I noticed a local farmer had recently posted on Facebook that he was closing the gates up at the top of Ardival because he was furious with dog walkers who were constantly letting their dogs off the lead in his field, which then went onto worry his sheep. He then moved the herd down to a more enclosed field by the start of the Peffery Way. Last night my wife and I watched as a man in a blue top pursued two dogs that were chasing sheep in the very same field. By the time we got there the man and his dogs, a golden coloured Labrador and a small white dog, had gone. We spoke to the farmer who said that although the dogs had spooked the sheep they had all lambed recently so none of them were at risk of losing them. It took a considerable time though for them to settle down again after bleating and calling from Mothers to their lambs. Please follow the country code and keep your dogs on a lead when livestock are in a field and prevent this kind of thing happening again.
I understand the fines and penalties for owners of dogs that do “livestock worrying” can be as much as £40,000 and/or 12 months in prison.
Nothing to do with dogs.
We are into the breeding season. Over the last few years we have been plagued with the continuous screeching of adult gulls and later on, their chicks. The gulls wouldn’t nest here if they were unable to find food. PLEASE DON’T FEED THE GULLS!