Dog lead rules are there for a reason

Imagine a warm blue spring day, with miles of upland grass and heather and not a sheep in sight. After such a hard winter, it would seem cruel not to let a dog off its leash and allow it some unfettered exercise.

Except that out in the open, dogs cease to be household pets. Instead, they rediscover their inbred desire to hunt. And as they go snuffling

off into the distance – bombarded by enticing smells from all around them – many dogs soon become oblivious to calls from their owners.

For generations, people took it as a customary right for their dogs to run free in upland areas like the Pennines, and the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks, so long as they did not chase sheep. This was especially so on common land close to towns or villages – places like Ilkley Moor, for example – where even humans were not restricted to footpaths.

But from Monday the now-annual rule that dogs must be kept on leads while on open access land in England comes into force and lasts until July 31.

"Five months of having to keep their dogs on leads doesn't go down too well with some people," said Richard Perham of Bradford Council's Countryside and Rights of Way Service, shaking his head.

Last week he put up signs, warning about the new restriction, around the large swathe of Rombalds Moor which divides Airedale from Wharfedale and includes Ilkley Moor, as well as on Bradford's other upland areas near Haworth and Oxenhope in the South Pennines.

"Unfortunately there is a huge problem with out-of-control dogs. A lot of people either don't realise the effect of letting their dogs run free, or they just don't care.

"Some dog walkers get abusive when we tell them to control their pets. They'll insist they can let their dog run wherever they please, and that it's not unreasonable given that they've always done so and their dog hasn't done any damage."

However, there is often serious damage, according to Natural England, the government's outdoors agency. But much of it is hidden by vegetation.

A dog running around off its lead disturbs a bird from its nest. It will often remain on the ground so as not to give away the nest's location. Sadly, either the eggs get cold or, if they are big enough to run, the chicks gets dispersed and eaten by predators like carrion crows. Whole broods can be lost simply because a dog frightened away a parent.

Where dogs run free, research has proved that birds will not nest within 250 metres of a path.

But they have been shown to nest within 25 metres of a path where dogs are kept firmly on leads.

Many of the dog-lead restrictions are applied on grass and moorland known as Special Protection Areas (SPAs), designated by European law because of their importance as sites for ground-nesting birds. In Yorkshire, two of the biggest SPAs are the South Pennines and North York Moors.

The roll call of ground-nesting birds in these areas is impressive, led by rare species like the short-eared owl, merlin and greenshank. There are also large numbers of redshank – the North York Moors in particular has become an internationally important breeding site – as well as thousands of golden plovers. More common species include lapwing, curlew, meadow pipits and skylarks.

The Friends of Ilkley Moor – formed to safeguard Yorkshire's most famous piece of common land – have issued their own set of guidelines to encourage dog walkers to use leads for the next five months, saying starkly that anyone who wishes to hear a skylark sing should keep their dog on a lead on the upper slopes of the moor during that period.

The dog-lead season is not enforced with threats of fines. Instead, if an offence is committed on open access land – shown on Ordnance Survey maps following the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 – a form of ASBO can be issued, banning errant dog-owners and their pets from using the land for several days.

However, if the dog disturbs the nest of a rare bird like the merlin, a hefty fine may be handed out to the owner.

A potentially more serious threat is that if a dog is seen by a farmer to chase his animals in open countryside he may legally shoot the dog under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953.

Natural England's Hillary Scott admitted the law regarding dogs off leads in some areas was complicated and was sometimes applied differently to adjacent areas of land. If in doubt, the safest thing to do was use leads.

Back on Rombalds Moor, Richard Perman said the law was difficult to enforce. "Our approach is to educate and ask people politely if they would mind keeping their dogs under close control. That's always better than waving a stick at them."

Last week, Katie Duke, a nurse at Airedale Hospital, was walking her labradors, Alfie and Poppy on Baildon Moor and kept them on leads even before the restriction comes into force.

"I'm always on the moors with them when I'm not on shift," she said.

"Of course they love a good run, but they still enjoy getting out because of all the different smells they pick up. In the spring I see people letting their dogs off leads and try and remind them about the restriction and reason for it.

"Unfortunately, some of them don't seem to appreciate it."

Remember the rules

Control your dog so that it does not disturb farm animals or wildlife. On most "access land", you must keep dogs on leads from March 1 to July 31, and all year round near farm animals.

Dogs do not require a lead on public paths if under control. Best keep it on a lead if you cannot rely on its obedience.

If a farm animal chases you and your dog, it is safer to let the dog off the lead – don't risk getting hurt by trying to protect it.

Always clean up after your dog and make sure your dog is wormed regularly to protect it, other animals and people.

Please obey dogs and access signs. The Open Access Contact Centre is

on 0845 100 3298.