Ensure wildlife and livestock are never chased or worried
The historical and cultural pairing of the Dales and its livestock is well known, sheep are everywhere! It is well known that dogs should be kept under control around livestock, so they don’t chase and worry livestock, but how many of us assume our dog wont chase because they haven’t before or don’t seem like the type. It is also easy to assume a field is empty of sheep only to get to the brow of a hill and see them all.
In a survey conducted by the National Sheep Association (NSA) of more than 300 sheep farmers, 70% experienced a sheep worrying attack in the past 12 months,
95% experienced up to 10 cases per year. On average three sheep deaths were reported by each farmer a year due to a dog attack and this does not account for production losses, including miscarriage, that were reported by almost 70% of survey participants.
Just because a visual injury has not occurred does not mean damage has not been done. Worrying of sheep can lead to death by exhaustion and ewes in-lamb can also abort.
It is claimed that approximately 15,000 sheep are killed each year by pet dogs being let off the lead in or around sheep, a figure based on insurance claims. In early February 2024 a Dartmoor farmer lost 45 animals in one dog attack.
The NSA is calling for urgent action in what appears to be an acceptance of dog attacks on sheep. Their Chief Executive Phil Stocker has said: “One of the most concerning threats to sheep welfare, worrying by dogs, continues to be swept under the carpet. It seems to be an area where resolution is too difficult a challenge to tackle and so, attacks continue with little consequence to those at fault.
People do generally tend to be more cautious of cattle. On average 4-5 people are killed as a result of cattle incidents annually, includes workers, and 94% of fatalities of walkers involved dogs, although the HSE data this is from seems to no longer be available.
Health and Safety Executive offer guidelines for farmers on their responsibilities to manage stock in areas with public access and the reporting of near misses, as well as actual injuries, is encouraged as this can prevent a more serious injury or death occurring next time. You can contact the council’s rights of way or countryside access team and/ or the Health and Safety Executive.
The Kennel Club’s advice for staying safe around cattle is:
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Stop, look and listen before entering a field; be aware of any cattle present.
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Always keep your dog on a short lead around cows and any other farm animals,
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Find the safest route around the farm animals, giving them plenty of space; divert of the marked path if you need to. Never walk between cows and calves,
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Exit the area calmly and quickly if threatened, releasing your dog to make it easier for you both to reach safetyseparately. Do not hesitate to let your dog off the lead if you are threatened by cattle and take the quickest route out of danger, even if this means not using an official path.
The Ramblers Association offers some good advice to enjoying the outdoors with your dog around livestock.
