1. Take the lead
Look after farm animals
Almost all our sites have livestock grazing throughout the year to help keep down scrub and encourage wildflowers to flourish and in Spring our tenant farmers have pregnant ewes and lambs out in the field. Dogs off leads can cause a huge amount of harm to farm animals and this has an impact on farmers’ livelihoods.
The fear suffered by seeing just one dog allowed to run free in a field can be fatal for cows, sheep and lambs. Whether your dog is old, young, big or small, friendly or timid you can reduce the amount farm animals are disturbed and injured by keeping your dog on a short lead. Remember if you are approached by cattle with your dog it is safer to let go of the lead and call your dog back when safe to do so.
Caring for wildlife
As most dog lovers are animal lovers too, wanting to look after wildlife will be second nature. You can do this by keeping your dog under close control or if your dog is especially lively, on a short lead.
The world of wildlife is mostly invisible to humans, with plants and animals that may spend their entire life hidden from our eyes. These secret species can be especially sensitive to being disturbed, and our canine companions with their more powerful senses are especially good at finding those treasures which are hidden to us.
Breeding wading birds at the coast often get disturbed by dogs running through the middle of them, causing them to fly up and leave their nests and their chicks. This also happens in wet coastal fields where wading birds like oystercatchers and curlew feed on winter fields.
We’re so lucky to get such amazing wildlife making an appearance at our places. Deer and hares are especially nice to see but often get chased and injured by dogs which are left to roam. Birds nesting in low shrubs on sites like Jack Scout are also regularly ripped out of their nests by inquisitive dogs and often fatally injured. You can help to stop this by keeping your dog under close control by your side or on a short lead.
2. Clean up dog poo
Nobody likes standing in dog poo or seeing dog bags hanging in trees and it’s harmful to people and farm animals. Put it in a bag and take it home with you or find a dog bin in the villages of Silverdale and Arnside.