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Dogs and sheep worrying

wildlife, gardening, environment, Rural living, Pets and Vets
brightncheerful
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Dogs and sheep worrying

#412474

Postby brightncheerful » May 16th, 2021, 3:26 pm

DAK please why it was made a criminal offence for dogs to worry/chase sheep and other livestock (on agricultural land)?

It's the history I'm interested in. Why, for example, the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 was introduced, and later on the Animals Act 1971?

tia
Bnc

Itsallaguess
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Re: Dogs and sheep worrying

#412479

Postby Itsallaguess » May 16th, 2021, 3:38 pm

brightncheerful wrote:
DAK please why it was made a criminal offence for dogs to worry/chase sheep and other livestock (on agricultural land)?

It's the history I'm interested in. Why, for example, the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 was introduced, and later on the Animals Act 1971?


It seems to have been purely to officially recognise the value of livestock to farmers -

History of Dog Law in the UK - Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 -

The value of livestock, which can include cattle, sheep, goats, swine, horses and poultry was recognised through the implementation of specific legislation in 1953. Under this law, dog owners and/or anyone else who is in control of the dog at the time of the attack will be guilty of an offence if the livestock is worried. This worrying must be a result of being chased or attacked on agricultural land in such a way that it could be reasonably expected to cause injury, suffering or the loss or diminution of produce. This therefore covers the situation where female livestock are distressed by the dog causing abortion or loss of their offspring.

The Protection of the Livestock Act permits a farmer to stop a dog and even permits shooting in certain circumstances. This development of the law has caused a lot of controversy for owners given that a farmer will very often be on alert if a dog is off the lead and not under close control in a field or enclosure near livestock and may shoot a dog unnecessarily. However, a balance has to be achieved to protect the agricultural industry as trauma to livestock can cause serious financial loss to farmers. Therefore, dog owners should always be extra cautious of keeping their dogs under the control of a lead when near livestock.


http://www.dogbitelaw.co.uk/history-of-dog-law-in-the-uk/

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

brightncheerful
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Re: Dogs and sheep worrying

#412490

Postby brightncheerful » May 16th, 2021, 4:08 pm

Thanks for that, very helpful.

At puppy training classes today, the trainer was talking about owner responsibilities in law. (I mentioned that in the Queen's Speech recently, legislation is forthcoming to regard dogs as sentient beings.) When the subject of criminal offence and how much an owner could be fined, someone suggested that since a sheep might fetch only bout £100 whereas the price of a puppy nowadays would be at least £1,000 that it didn't make to that person that the law sides with the farmer.

On the way home, Mrs Bnc and I were talking about the person's comment. I suggested, Mrs Bnc agreed, that the worrying and/or killing of livestock by dogs is akin to theft of the farmer's livelihood.

From the link you provided, it seems that urban dogs were to 'blame' and the adverse consequences of rabies. Nowadays as working dogs are probably in the minority compared to companion (dogs as pets) and breeding methods are geared to pet dogs, it seems to me that training methods (of which positive reinforcement seems to be the most popular and often least understood) are fighting a losing battle in the context of trying to suppress the dog's natural wild instincts. A battle that amateur trainers, turned pro, are cashing in on big time in the form of puppy training, etc - much of which is only any good if a) the owner has plenty of time for practice, b) gets the practice right; and c) knows (helped to understand) what to do when something goes wrong.

For example, Mrs Bnc and I freely admit we made plenty of mistakes with our puppy to begin with and continued and which are now becoming harder to correct. Synchronising the 'praise' with the puppy's behaviour is challenging.

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Re: Dogs and sheep worrying

#412523

Postby bluedonkey » May 16th, 2021, 6:31 pm

The other person's comment referred to doesn't seem to take into account that sheep don't kill dogs!

brightncheerful
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Re: Dogs and sheep worrying

#412588

Postby brightncheerful » May 16th, 2021, 11:41 pm

bluedonkey wrote:The other person's comment referred to doesn't seem to take into account that sheep don't kill dogs!


But cows do. It's not only sheep that the law protects, but other livestock.

Next month we shall attending a dog training class on how to train dogs not to chase sheep. The venue is outdoors. The trainer we know as they've provided bespoke training for our puppy. Anticipating the trainer will inform attendees that dogs chasing sheep is against the law, I am looking forward to exercising a 'little knowledge of the law is a dangerous thing' by mentioning that an offence is only committed if on agricultural land and since the whereabouts of the training is not on agricultural land our puppy cannot be told off.

A long time ago, i had two border terriers (brother and sister) that I help bring up from puppies to dogs. Given the opportunity, the male loved to chase sheep grazing on the hills and would round them up. The bitch was petrified of sheep and would go out of her way to avoid them - and not only live sheep, but also stuffed. On one occasion in Glastonbury with her we were about to walk passed a shop selling sheepskin clothing, the shop had a stuffed sheep on the pavement outside, She took one look at it and crossed the road of her own accord walked on a bit further and then crossed back.

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Re: Dogs and sheep worrying

#412593

Postby Dod101 » May 17th, 2021, 12:14 am

The simple answer to your original question is that sheep are normally a vital part of a farmer's livelihood whereas a dog kept as a pet is certainly not. That means strange as it may seem that farm animals are given priority over pets.

Dod

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Re: Dogs and sheep worrying

#412638

Postby bungeejumper » May 17th, 2021, 9:47 am

We live in farming country here - mostly free-ranging organic dairy cattle, but sheep are out in the fields during the winter and the early spring while the cows are confined to the barns. It's been customary hitherto to assume that dogs out of control belong to townies who don't know any better, but the covid lockdown has encouraged a lot of WFH locals to get a pooch for their daily constitutionals through the fields. And alas, the expectation that the pups will be trained is proving well wide of the mark.

Too many of these new owners simply unleash the beast and let it run around and defecate at random, while they relax against a gatepost and chat. Our nearest farmer is going spare with frustration. :| He's put up (polite!) signs requesting that everybody keep to the footpaths and control their dogs, and they've been torn down.

Dogs do a lot more than kill sheep, unfortunately. They can (and do) cause pregnant ewes to abort. They can cause leg injuries that will force an untimely euthanasia. It's fortunate for the owners that none of our local farmers owns a gun. It might not be the dogs that get the bullets! :o

BJ

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Re: Dogs and sheep worrying

#412656

Postby JohnB » May 17th, 2021, 10:41 am

The proposed Animal Sentience Bill legislation treats all animals with backbones as sentient, both domestic and agricultural, so both sheep and dogs. That should strengthen the protection for the sheep as victims if it trumps the financial focus of the current rules.

As we get sheep in to graze our conservation meadows in the country park, and one was killed by a dog last autumn, I'd hope the law would support us, rather than it just being a park bylaw, though clearly you could not allow firearms in a country park.

Inspite of extensive signage, dog walkers won't leash their dogs going past the sheep paddocks, and don't take criticism well.

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Re: Dogs and sheep worrying

#412850

Postby servodude » May 18th, 2021, 12:38 am

bungeejumper wrote:He's put up (polite!) signs requesting that everybody keep to the footpaths and control their dogs, and they've been torn down.

Dogs do a lot more than kill sheep, unfortunately. They can (and do) cause pregnant ewes to abort. They can cause leg injuries that will force an untimely euthanasia. It's fortunate for the owners that none of our local farmers owns a gun. It might not be the dogs that get the bullets!


That's terrible.
It's just really piss poor behaviour to not control your dogs around livestock.

As a kid the sight of the farmer with his shotgun over the front of the motorbike was not uncommon; neither was the corpse of a stray dog

I don't care if anyone thinks their cocker-russel-poo'tese looks cute trying to "herd" the sheep; it doesn't know what it's doing, it's not under control and it's a problem
- it also doesn't serve anyone if a pet dog gets a kyloe's hoof to the skull

- sd


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