Visiting Dog Policy
Generally
At all times from arrival to departure at Verity Farm, the person bringing the dog on site is responsible for the behaviour of that dog and should ensure it is controlled accordingly.
In particular, dogs should be kept on short leads on roads, in sensitive environmental areas, when near livestock, on narrow paths, in the farm yard or as otherwise required by local regulation.
The only exception to this rule is in emergency, e.g. overly interested cattle, when releasing the dog would be the safer option. Releasing a dog is never appropriate near sheep.
Please be advised that dogs exposed, over any duration, to bite work training in the UK are not accepted onto any DogTaggs course.
Dogs in vehicles
Responsibility for the wellbeing of dogs left in vehicles remains, at all times, with the person bringing the dog on site. Please check on your dog very regularly throughout your visit and ensure that no dog is at risk of overheating or dehydration.
Whilst we cannot guarantee to provide shaded parking at all times, we will wherever possible direct visitors to parking with that shade that is available. Please note; parking in the shade does not guarantee the dogs wellbeing, please bring effective, appropriate means for regulating the temperature in the interior of your vehicle.
Water for dog bowls is available at all times on site.
When you are walking around the parking area please try not to disturb other people’s dogs, please give other vehicles as wide a berth as possible.
Persons who it is felt have compromised their (or other) dogs’ welfare will be asked to leave the site immediately.
Non-PARTICIPANT Animals
Unavoidable attendance by non-participant dogs is possible, however please note that ATTENDANCE OF NON-PARTICIPANT DOGS IS A LAST RESORT AND MUST BE AGREED WITH DOGTAGGS IN ADVANCE. These dogs must ALSO be comfortable waiting quietly in a vehicle and must be exercised off the farm property.
Dogs and livestock
We love our sheep, our land and our trees (we hope you will too!). Like you and your dogs, they are all living creatures and we would like all of you to enjoy your visit to Verity Farm, please help us nurture them by following these simple rules.
Sheep are the intermediate host of some tapeworms whose adults live in dogs. These can cause cysts to form in the brains and muscle of sheep causing illness. Products used to kill the sheep tapeworm have no effect on the intermediate stages of the dog tapeworms and effective control can only be achieved by worming the dogs (Novartis animal health).
Please make sure your dog’s worming programme is up to date before coming to the farm.
There is growing evidence of the links between two specific diseases in livestock and the presence on grazing land of faeces from infected dogs. Unfortunately, this has led increasing numbers of farmers to ban raw fed dogs from their land, please take this very seriously. The two diseases are:
- Neosporosis – This can cause abortions in cattle
- Sarcocystosis – This can cause neurological disease and death in sheep
Transmission of the diseases by dogs involves two stages – dogs eating material which contains the parasites (raw meat), and subsequent ingestion of the dog’s faeces by livestock (when dog poo is not thoroughly removed). Please protect the health of our sheep. Please make sure that you pick up dog poo and pull up a good old handful of the affected grass too. We will provide a bin for your poo bags.
Did you know that if raw meat is your preferred choice for feeding your dogs, you can seek advice on how to kill parasites before meat is fed to your dog, for example freezing the meat for a period of days before feeding it should be effective?
Please keep your dog on a lead when in the same field as any of the sheep. We will do our best to advise you of any sheep-free fields for an off-lead run about.
