Advice for Lake District dog walkers ahead of National Dog Walking Day
Ahead of National Dog Walking Day on Sunday, 22 February, Lake District National Park Authority, National Trust and RSPB are asking pet owners to help protect sheep and wildlife.
Lake District dog walkers are being asked to keep their dogs on leads as lambing season continues, to help protect pregnant ewes and lambs as well as ground-nesting birds.
Eliza Hodgson Magill, Farming Officer at Lake District National Park Authority, said:
“The Lake District landscape is home to beautiful walks in a range of habitats, so it’s not surprising the National Park is beloved by pet owners and canine companions.
“National Dog Walking Day is the perfect time to celebrate your four-legged friend while being sensitive to the farming calendar and the livestock which is an important part of the Lake District’s cultural heritage.
“Already spring is upon us, with some ewes pregnant and young lambs out in fields. A scare from a dog can cause sheep to miscarry at any stage of pregnancy, so please do keep your dog on a lead around sheep.”
As well as keeping sheep and ewes safe this lambing season keeping, dogs on leads can also protect ground nesting birds, as Annabel Rushton from the RSPB at Wild Haweswater explained.
She said: “It’s wonderful to see people enjoying the countryside and the wellbeing it brings, but we share these spaces with many other species. Ground‑nesting birds are especially vulnerable, as their well‑camouflaged eggs and chicks are easily disturbed by people who may not realise they’re nesting on the ground.
“Over half of England’s most threatened breeding birds nest at ground level, from Meadow Pipits and Skylarks on the fells to Curlews, Lapwings, Ringed Plovers, Terns, Woodcocks and Nightjars across a range of habitats.
Annabel added: “When disturbed, adult birds may slip away quietly or call out in distress, leaving their almost invisible eggs and silent chicks at risk. You can give these threatened species the best chance to raise their families safely by staying on marked paths and keeping dogs on a short lead.”
Andrea Meanwell runs a farm in the Howgills and works as the Lakes Future Farming Partnerships Manager for the National Trust.
She said: “Even if a field looks empty as you walk through the gate, sheep and lambs can suddenly appear in a dip or behind a wall, so it’s not worth risking your dog off the lead at any time of the year. Even the presence of a dog running off lead nearby can cause enough stress for a ewe to miscarry or become separated from her newborn lambs.”
Two walkers with dogs on leads
Lambs with ewes in field
