Our dogs love to explore their surroundings when taken on walks, whether they are nosing through the undergrowth or picking up sticks. Nature reserves can provide an amazing green space with lots of new sights and smells to explore, and offer the added bonus of beautiful surroundings for dog walkers too.
Dogs off-leads and snuffling by their nature through the undergrowth can terrify these birds just by their presence – frightening adult birds away from nests, leaving the chicks helpless against predators and without a food source.
Evidence shows dogs off leads and away from owners are one of the biggest causes of wildlife disturbance; terrifying adults and chicks away from the nests of ground-nesting birds, chasing grazing animals, decimating river insect populations and leaving their poo which is toxic to wildlife and grazing animals.
The Trust is conerned about iconic birds like curlew, skylark and robins which nest on or close to the ground. With 66% of ground-nesting birds in decline in the UK, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s nature reserves provide safe refuge and a home for many threatened species. According to the Trust’s landmark State of Yorkshire’s Nature report, two thirds of the regularly breeding and wintering birds in Britain can be found in Yorkshire – including 15% of the national breeding curlew population.
The Trust also cares for a number of conservation grazing animals, including cattle and sheep, in order to manage its reserves in a traditional way. Attacks by off-lead dogs cause stress to animals and the colleagues who care for them, and cost the Trust money from stretched conservation funds to rehabilitate animals – a problem also faced by other landowners and farmers.
For many of us, fleas on our dogs are an absolute pain – and flea treatment seems like a quick and easy solution to a potentially costly problem. Flea treatment chemicals however are insecticides that remain on dogs’ fur and skin - one monthly flea treatment for a large dog contains enough imidacloprid to kill 25 million bees. Insecticides don’t differentiate what insects they kill – so when dogs jump into rivers, streams or ponds on reserves, the chemicals from their flea treatment can kill insects in the water which our wildlife rely on to survive, and introduce more chemicals to our already-polluted waterways.
The Trust is asking dog walkers to keep their dogs out of water bodies for up to three days after flea treatment, or to consider using non-chemical alternative treatments.
Dogwalkers are legally required to keep dogs on leads no more than two meters long on Open Access land, which includes mountain, heath, down, common land and Yorkshire’s moorland, from 1st March until 31st July.
The Trust owns several reserves with Open Access land – but even in spaces not Open Access where the Trust has asked dogwalkers to keep their dogs on leads, this is rarely observed. According to a recently published survey of dog walkers in Springer’s Urban Ecosystems, 85% of dog walkers let their dog off the lead for walks – even if the signage says not to.
Martin Slater, Deputy CEO of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, says,
“We always welcome responsible visitors who want to spend some time outdoors, and our nature reserves provide the perfect place for a quiet stroll. Dogs are equally welcome on leads at some of our reserves, but we have been shocked to find that most dog walkers let their dogs off leads even if there is signage asking them not to.
“So this is a plea from us. Our reserves and wild places are primarily a home and often a last refuge for Yorkshire’s precious wildlife, but they are also workplaces, grazing areas and tranquil spots for many. Please, just pick up after your dog, keep them under control and close to heel at all times, and out of water if they’ve been treated for fleas.”
Peter Wright, local vet and star of the show The Yorkshire Vet, says,
“Spring is one of my favourite times of the year. It is a time for fresh hope, new life and a time when we all relish being outdoors again, meandering through the countryside and seeing close up the natural world coming to life again in all its splendour.
“It is also a time when we must consider the serious impact and devastation we can cause to our wildlife and farm stock at all times but particularly during the vital breeding season of Spring.
“Heartbreakingly, I have seen too many times the horrific injuries and deaths caused to farm animals by dogs let off their leads by their owners. When I visit these animals I am in despair at the needless suffering I witness. Sometimes the damage is less evident at the time but just as devastating such as where flocks of heavily pregnant ewes abort days after being chased around their field by unrestrained dogs.
“The damage caused by dogs running wild is also equally devastating to our wildlife, whether it is the disturbance and loss of our ground nesting birds or other species of wildlife discreetly trying to rear their young.
“Please, please help by keeping your dogs on leads, particularly at this time of year so that we can all enjoy and at the same time respect the glorious natural world and new life.
“Remember that the fields, hedges and waterways are home to many creatures and surely, we all need to feel and be safe in our own homes. For these reasons I implore you to always keep your dogs on leads when out and about amongst these vulnerable inhabitants of our magnificent countryside.”