A frustrated farmer left a ‘heartfelt’ plea to dog walkers after he was forced to put down one of his pregnant sheep.
Attaching the note to a gate in Cheshire, the farmer warned local dog walkers that it is not always safe to unleash their dogs in the area.
The note was picked up by the Cheshire Police Rural Crime Team who posted it to Facebook on Friday (11 March).
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The farmer let locals know that although dogs may not attack, they can ‘scare and chase’ the ewes.
The note reads: "We have pregnant ewes in this field. We have just had the vet put down a pregnant ewe.
"Please keep your dog/s on a lead, they may not attack but can still chase and scare our ewes. Thank you."
Taking to Facebook, the Cheshire Police Rural Crime Team said they were seeing 'more and more' of these messages being put up.
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The post reads: "TRYING TO GET THAT MESSAGE ACROSS:
"No-one wants to oversign the countryside, but it's really sad that we not only have official signs reminding people of their responsibilities to effectively not commit a crime, but we are seeing more and more heartfelt messages being put up.
"Remember, YOUR DOG, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.
"Thanks all and please feel free to share far and wide."
One stray Labrador who was described as ‘unruly, untrainable, unsociable, rude and stubborn’ has turned his life around after starting his new life as a service dog.
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Prior to his career change, Bailey was living at the Dogs Trust in Loughborough, when staff sent out a desperate plea for someone to take him in, fearing he was a lost cause.
Nevertheless, Essex Fire Service dog handler Graham Currie came to Bailey’s rescue, and the pooch soon proved he had a natural talent for life as a service dog.
Currie told the BBC he had been looking for a new dog to train and while he knew Labradors had a reputation of being 'greedy', he soon discovered there was something Bailey loved more than food.
"After testing Bailey's drive for a tennis ball and checking he had no aggression towards other dogs or people, I offered to take him on a six-week trial," he said.
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"The biggest thing was getting him in the van because he associated it with being taken to a compound, but within 24 hours he was taught to associate it with fun."
Abbi Murray