STIFFER laws to stop irresponsible dog owners from allowing their dogs to run amok among livestock in the Dales are being looked at by a parish council.

Chairman of Kirkby Malham Parish Council Chris Wildman said there had been a number of instances around the dale in the past few months concerning dogs chasing sheep which had caused the parish council and landowners a lot of concern.

“We want to nip this in the bud and are looking at a number of ways including seeing if a by-law can be brought in to keep dogs on leads,” said Mr Wildman. We are not sure if this possible but it is one of the things we have discussed as a parish council.

“It seems that there are a lot of people who think the countryside is for bringing their dogs into and letting them run around at will,” he said:

“If they want their dogs to run around like that they should do it in local parks near their own homes.

Cllr Wildman said there had been a number of instances of sheep worrying in Malham, near Gordale, including two sheep which had to be put to sleep because of their injuries a few weeks ago.

“There was also an instance of a dog attack, which wasn’t on a lead, against another dog, which was on a lead, resulting in injuries to the owner.

“A further instance happened recently when a local person was abused for suggesting to a dog owner that they should put their dog on a lead. The dog was seen ‘herding’ the sheep.

“We have approached the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority about how we can nip this in the bud.

“The Dales is a dog-friendly area with hotels and cafes catering for people with dogs, but we feel more and more as if people are coming into the countryside just to let their pets off the lead even when there is livestock about.

“A lot of the ewes in the fields around Christmas and the New Year when these instances were occurring were pregnant and chasing them can abort the lambs.

“Just because they couldn’t see any lambs with them doesn’t mean they were not at risk,” he said.

Cllr Wildman, who runs Town End Farm Shop, in Airton, said the national park asked people to keep their dogs on leads near livestock and ‘under control’.

Our parish council is suggesting that all dogs must be kept on leads around livestock and the footpaths as just ‘under control’ is not working.

He said the parish council had been liaising with the national park to come up with a solution. What needs to be done is to educate people who come to visit.

“They have to realise that while we want visitors into the area, the area is mostly farmland which is the livelihood of a lot of people around here,” Cllr Wildman added.

The national park’s website highlights its countryside code involving dogs. Among its suggestions are:

* Not everyone likes dogs. Please be considerate and keep your dog on a lead when passing others.

*Dogs must be kept under control at heel or better still on a lead around livestock – your dog could be shot for disturbing or chasing farm animals.