Yesterday I had a phone call from a good friend who had witnessed a dog off a lead and out of control, savaging a Muntjac deer on the NWT reserve at Holme. The pictures supplied to me are gruesome and stomach churning, but this is reality. It obviously wasn’t going to recover from its backside being ripped out, so had to be humanely shot. THIS IS TRULY WICKED! ALL DOGS SHOULD BE ON LEADS ON NATURE RESERVES AT ALL TIMES, AS REQUESTED!!! The sad fact is that 9 out of 10 dogs at Holme Reserves and many others along the Norfolk coast are NOT on leads and continually harrass wildlife to the point of death, as has happened to this poor defenceless Muntjac deer. How would we feel having our backsides ripped out by a lion? What a selfish and cruel society we live in. The owners of this dog should hang their heads in shame, have a massive great fine and donate it to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust at the very least.
Years
ago, the numbers of dogs in this country were far far less and this is
one of the major problems now. Too many dogs, far too many per square
mile and people don't just have one dog or two, some have half a dozen.
Also, a lot of dog owners let their dog run wild on the beach, which
displaces hundreds and sometimes thousands of birds feeding on the
shoreline and in winter, this is a huge issue – birds need to spend all
daylight hours feeding to survive and every time they are disturbed by
dogs ploughing into them, it disturbs their feeding – it might look fun
to watch your dog scattering hundreds of birds, but its not fun for
hungry birds!!!
A large majority of the out of control dogs on Norfolk beaches and nature reserves are owned by second home owners (oh I'm going to be in trouble for saying this – don't care) who pile down from the city at weekends and holidays and think they own the place and have the right to do whatever they want to do – well you don't, certainly not on nature reserves. Just because nobody is around to check on you at all times, doesn't mean you should take advantage of this and let your dog roam a mile ahead of you – you don't know what your dog is doing if out of sight do you? No, you don't – it could be attacking a Muntjac Deer, it could be attacking a small child, or an adult and yes this happens too. If you don't like walking a dog on a lead - DON'T BLOODY HAVE ONE! I really wish politicians would change the law so that ALL DOGS ARE ON LEADS IN ALL PUBLIC PLACES, but that probably wouldn't suit the dog owner politicians!!!
The outcome of this is that the police were involved and the owners now have to have their dog on a lead at all times and wear a muzzle, which apparently they were not very happy with – oh dear, so your dog has to be on a lead and wear a muzzle, at least it is STILL ALIVE, unlike the Muntjac that YOU allowed it rip to pieces! Well done to Norfolk Police for enforcing this. Before I get any emails from dog owners, I'm not blaming the dog, it is entirely the fault of the owners, who should have been in control of their dog and it should have been on a lead on an SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) Nature Reserve. A dog is a domestic pet and should not be allowed to harrass and attack anybody or anything or other well behaved dogs that are on leads (you hear of this happening a lot in the media). Also, just to add that dog owners are also running the risk of their pets being ripped open by the prongs of a male muntjac as it tries to protect itself from attack.
Whilst I'm having a massive rant, again I would like to request NOT to leave plastic bags of dog crap hanging up in bushes like a bloody christmas decoration or slung in the hedge – it is selfish, disgusting and is littering our countryside – place in dog bin, or better still take it home and put in your own bin, after all, its your dog!
UPDATE
Just had an email from a friend who told me that he once witnessed "a little mongrel dog, whose stomach had been ripped open at Wells, Norfolk. Its owner carried it lovingly and with tender care, as it whimpered and squealed, shaking with uncontrollable and probably terminal shock. The 'culprit' was a local Staffie-type, apparently let loose deliberately, and whose owners and kids were laughing, as they watched their brute savaging the poor, defenceless little pooch".
Also see the same incident that happened at Holkham Reserve last year: https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/news/holkham-plea-on-controlling-dogs-1-8179604
Eastern Daily Press
Here is the link to the EDP today:
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/environment/vicious-dog-attack-prompts-warning-by-norfolk-wildlife-trust-1-5423992
https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/news/message-to-keep-control-of-dogs-after-deer-attack-in-holme-1-8412764
A large majority of the out of control dogs on Norfolk beaches and nature reserves are owned by second home owners (oh I'm going to be in trouble for saying this – don't care) who pile down from the city at weekends and holidays and think they own the place and have the right to do whatever they want to do – well you don't, certainly not on nature reserves. Just because nobody is around to check on you at all times, doesn't mean you should take advantage of this and let your dog roam a mile ahead of you – you don't know what your dog is doing if out of sight do you? No, you don't – it could be attacking a Muntjac Deer, it could be attacking a small child, or an adult and yes this happens too. If you don't like walking a dog on a lead - DON'T BLOODY HAVE ONE! I really wish politicians would change the law so that ALL DOGS ARE ON LEADS IN ALL PUBLIC PLACES, but that probably wouldn't suit the dog owner politicians!!!
The outcome of this is that the police were involved and the owners now have to have their dog on a lead at all times and wear a muzzle, which apparently they were not very happy with – oh dear, so your dog has to be on a lead and wear a muzzle, at least it is STILL ALIVE, unlike the Muntjac that YOU allowed it rip to pieces! Well done to Norfolk Police for enforcing this. Before I get any emails from dog owners, I'm not blaming the dog, it is entirely the fault of the owners, who should have been in control of their dog and it should have been on a lead on an SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) Nature Reserve. A dog is a domestic pet and should not be allowed to harrass and attack anybody or anything or other well behaved dogs that are on leads (you hear of this happening a lot in the media). Also, just to add that dog owners are also running the risk of their pets being ripped open by the prongs of a male muntjac as it tries to protect itself from attack.
Whilst I'm having a massive rant, again I would like to request NOT to leave plastic bags of dog crap hanging up in bushes like a bloody christmas decoration or slung in the hedge – it is selfish, disgusting and is littering our countryside – place in dog bin, or better still take it home and put in your own bin, after all, its your dog!
UPDATE
Just had an email from a friend who told me that he once witnessed "a little mongrel dog, whose stomach had been ripped open at Wells, Norfolk. Its owner carried it lovingly and with tender care, as it whimpered and squealed, shaking with uncontrollable and probably terminal shock. The 'culprit' was a local Staffie-type, apparently let loose deliberately, and whose owners and kids were laughing, as they watched their brute savaging the poor, defenceless little pooch".
Also see the same incident that happened at Holkham Reserve last year: https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/news/holkham-plea-on-controlling-dogs-1-8179604
Eastern Daily Press
Here is the link to the EDP today:
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/environment/vicious-dog-attack-prompts-warning-by-norfolk-wildlife-trust-1-5423992
https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/news/message-to-keep-control-of-dogs-after-deer-attack-in-holme-1-8412764
Posts
I have grown to dislike dogs & that is down to people who are not fit to own one time all dogs & owners where banned from uk nature reserves
ReplyDeleteentirely agree. Fed up with dogs running at me and jumping and we linear a field Fed up with them peeling up my garden wall. Nuisance dogs and brainless owners
DeleteI agree, dog owners should be more responsible for their pets! However more wildlife is killed by cats and there are far too many of them per square mile and their owners turn a blind eye to their predation of birds and other small animals. Not to mention their crap on everyone else's gardens except their owners. A bit of balance please!!
ReplyDeleteFair enough, far too many out of control domestic pets all round!
DeleteVery stereotypical. I agree this picture is not nice and yes a shame that people can't follow rules. However I have a cat and he is very good and does not kill any wildlife in fact he is a very proud boy of his leaf collection that he brings me everyday.
DeleteI'm in total agreement that owners are definitely to blame as it is your job to teach your animals what is acceptable behaviour. Unfortunately there are far too many people that get animals and do not have the time for them and so they will act out for attention and follow basic instincts.
There are far too many bloody dogs in this country. full stop
DeleteAccidents happen. Wild animals kill other wild animals too, but I suppose thats OK?
ReplyDeleteThat's nature, animals killing other animals to survive.
DeleteThe issues is with humans introducing non native canine predators and letting them run wild over the little land left reserved for nature.
A local reserve I regularly walk on in spring is supposed to be protecting ground nesting birds but dogs run crazy over the nesting area. One owner shrugged their shoulders when approached and politely reminded. Even said so why are cows allowed over there. I had to explain the difference between a herbivore and carnivore.
It is hard to educate people who don't care.
I have a dog, I have trained it and walk it every day. So I get to go birding whenever I take it out. What really pisses me off is someone having a rant and expecting me to alter my behaviour because of the selfish act of others. For what it is worth I manage two nature reserves as a volunteer, run a community group aimed at getting people out into the countryside and learn about what lives there, and write about natural history and have done for over 30years. The sort of mindless ranting after one incident does nothing for your cause. Care to extend your logic to car drivers?
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are a responsible dog owner, so my 'rant' is not with you. I take offence that my rant is 'mindless', I completely disagree, most comments that have been sent to me via Twitter, Facebook, Email and here, have supported everything that I have said. Also this is not 'one incident', it has happened many times before, not just to wildlife, but to farmer's livestock as well, many, many times. I agree that some drivers kill wildlife, through driving too fast and not taking care, if this is what are implying.
DeleteThe logic is already extended to car owners. To drive it on the road you have to have passed a test to show you are a capable driver, ensure the car is road worthy, tax and insure it. You could be the safest and most well trained driver in the world and you still have to follow those rules, which are put into place to prevent and reduce the impact that careless or dangerous drivers may have on other people.
DeleteJust because you have trained your dog doesn't mean that everyone else has. Putting in place a law etc that requires all dogs to be on a lead would be a simple solution to prevent things like this happening, especially compared to the alternatives of somehow enforcing and policing dogs to ensure that those that are off a lead are properly trained.
For someone who cares so much about the environment, its surprising how much you care about a little inconvenience to yourself for what would undoubtedly benefit our wildlife
We learn most from those who disagree with reasoned argument. Great debate, please don't censor those who disagree with your views.
DeleteReally! Despite these rules there are over 1 million uninsured drivers and countless instances of driving offences. And how is it protecting the environment with the avid birders burning up the miles to see a rba...
DeleteBan dogs from nature reserves..
ReplyDelete99% of cats will kill wildlife...The figure for dogs will be hard to measure as it's a fraction of 1%. We all know the type of dog owner who keeps poorly trained or aggressive dogs, it'd not the Chelsea range rover brigade, it's more likely locals who have staffie or pitbull types or other large aggressive dogs. Their kids are probably as feral as their pets....
ReplyDeleteI was at Bowthorpe today: a couple of young women let their Border Collies off the lead: they promptly ran into what little free water there was to attack a couple of juv. Mute Swans. (Much to the owners' amusement)
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with dogs or cats: but would you be allowed to take a pet Cheetah out for a walk and let it off the lead in a public place?
Cruel behaviour David - not nice to witness! Exactly! You wouldn't let a cheetah off a lead because it is a dangerous animal as are SOME dogs!
DeleteAgree totally Penny was walking from Holme to thornham in January when two women with a dog came along path from orchard drove screaming out a dogs name asked what it looked like and told them we had seen 5 mins before in Holme nature reserve a well under control Dog.Agree also about poo bags in trees and bushes.
ReplyDeletePoo bags for cats would be hard, you would have to trespass on neighbours gardens to use them...or on the 5 mile radius that they hunt in...any cats in holme?
DeleteLOL!
DeleteHmmmm....farmers livestock...can of worms...farmers supporting nature really! Loss of meadows, intensive farming, removal of hedgerows, poisoning with insecticides....
ReplyDeleteSome farmers do care, eg Lord Peter Melchett at Courtyard Farms, Ringstead, Chris Knights at Gooderstone Farms, but I get your point!!!
DeleteCats or dogs........which kill more wildlife???
ReplyDeletekilling? cats obviously, but this post is not about which kills more wildlife, it is about owners not being in control of their dogs and being allowed to attack and harrass wildlife. Unfortunately I do not have an answer for the cat solution, although I am sure many people do!!!
DeleteGovernment need to bring back dog licences, money could be used to clean up crap. Yorkshire Wildlife trust enforce NO DOGS ON RESERVE, why can't other trusts follow suit?
ReplyDeleteI agree, they could, but it is probably because a lot of members/visitors own dogs and this would affect their membership etc.
DeleteAbsolutely agree that dogs should be on leads in public places. Or perhaps we could phrase it differently and say OWNERS should be on leads as they are to blame. Have the same problem in New Forest and fed up with owners who think it is funny when their dog jumps up and covers me with mud ..or worse.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with everything in your rant Penny, well done. Too many dogs, too many people. Probably more dogs than people actually, has anyone done a survey? As you say, people don't have just one dog any more, they have a whole pack.And when they get into a pack they revert to wolfhood. All dogs (except sherpherd dogs) should be on leads in public, shouldn't be a problem, leads are long enough these days for them to run around at the same time. If people don't like it, then don't have a dog, simple.
ReplyDeleteThere are also too many cats in this country. The slaughter of wild birds is disgusting and the owners take no responsibility
ReplyDeleteAs I said in a previous reply, I don't have the answer to the cat solution, aside from them wearing a big bell or being kept indoors and obviously owners can't take responsibility for a roaming cat. I agree there are far too many and I speak as a cat lover. The only cat in the Clarke family is my mother's and very luckily, has never been seen to catch a bird at all, which is unusual for a cat!
DeleteIt's now far to easy to own dogs,I think there should be a substantial licence fee. I spoke to a warden here in Cornwall some time ago about dogs running loose in a reserve he said that they had given up, dog on leads signs ECT. were just ripped down. If they had someone in attendance to try to police the problem they would have to contend with constant abuse,and whos prepared to tolerate that.
ReplyDeleteThink of the revenue this would generate for the Exchequer. £500 initial payment and then £150 each year thereafter
DeleteSo sad, that people do not respect the 'rules' on nature reserves.
DeleteThe photo was shocking and avoidable, it's not asking too much for dog owners to display a measure of responsibility.Keep your dog under control - simple.
ReplyDeleteThe comparisons to driving are unhelpful and irrelevant, the problem highlighted here is an uncontrolled dog, nothing to do with automobiles. Lets tackle one problem at a time and not be knockoff track by the need to solve other problems. Getting to grips with one issue at a time is a sensible way forward and a positive result here will help with future battles. Much better I think to make some progress on one matter, rather than be compelled to solve all the worlds ills.
Agreed, thank you.
DeleteIt's a shame that you only post comments to support your biased views and fail to post those who disagree, apart from the odd token one. As a test I sent 5 posts yesterday and you did not publish any of them. Sad that you are so close minded and bigoted in your perceptions that you seek to have these validated rather than be challenged. Maybe you should change the blog title to Penny's biased view of the world and life
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous! Being as I have had alot of 'anonymous'posts with no name, I wouldn't know which five posts were yours. The reason I didn't post all, is because the only ones I didn't post were about cats, which is totally irrelevant to my post!!! The reason I have posts/comments arrive in my emails first before I publish them is because I have had in the past lots of very dodgy comments that have nothing to do with birding, nature or anthing, I will leave you to work out what I mean by that! Why would anyone disagree with keeping dogs in control and on a lead? If you would like me to post the others, I will now happily do so, but with my extremely busy life (I worked all day Sunday) I will not get the time to reply to 'cat' posts that are not relevant!
DeleteNow, wasting my valuable 'sleep time' looking for irrelevant posts - they will be published shortly.....
DeleteAll comments, posts have now been published.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this piece, which I would have written myself (but lack the courage, TBH). I was recently told to 'go back to my big city' by someone in the Cotswolds who took exception to my fairly mild comments about their rampaging dogs. I actually live in the country, and am dismayed daily by the lack of consideration shown to people and wildlife by dog owners with absolutely no control over their pets. As you say, it should be a requirement for all dogs to be on the lead, especially in Nature Reserves (from which they should probably be excluded at all times) but also in the countryside generally.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your comments and support, I believe the NWT will be doing a press release this week I have been informed, I will link to this when it is published. Also, because of certain comments made, I have published every single post that has been sent to my email, both in support (which was to be expected, lets be honest!) and some which created debate and some which were irrelevant – lets be blunt about it and one particular post which wasn't worded very nicely towards me at all, but I'll live with it! Life is far too short!
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to the EDP today: http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/environment/vicious-dog-attack-prompts-warning-by-norfolk-wildlife-trust-1-5423992
ReplyDelete