ONE of the pleasures of dog ownership is being able to go on long walks in the countryside. There is no shortage of beautiful countryside to choose from, but in our part of North Yorkshire, livestock is never too far away. Whether sheep or cattle, it is difficult to walk for any distance without encountering livestock.

In the past few weeks, there have been numerous reports of sheep worrying and even of killings. Images of sheep and lambs mauled to death or fatally injured by loose dogs has become a common and distressing sight every spring.

Now, as we move into summer, young cattle are being let out into fields after a long winter kept indoors, which is bound to bring the usual crop of walkers being chased and possibly injured by cattle, whether young stock, or cows with young calves at foot. The advice here, if chased by a cow, is to let your dog off the lead, and get to safety.

However tempting it may be to let dogs run free, the rules of the countryside must be obeyed if we are all to get on and to avoid harsh words from a farmer, who may well not agree that your dog is as obedient as you think it is.

The Kennel Club urges dog owners to be responsible and to follow a few steps while out and about in the countryside. Dogs should be controlled, so that they don't scare or disturb farm animals and, if on open country or common land, where birds may be nesting, they must be on a short lead between March 1 and July 31.

There are places, where shooting takes place, such as the grouse moors on the Devonshire Estate, where dogs are not allowed at all, even on a lead. The KC says even though you do not have to keep your dog on a lead on public footpaths, if you can't rely on its obedience, stick it on a lead. And it points out farmers are allowed, by law, to destroy any dog that injures or worries their animals.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority offers advice to dog walkers, including asking them to pick up after their pets. In addition to keeping dogs on close control during nesting season, it warns of possible injuries to dogs unable to get over some stiles and suggests its Miles Without Stiles routes.

It asks people to be considerate to other walkers, and keep dogs on leads when passing others, and under control, at heel or 'better still' on a lead, when around livestock. If chased by livestock when with a dog, drop the lead and get out of the field, and also, watch out for potential hazards around limestone pavement and sink holes - better to stick to the paths and not let your dog go off and investigate.

On top of the farmer's tradition headache of out of control dogs, is the possibility of cows aborting, having picked up worm present in dog faeces.

Stephen Dew, Craven group secretary of the National Farmers Union (NFU), says Neosporosis is a parasitic disease that can have devastating consequences. The life cycle of the parasite requires both dog and cattle host, but only reaches full maturity in dogs.

Once transmitted to cattle it can result in abortion, or the birth of premature, impaired or infected calves. There is no vaccine and nor treatment, and the only way of eliminating Neosporosis from a herd is to cull infected animals.

"It has been estimated that 12.5 per cent of abortions in dairy cattle in England and Wales - about 6,000 per year - may be attributable to Neosporosis," he says.

"Although it is rare, it is not insignificant. We appreciate that generally people know very little about it and have little thought that their dog may carry the parasite, especially as there is no obvious impact on the dog itself. However, they can unwittingly spread it to cattle, where the results can be devastating, and that's why it is important for people to clean up after their pet, especially on pasture land."

He adds it's not just grazing animals that can pick up the parasite, but can potentially get into the grass silage made by farmers to feed his animals in the winter. "In that instance, the risk of spreading the disease to many more animals is significantly increased."

The Forestry Commission has a 'stick and flick' policy which invites dog walkers to 'flick' dog faeces off the path and into the woodland, where it can naturally break down, and is eminently better than leaving it on the path, or the rather useless habit some dog walkers have of carefully gathering it up in a bag, and leaving it at side of the path, presumably, for 'someone else' to take away.

But on farmland, either arable or grazing, the situation is different. In the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the responsibility of waste collection, including the emptying of dog poo bins, is down to Craven District Council. Now, although bins are provided to deposit dog waste, they are sited usually in car parks, where they can be assessed easily, so they can be emptied.

On top of the practicality of collecting, who really wants to see a bin in the open countryside? So, the advice from Craven District Council, is to pick up after your dog, and take it home - which means, in a rucksack, and not left at the side of the path.

Wayne Gray, the council’s cleaner neighbourhoods officer, says: “All dog owners have a responsibility to pick up after their dog whether that is on a high street or on farmland. There are a multitude of reasons why dog owners should pick up, on farmland especially parasites can cause abortions in livestock as well as transfer a parasite called Fluke which infects the liver and kidneys of livestock."

And, he says good as it is, the Forestry Commission's policy would not work on farmland.

"The Forestry Commission's ‘stick and flick’ policy works well as it removes the fouls from the paths but will not work on farmland as livestock can still eat it while grazing. Farmers can put up signs on their land but this only goes so far to preventing fouling. We would urge dog owners to be more responsible and pick up after their animals to avoid harming livestock," he says.

“Due to the nature of many walks it is impractical for waste bins to be placed in fields and along footpaths. A bin full of dog waste is very heavy so it they need to be located near to highways so they can be emptied. While walking on farmland, fouls should be picked up and carried until a suitable bin is found to place it in or taken home if a bin cannot be found. Craven District Council do provide good quality dog waste bags that are sold via one of our many partner organisations. Usually local vets and village shops sell them for a very reasonable price.”