Dog Owner's Conduct (Split from Photographer's...)

[Piers]

Please do comment Felix. If i'm doing something wrong I need to know so that I can stop.

Ok, here we go... forgive the structure of this post, I have cobbled it together in a rush...

Nutrient enrichment caused my dog fouling is becoming a real problem in certain areas.

Britians doggy population deposits almost 50,000 tons of excrement per year and certain SSSI's are being significantly degraded by vegitative changes caused by nutrient enrichment.

One only has to look at the vegetation around the car parks and adjacent to the footpaths of some of Dorset's heathland sites to see this in action. Some declines of the grayling in habitats close to urban areas have been attributed, at least in part, to nutrient enrichment of the habitat caused by canine deposits, encouraging the growth of lush grasses and bracken.

There is a school of though that believes that nature reserves and SSSI's should be just that, and the 'nature' should come first and foremost, even if that means placing significant constraints on public access.

At the risk of incurring the wrath of responsible dog owners everywhere certain large conservation organisations/NGO's are considering banning dogs from certain (if not all) of their nature reserves/SSSI's.

Not only is nutrient enrichment through dog fouling a real problem in certain habitats (why do you think so many footpaths on heathland sites are flanked by lush green grass?) but for some ground nesting bird species the mere presence of dogs, on leads or otherwise, can be enough to deter them from the very habitat that is apparently being protected for their use. This latter issue has been backed up by large studies in recent years following the inexplicable loss of breeding (ground nesting) birds from large reserves popular with dog walkers.

We are all competing for the same limited resources in this country, but none more so than habitat-specialist wildlife. Is it time that organisations that allege to exist for the benefit of wildlife really began putting the wildlife first?

Felix.

[Michaeljf]

Felix,
that sounds fair to me, but then, I don't have a dog . But the science seems clear, so the rule seems to make sense, even though I'm sure there are dog owners that 'pick up the trash' after them.
Michael

[Paul Wetton]

I agree with the removal of dogs from nature reserves for the various reasons posted. The only problems are when a public footpath or bridleway crosses a nature reserve. I think a change in the law may be required to prevent owners taking their little poo ches for walkies in such areas.
I won't even get onto the subject of irresponsible dog owners. There are huge numbers of paths in the British countryside, so why not keep some dog free.
I'll stop now before I begin to rant.

[Susie]

My local reserve is dog free. Bliss. It is also picnic free (there is an area at the visitors centre which is outside of the reserve where you can eat if you wish) which means that I have never seen a single piece of litter in the reserve.

[NickB]

Well said Felix!
My son is Warden of a nature reserve which contains a SSSI, on the urban edge of London, so fouling and enrichment is always an issue with him. Sadly, pointing out the salient facts, as you have just done, often does nothing but cause the dog-owner to raise their hackles and become abusive. Not only that, the meadows he looks after have been traditionally grazed for hundreds of years and this is continued using English Long-horn cattle, a particularly docile breed and well-suited to the job in hand. Some dog owners do not understand that, to the cows, a dog is an instinctual threat - a predator - and causes them genuine stress, which stops them browsing, chewing the cud and all the normal things they would be doing.
So when a dog-owner says to my son, when he mentions to them that dogs should be kept under control where the cows are grazing, "Oh, don't worry! He won't hurt them", they are completely missing the point! When a dog has been chasing and barking at the cows for a while, and the cows finally turn on the beast, it is suddenly dangerous to have the cows in the nature reserve, "...because they could have really really hurt Rover", such is the mentality of some people that think nature reserves are simply large dog-walking areas and have no regard for anything, or anyone, else.
I'm afraid, dog-owners, you really need to get your kennel in order. As I said earlier - "The guilty know who they are"; responsible owners also need to be pro-active in challenging those who bring dog-ownership into disrepute, else forever be tarred with the same brush, I'm afraid. I can understand why some reserves are looking at banning dogs altogether, given my son's experiences with the dog-owning public! After all, as Felix said, the reserve is just that; for the wildlife....
N
All this is, of course, in my own humble opinion....
Maybe, Felix, you want to move these two posts to a separate thread - Such as "Dog-owner's Code of Practice........"
... if it does not sit well in the Photographer's code of practice.

[Butterfly Gardener]

Good points and I agree that certain areas should have a ban. I know for instance that many RSPB reserves do not allow dogs on site and I respect that.
As a responsible dog owner I clean up after my dog and never take her anywhere near cows or sheep. Again I can see your points and its the irresponsible owners who spoil it for the rest of us.
As for ground nesting birds perhaps I have been guilty of thinking that keeping her on the lead will avoid distressing them so in future I wont take her to sites where I know that ground nesting birds are present.

[Piers]

If only all dog owners were willing to demonstrate such levels of thoughtfulness, consideration, and responsibility as you B.G.

[Jack Harrison]

I'm sure there are dog owners that 'pick up the trash' after them.

And then swing it in transparent plastic bags for all and sundry to "admire". Or hang it on a fence.

Just imagine if someone were to carry human turds around in a transparent bag ***. I suspect that would be breaking the law, So why are we supposed to be happy to accept Fido's exhibit?

*** Might make a good publicity stunt though would certainly make the public sit up and take notice. Now who is going to start a thread under "Field Trips and Events"?

Jack

[A_T]

I'm sure there are dog owners that 'pick up the trash' after them.

And then swing it in transparent plastic bags for all and sundry to "admire". Or hang it on a fence.

Jack

Always find it staggering when I see that. Who do they think is going to deal with it?

[Piers]

Unless dogs have suddenly evolved to use lavatory paper Jack, a visit to the vicinity of Martin Down car park will reveal than humans are already adding their own contribution to nutrient enrichment...!

[Jack Harrison]

I have told this before but some may not remember.

I was at the Bison Hill car park where there was an elderly (75+) man leaning on his car. His equally elderly wife was inside. What he hadn't noticed that he was almost standing on a condom. I was tempted to suggest to him: "I think you might have dropped that" but managed to refrain.

He must have wondered why I suddenly burst into laughter for no apparent reason.

Jack

[Zonda]

I agree with all that Felix, Nick, and Jack have said on this subject, and i am not a dog owner, but i quite like them, despite a childhood terror of them, after a Black Labrador jumped onto my pram when i was in infancy. Why do i not own one???? I just can't stomach the act of picking up something elses fresh, smelly poop, and taking it home in a bag like a punnet of blackberries. As hinted at before, it's not the dogs, its the owners that need to get their act together.

[Jack Harrison]

Zonda:

after a Black Labrador jumped onto my pram when i was in infancy.

I conjure up the image of a bonny, bouncing baby

Not quite sure why my mind has gone in that direction

Jack

[Zonda]

Jack, if you want to imagine me in nappies, feel free. I doubt that a sheet or a spinnaker would suffice. As for the condom story,,,, if there were two, they would have made excellent overshoes for the old chap concerned.

[Willrow]

I once counted 9 (...yes nine!) identical green bags full of former doggy dinner hung in a neat row on a barbed wire fence at a local dog toilet...oopps sorry...local country park. Acute moronitis, no hope...no cure!!!

As regards conservation/wildlife organisations, alienate a dog/cat owning subscription paying member and they say goodbye, the RSPB for example has in excess of one million members, how many own dogs and/or cats? I leave it to your informed imaginations to work out the rest...

Have you by any chance as a photographer knelt down to get that special shot only to get that special s*** instead...

[Jack Harrison]

Jack, if you want to imagine me in nappies, feel free.

I have a gliding mate - actually his dad and I were the real mates - and I knew John (probably now in his late 30s) as a toddler. I have a photo somewhere of John sucking his thumb while we we at the dinner table. One wrong word from young John and I'll show the photo to HIS mates

Jack

[Zonda]

Yeh! I've been in popular places, where you have to watch your step.... Jack you wouldn't?

[Dave McCormick]

My nearest reserve, people do walk their dogs and you find more "little presents" on the side of the path that goes from car park up a hill, so you have to watch where your walking. The leavings are not in the vegetation mostly but the paths, ugh. That's not the real problem, although many complained, there is still bikers on dirt bikes up and down the paths. It used to be a dump 25+ years ago and before then, a mine but was returned to nature since. Still there is burned out cars (two that I know of) and trash in the pond there. I complained about the pond before, but nothing seems to be done to get rid of the trash, despite people fishing in it and I'd know they wouldn't want that still in there (yes there is fish somehow).

Another two of my haunts, one has an old woodland so dogs are banned due to wanting to keep natural regrowth of the woodland (which is mostly oak) and dogs would damage the young oaks and ground plants such as greater wood rush (a rare plant in NI). The last, I don't know if people walk dogs in it, but there are dog bins put up for leavings.

I have a dog and always clean up after it as I know what it can do, plus its not a good thing to see that laying about.

[Susie]

I had an incident yesterday when I was at denbies. I was just about to get a shot of a cracking butterfly when a black lab decided to pay me a visit. It was a beautiful animal and wasn't at all over enthusiastic, purely curious, but I was really miffed because it had caused my quarry to fly. I commanded the owner to call his dog off and to his credit he did and the dog responded. I told the owner the animal should be kept on a lead in future.

[Lee Hurrell]

I was at Abbots Wood on Sunday and plenty of dogs there. Plenty of s**t in a bag too.

Why clean up after your dog if you're going to leave it hanging from a tree???