter wrapped Henry in a salvage sheet and brought him back to safety.

Read more:

• Local crews rescue Loki the cat from a tree in Ripon.
• A Parka-wearing climber has to be rescued by fire crews on Almscliffe Crag 

This column is written for the Stray Ferret by Kimberley Metcalfe. Kimberley has an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare. Her company Pooches Galore is based in Harrogate and specialises in dog training and resolving canine behavioural problems.

After seeing Gracie on the Stray Pets Rescue Club my heart went out to her. Although I don’t know about Gracie’s situation personally sometimes rehoming ex-breeding bitches can be challenging.

Gracie, if you haven’t read about her, had been used for breeding to make money and was abandoned after reaching the maximum age for reproducing. She’d given birth to around 30 puppies in her lifetime – as a result she has been left with a large caesarean scar. She was featured in the Stray Pets Rescue Club seeking a new owner.

Often dogs who are kept purely for breeding haven’t had the same start in life as other dogs. They haven’t had the same life experiences and so don’t have the same expectations.

Although there is a great divide between bitches who are family pets, loved and treated like queens while they are pregnant and beyond, there is a darker side to breeding where dogs are kept as commodities. Used purely to make money from the puppies, once they have made the owners enough money they are discarded.

This latter group of dogs often struggle in new homes. They often haven’t lived in a family home before, they haven’t even had a comfortable bed to sleep in, so everything is new to them. It does take them some time to settle in to this new, luxurious life.

There are a number of things to consider when you take on an ex breeding bitch, all of which can be overcome with patience and love.

Often these dogs are not housetrained, having never lived in a house before so they have no understanding that there are areas that they can toilet and areas that they cannot.

They may never have been on a walk. Going out on a lead and collar is completely alien to them, as is the big outside world. This can be very overwhelming: the sights, smells and textures that they experience for the first time. I remember working with a standard poodle who had been used as a breeding bitch in a puppy farm who had never walked on grass before, the joy that it brought not only her but me also when she was leaping about was one of the best moments of my career!

Sometimes they are just shut down, they don’t know what to expect, that people can be kind to them, that they are safe as this not been the case in the past.

But I promise it is not all doom and gloom. Bringing home such a dog to live with you is one of the most rewarding experiences. All they need is some time and space to feel safe and to feel loved and they make the most loyal and caring of dogs.

We are delighted that Kimberley is to become a regular monthly columnist for The Stray Ferret. If you have any doggy questions please contact her by email on kim@poochesgalore.co.uk For more information on Pooches Galore click here.

A woman has called for tighter cycling controls on the Stray after her dog was hit.

Sara Clark said her chihuahua Milo was lucky to be alive after being struck by a cyclist on part of the south Stray where cycling is prohibited.

Ms Clark, who was walking Milo on Friday evening, said:

“He went under his wheel and I heard his scream and he ran towards the road. The vet said he was surprised he wasn’t killed.”

Ms Clark said Milo was badly bruised and required a painkiller injection.

Cyclists are supposed to dismount on this stretch of the Stray but Ms Clark said they often ignored the rules. She added:

“There was a sign 10 metres from us saying cyclists aren’t allowed. I know of three dogs, including Milo, and two elderly people that have been hit.”

“The cyclist just said, ‘What could I have done he should’ve been on a lead?’ My dog should be able to be off a lead, we should feel safe, but now I feel like I can’t let him off a lead. They have ruined it now.”

All of these cyclists were pictured on the south Stray by Sara Clark within the same hour on Monday.

Ms Clark said Harrogate Borough Council should do more to tackle the problem:

“Accidents like this are happening but they are washing their hands of it rather than dealing with it. It is their responsibility to enforce it, even just by doing something to say they are taking it seriously, like using cameras or fines.”

A council spokesman said:

“Our staff will always challenge cyclists who ignore the rules if they witness it happening. Unfortunately, as the Stray covers 200 acres and is accessible 24/7 it is incredibly difficult to witness anyone breaching these rules. Thankfully, the vast majority of cyclists in Harrogate dismount when they should. ”

Ms Clark disputed the claim that the vast majority of cyclists dismounted.

Read more:

• WATCH as dog rescue owner discusses her concerns following the lockdown puppy boom. 
• Harrogate cat went missing for four months and was found 20 miles from home. 

“There’s no excuse for a cyclist being on a footpath where it’s banned. I am of course sorry about the dog being knocked over and the upset to the owner. I don’t agree with cyclists ignoring the rules. I also don’t agree with drivers ignoring the rules, which they do more often and with far more serious consequences.”