We’re joining police forces up and down the country for a week of action. Running from the 27th March to 3rd April and we’d love you to get stuck in and promote responsible dog ownership. More about that below!
If you’ve been following us over the recent months, you may have seen that we have been working on OPERATION RECALL, a partnership project that aims to reduce the number of farm animals attacked by dogs across the UK.
With police forces and other animal welfare charities firmly on board, we’d like YOU to get involved.
Credit for all photos goes to Jim Clark from Cheshire police.
But, if you’re new here, or if you’re a supporter that is not familiar with this piece of work, here’s a quick breakdown of what OPERATION RECALL is all about:
WHAT? OPERATION RECALL is a project that aims to reduce the number of livestock attacks by dogs. There are two parts to the project – the first is to provide the police with the resources to educate offenders and prevent reoffending and the second is to increase public awareness.
WHY? Hundreds of farm animals are attacked by dogs every year in the UK, which can lead to the animals suffering from stress and injury, or sometimes even being killed. Sadly, these attacks also put the dog at risk of being shot. These attacks happen easily, but can also be easily prevented and, like you, we want to keep animals safe.
WHO? OPERATION RECALL was founded by Naturewatch Foundation, Cheshire Police and the RSPCA and is now a nationwide project across police forces.
WHEN? The project is live, after launching in October 2023, with our proactive week of action from 27th March to 3rd April 2024.
During the week of action, we are asking all of our supporters with connections to dogs, (whether you have your own, walk other people’s dogs or even if you just have friends and family that have a dog) to spread the word and take preventative measures to stop farm animals from being harmed. Did you know that there’s a chance a dog involved in livestock attacks could be shot, destroyed or subject to intrusive legal measures?
Credit for all photos goes to Jim Clark from Cheshire police.
Protect your dog. Protect livestock.
No one ever thinks that their dog might become involved in a livestock worrying incident, but the truth is, it can happen to anyone. Sadly, there have already been numerous attacks this year, and in February, 40 sheep were killed in one dog attack in Devon.
We all want to enjoy the warmer Spring weather, so here’s what you can do:
- Secure your garden! Make sure that there are no open gates, gaps in the fence, or tunnels under it that could mean your dog could escape.
- Check your dog’s lead and harness to ensure that they’re not thinning, they fit well and offer your dog comfort and control for you! Encourage your friends to do the same.
- Keep your dog on a lead where there may be livestock. Even if you can’t see an animal, your dog might be able to sense one, and it can take mere seconds for your dog to get away from you and for a chase or attack to happen.
- Share our social media posts throughout the week to increase awareness within your dog-loving communities. We’d like as many people as possible to learn about responsible dog ownership through OPERATION RECALL, so if you can follow us on Instagram: @naturewatchfoundation and Facebook: @Naturewatch.org and share some of our posts during the week of action! #OPRECALL
- Pass on or distribute some of our OPERATION RECALL leaflets! You can make a request for the number of leaflets you would like by contacting our office team via info@naturewatch.org or on 01242 252 871.
- Sign our pledge, or encourage others to do so. Pledge to be the person your dog needs you to be!
To end dog attacks on farm animals, we need every single person with access to a dog to know the importance of responsible dog ownership and, with millions of dogs in the UK, that is a tremendous feat.
Help us, help them. Spread the word and keep dogs and farm animals safe.
