24/04/2023
Dogs and livestock
This can be a touchy subject and isn't intended to cause a debate but to help educate people and see it from a different perspective.
First and foremost respecting the countryside is paramount when out and about walking your dog.
Farmers want everyone to enjoy the countryside but dogs being off lead is a huge frustration for farmers as unfortunately some cases do result in upset, trauma, death of livestock, financial losses and so much more.
However being a dog trainer, owning a working sheep dog and owning our own livestock i will still put my dogs on lead when walking through fields that don't belong to us for the following reasons.
1. Out of respect to the farmer as the stock are his/her livelyhood and work hard looking after them 365 days a year.
2. Dogs off lead running through fields can easily scare/upset/stress livestock (even if the dog is minding thier own business it can still be intimidating for the animals in the field - this also can work the other way if livestock suddenly move out of being unsure and catch a dogs eye this can stress a dog/a dog can become defensive/enquisitive/it can encourage a dogs chase instinct especially if the dog hasn't been exposed to this sort of environment.
3. This time of year many ewes have lambs at foot and if a dog is running free through a field the ewes can easily be seperated from thier lambs causing distress.
4. Dogs that aren't trained around livestock can be unpredictable as they haven't been exposed to it enough to know how to behave around them....you may think they have a great recall however when it comes to a field full of livestock dogs can easily loose themselves and in that one moment horrific things can potentially happen.
6.It isn't for me to put other peoples livestock at risk by allowing my dogs to run freely through fields where there is livestock regardless if they are capable of ignoring the stock.
7. Most importantly WHY put my dogs in a position where they could potentially fail? The dog would get the blame if they attack a sheep/lamb/cow/calf/horse etc where actually the fault lies with the owner for setting that dog up to fail and for me as a responsible dog owner i wouldn't put my dogs in that position.
🐾 Lastly under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953, if a dog worries livestock on agricultural land, the person in charge of the dog is guilty of an offence.
The act considers this to include attacking livestock, chasing them in a way that may cause injury, suffering, abortion or loss of produce, or being at large (i.e. not on a lead or otherwise under close control) in a field or enclosure in which livestock are present.
The act does not require livestock to be killed for this offence to be committed.
Dog owners can be convicted for ‘allowing their dog to be dangerously out of control’ They also risk losing their beloved companions, as farmers have the right to shoot a dog if it is attacking livestock.
This isn't a post to scare but to give people a bit more of an understanding why farmers feel so strongly about dogs being on lead as something as simple as keeping your dog on a lead can save a lot of stress and heartache for both human and animal.
Farmers work hard all year round day in/ day out in looking after, feeding, rearing, bringing new life into the world and want to protect thier animals at all costs as would you as dog owners. So please think twice the next time you are in a field full of livestock and keep them on lead.
Kayleigh 🐾
