Donal Hickey: Unleashing dogs a big problem for farmers

Situation has come to a head again during pandemic

Sheep and lamb kill by dogs is a huge worry at this time of year for farmers.

Going on reports, and from what I see regularly, it seems the ongoing problem of people letting their dogs loose in parks, on the hills, and in the open countryside has got worse since Covid-19 became part of life.

The dogs can cause havoc to sheep flocks, with accounts of some terrified sheep jumping off cliffs to make their escape, Dogs also worry deer. With the lambing season underway, the situation is even more serious. Farmers, in particular, are both angry and frustrated and some say they only get words of abuse when they confront the dog-owners.

In a survey of 13 dog-walking areas, four years ago, the South East Cork Area Development Group found almost two-thirds of dogs were off the leash. In Curraghbinny Woods, Crosshaven, 11 of the 14 dogs seen in the space of an hour were loose.

Vivienne Lynch, who compiled the survey report, said of 114 dogs observed, 62% were off the leash, 16% were out of control, and there was no owner in sight for 4%. Signage was lacking and, where present, was “extremely complex’’ in some cases.

Sometimes when they see us they put the dogs back on a leash, but let the dogs free again when we go away

The survey may well reflect the national situation. Land-owners along the western seaboard now say the problem has got much worse with the lockdown as more people take to the outdoors to exercise themselves and their dogs.

Columnist Dónal Hickey.

John Joe Fitzgerald, a sheep farmer at the foot of Mount Brandon, in the Dingle Peninsula, said the issue has come to a head this year, to the extent that farmers are thinking of putting locks on gates. He also called for proper signage warning people not to take dogs onto the hills.

One day when he was on the mountain commonage rounding up sheep he saw a man in the middle of the sheep letting a dog loose, but the man only gave him verbal abuse on being told to tie up the dog.

“Sometimes when they see us they put the dogs back on a leash, but let the dogs free again when we go away,’’ Mr Fitzgerald told Radio Kerry.

Over several decades visiting Killarney National Park I’ve never seen such large numbers of people, many with dogs, there in winter/early spring. The authorities are appealing to people to observe social distancing and to obey travel restrictions.

Car parks quickly fill up and people then park on public roads, according to a park spokesperson. People are asked to access the closest amenity to them and if they can avoid using cars to travel there.

If visitors are driving, the spokesperson urged them to park responsibly; even go there at quieter times, and not park on access roads, as that could block emergency vehicles likes fire tenders and ambulances.