Walking with your dog
The countryside
is a great place to exercise dogs, but it’s every owner’s duty to
make sure their pet is not a danger or nuisance to farm animals,
wildlife, or other people.
The Countryside Code sets out some useful guidelines that can
help you and your four-legged friend stay safe and happy:
By law, you
must control your dog so that it does not disturb or scare farm
animals or wildlife. On most areas of open country and common land,
known as ‘access land’ you must keep your dog on a short lead
between 1 March and 31 July, and all year round near farm
animals.
You do not have to put your dog on a lead on
public paths, as long as it is under close control. But as a
general rule, keep your dog on a lead if you cannot rely on its
obedience.
By law, farmers are entitled to destroy a dog
that injures or worries their animals.
If a farm animal chases you and your dog, it
is safer to let your dog off the lead don’t risk getting hurt by
trying to protect it.
Take particular care that your dog does not
scare sheep and lambs, or wander where it might disturb birds that
nest on the ground and other wildlife.
Everyone knows how unpleasant dog mess is and
it can cause infections – so always clean up after your dog and get
rid of the mess responsibly. Also make sure your dog is wormed
regularly to protect it, other animals and people.
At certain times, dogs may not be allowed on
some areas of access land or may need to be kept on a lead. Please
follow any signs.
You can find out more by phoning the Open
Access contact centre on 0845 100 3298.
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