Lead the way
Lead the way
Keeping your dog on a lead when out and about in Cumbria could mean the difference between life and death for our local livestock… Protect the sheep, keep it on a leash.
Springtime is one of the best seasons of the year; the flowers are blooming, the days are longer, and there’s nothing better than heading out for a lovely walk and watching all the spring lambs leaping and bounding across the fields.
However, every year we see dozens of posts about dogs worrying and sometimes injuring lambs and pregnant ewes, so we are going to say it loud and clear for all to hear… PLEASE Keep your dog on a leash!
You can’t go far in this county without seeing livestock of some kind. All livestock are prey animals, so when in the presence of a predator, i.e., your dog, even if it’s a tiny little shih tzu, they can’t make a distinction and have a physiological response. Cortisol, the stress hormone, rushes through their body, and they go into flight mode, which causes them to flee. This in turn causes your dog’s chase instinct to kick in, and this is when the serious damage is done.
A dog does not need to physically injure the sheep or come into direct contact with them to cause serious harm.
When heavily pregnant sheep get panicked, their bodies can respond by spontaneously aborting their unborn lamb. This leads to the death of not only the lamb, but complications can also lead to infection and result in the sheep becoming seriously ill and, more than likely, death. The result is unnecessary suffering for the sheep but also a great cost to the farmers who work tirelessly year-round to tend and care for their livestock.
The term worrying does not convey the seriousness of the act.
Sheep can be scared to death, and it is always unnecessary. It is also important to keep on the lookout so you are aware when they have a poop and you can pick it up. You might think it’s fine to leave the poo in the field as ‘it will just decompose’ but that’s not always the case. If a lamb or sheep ingests the faeces, this can make them extremely unwell and even lead to death, so it is important to always pick up.
Be aware that you don’t need to physically be in the same field as the sheep to cause harm. Even if you are just walking close to a fenced area that contains sheep, pop your dog on the lead and keep it close to you. This way, you can avoid any stress on the livestock in the area.
You can avoid all of these consequences by following some simple steps:
- Ensure you keep your dog on the lead when near livestock.
- Remember that even if you are on the fells and can’t actually see the sheep, they may not be visible.
- Ensure your dog has good recall training before even considering venturing out into the countryside. Even if you plan on keeping them on the lead, accidents happen; be prepared.
- Invest in a decent harness and lead; cheap leads break easily, and many of the incidents occur because the dogs are insufficiently secured.
- Be aware of your surroundings; if you encounter sheep, ignore them and walk on calmly.
- If you get into a situation where your dog does get off the lead and goes after the sheep, get them back as quickly as possible, and don’t ever punish your dog if
they do come back, as they will associate returning to you with punishment. - Always carry poo bags and something to put them in. Don’t ever discard poo bags in fields or on trees; if they are consumed by any animals, serious harm can be done.
Here at the Cumbria Guide, we love our local sheep, and we support the farmers who look after and rely on them—do the right thing and put them on the lead.
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