We are appealing for dog owners to keep their dog on a lead when enjoying the countryside and near livestock.

Glossop SNT - ‘Keep dogs on leads around sheep’

⬛ It is every dog’s instinct to chase, even if they are usually obedient and good with other animals.

🐑Lambing can start as early as December and go on to as late as June.🐑

Pregnant sheep worrying by dogs is a serious issue causing stress, injuries, and death, with the stress alone leading to premature lamb loss (miscarriage/abortion) even without physical contact, making it crucial for dog owners to keep pets on leads near livestock.

Chasing by dogs can do serious damage to sheep, even if the dog doesn’t catch them. The stress of worrying by dogs can cause sheep to die and pregnant ewes to miscarry their lambs.

Sheep fleeing from dogs are often killed or seriously injured by their panicked attempts to escape, causing untold damage to fences and field boundaries in the process.

Dogs chasing ewes and lambs can cause mis-mothering issues, with lambs dying from starvation or hypothermia when they become separated from their mother and fail to find her again.

Dog bites can cause death in sheep or necessitate them being put down at a later date, or in less severe cases considerable veterinary bills and additional welfare issues as a result of flies being attracted to the blood and leading to a nasty health problem in sheep called ‘fly strike’. Injuries to sheep can also delay the normal farming routine, be it the mating season or administration of vital medicines and vaccines.

Then there are the direct emotional and mental health consequences on the farmer/s (and usually their families) involved. All this costs money and time so any detriment to the sheep also harm the farmer’s livelihood. UK farmers work to some of the highest standards of health and welfare and are bound by legal rules and regulations to ensure standards are maintained. In addition to the issues raised above, sheep worrying is extremely frustrating for the farmer as all their hard work, time and investment can be undone in one action, completely out of their control.

🔴 It is a criminal offence to allow a dog to worry sheep. 🔴

Worrying includes attacking or chasing sheep and, in some circumstances, farmers are legally entitled to shoot dogs if they are endangering their sheep.

#KeepDogsUnderControl

#WorryngLivestock

#PregnantEwes

#Lambing