Dog owners, used to letting their pets run free in Swiss forests, have been reminded that restrictions are in place in several cantons for the next few months to safeguard wild animals who could fall prey to dog attacks.
Statistics show that 570 wild animals – 88% of which are deer – have been killed by dogs in the last five years in the canton of Zurich, with young deer, who are unable to flee, being easy prey.
Dogs on leads became mandatory in the canton of Zurich at the weekend and will last until the end of July.
In Neuchâtel, keeping dogs on a lead will be compulsory from April 15 to June 30. In Fribourg, Geneva and Vaud, the ruling applies for a longer period; from April 1 to July 15.
In Geneva alone, more than 10,000 dogs are registered, leading to the city’s authorities creating and renovating several dog parks in the city last year. In total, there are 13 designated enclosed areas and 13 more open areas are now available for dogs to run off-leash.
And yet you run into people like I met over the weekend in the forest with an off-leash dog bouncing round my leashed dog. When I said, "Hey, you know you're supposed to be leashed in and around a forest, right?" the lady replied, "Oh, nobody will check, and even if the police catch you it's only CHF 60."
And so next year I'm fully expecting them to tighten the rules again just to take account of idiots like her.
Lots of species are about to give birth- ground nesting birds, like woodcock, lapwings and the most endangered of all Capercaillie. Any disruptions and the nest could be abandonned, and the eggs or chicks destroyed in seconds.
As well as deer and hares and more - the young are taught to stay put and not move if threatened, and can be killed in seconds. Which is why 10s of 1000s get mowed by early hay making. Around us, an association offers to survey any field/meadow with drone the day before- but many farmers are stubborn and won't let them do so.
Natural predation from Lynx and the odd wolf takes place, c'est la vie. But no need to add 1000s of dogs to the danger.
It's not always the "grab by the throat and savage it" kind of killing. Some dogs will chase sheep, deer, etc., ragged until they literally die of exhaustion and shock. Their lungs can foam up from the exertion and they die of heart failure.
14 is a daft number- perhaps 14 large animals reported. 1000s of smaller animals, young deer, hares, and ground nesting birds, including the rarest and on red danger list, die without being reported. Where on earth did you find this figure? Young of many species are taught by parents not to move, not to run- and stay put. Killing them is just a game for dogs, nature takes over. And I say this as a massive dog lover who has owned dogs for over 50years. As for gound nesting birds, many on red endangered list- they don't stand a chance. How can you not understand this???
Wildlife wardens will shoot, ans farmers too if they have lambs or calves out.
I always wondered how people with small dogs keep their dogs from being attacked by larger dogs, especially if dogs aren't on a leash. I do hear dogs fighting outside our garden sometimes, which I assume happens when people who are walking their dogs cross paths.
But with that said, it is rather remarkable how well-behaved most dogs here in Switzerland seem to be. But hey... they would be... they're Swiss.
It's an astounding statistic, isn' it? I'll have to do a deeper dive into the report to better understand.
(But I'm all for continued training courses - we and our dogs benefit greatly from lifelong education.)
The point about young animals and birds in their dens/nests being put at risk is important. An owner and dog - and all users of the space - only need to disturb the den or nest to have serious consequences for wildlife rearing young there.
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One thing to understand about dog law: Dogs are considered a trainable species, unlike wildlife (and cats). Because we can train dogs out of natural instinct such as prey drive, more is expected of us and our mutts. We bear a greater responsibility to protect wildlife.
Bottom line, something that needs repeating often:
No matter what the time of year or where you are, letting a dog run off lead is a question of both 'may I?" (Is it allowed here?) and 'should I?' (Is my dog sufficiently well trained and socialized?)
A dog should only be let off lead if he is trained to instant and reliable recall. If you are not there yet, keep leashed until you reach that goal.
Letting a dog run off lead still requires the owner to actively supervise at all times. A dog should never be out of the owner's sight, we have to be aware of what our dogs are doing at all times so we are able to recall the dog at any time.
Oh just for Zurich! And as said, only those reported- most of them are not. Eggs and chicks from ground nesting birds will not be counted and neither will leverets, etc. Useless statistics that are not representative of the reality at all.
For the destruction of birds and the small fluffies, it’s more likely to be the cat population behind that.
Round by us there are tons of cats straying with unfettered access from the housing estate into the fields and beyond into the woods and I’m sure they’re not popping in there to have a leisurely walk.