Dog owners urged to keep dogs on leads after sheep attacks

Dog owners in the Harrogate district are being urged to keep their pets on leads by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust following two attacks on sheep at nature reserves last week.

The trust looks after more than 100 nature reserves across Yorkshire, including sites in Burton Leonard, Staveley, Bishop Monkton, Ripon and Upper Dunsforth, near Boroughbridge.

At a reserve in Huddersfield, an attack from a dog left one of the trust’s Hebridean grazing sheep with deep bite wounds.

Meanwhile, at Kilnsea Wetlands in East Yorkshire, pregnant ewes were chased by dogs, angering the local grazier.

As well as posing risks to livestock, dogs have also been trampling rare plants and bird nests.

The majority of ground-nesting birds are in decline in the UK, including curlews, woodcocks and skylarks. If dogs scare birds away from their nests, they leave chicks at risk.

A Skylark, one of the vulnerable ground-nesting birds.

Increasing instances of dogs disturbing wildlife has led the charity to issue the plea for owners to keep dogs on leads.

Rachael Bice, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s chief executive said:;

“Dog walking is one of the best reasons to get outdoors, feel great and enjoy our beautiful countryside – and we thank every responsible dog owner who keeps their dog on a lead and encourages others to do the same.

“Wildlife is suffering huge declines and dogs in wild places can cause problems, especially when many species are breeding and resting close to the ground.”

Jenna Kiddie, head of canine behaviour at the charity Dogs Trust, added:

“Dogs [should be] kept on a short lead, and close to their owners, whenever livestock are nearby, within seeing, hearing or smelling distance or whenever their presence is likely to be expected.

“It is important to remember that chasing is normal dog behaviour, and that any dog is capable of chasing, irrelevant of breed, type, age or size.”

You can find more info about being a nature-friendly pet owner here.

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Nidderdale group offers dog leads to protect nesting birds

A dog lead ‘honesty box’ has been set up in Nidderdale for dog walkers to keep their pets under control.

During this time of year, the moors are used by ground-nesting birds, such as the lapwing and curlew, to lay their eggs.

But it can only take a dog sniffing about in the undergrowth for the birds to abandon their nests, sometimes for good.

To help protect the nests from dogs whose owners might have not brought a lead with them, Nidderdale Moorland Group has put a box on one of its estates. It contains several leads that visitors can borrow whilst they walk the footpaths.

The group hopes the move will mean fewer nests are disturbed and will also help keep dogs away from lambs that have recently been born.

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With warm weather expected over the Easter bank holiday weekend, the moorland group has also asked visitors not to bring BBQs or start fires, due to the risk of the flames spreading.

Last month, firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough tackled a wildfire on moorland near Brimham Rocks.