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Motonrmativity vs Caninenormativity and the police

Professor Ian Walker coined the term Motonormativity to explain our tolerance of poor driving behaviour when compared to other activities.  See - ‘Motonormativity’: Britons more accepting of driving-related risk | Road safety | The Guardian

Our local Police Rural Crimes unit recently posted a brilliant article about dog control on their FB page. See or Google - https://www.facebook.com/CheshPolRural

I have reproduced the text below - just change the word / context from  Dog to Car. Clearly the police team are more  tolerant of car drivers than dog owners.

Cheshire Police Rural Crime Team
SKIPPERS UPDATE - DOGS!
People may question why I'm straying into an argument here, but we as the police have a duty to lead on topics which ultimately keep the King's peace and uphold the law.
Sadly I'm seeing a lot on social media whereby people are making uneducated comments on farming practices and the rules around livestock and dogs. This is unhelpful as the law is incredibly simple.
As when you're driving a car, you are expected to know the laws, the same applies when owning a dog. Please do have a look at the 'Dogs (Protection of livestock) Act 1953'
Maybe there should be a theory test before having a dog? - personal thought that, not reflective of Cheshire Constabulary's position on the topic - before the complaint comes in!
In #Cheshire we have sadly seen a number of dogs shot that were involved in 'worrying livestock' incidents and that responsibility is only on one person, the owner.
PC Clark on my team is the lead for the now national campaign to turn the tide on these incidents #OpRecall
He is doing a sterling job on trying to educate people, and there's engament events and more planned on the near future.
Please give it a Google and visit the Nature Watch Foundation Web page which tells you all about it and how they and the RSPCA are championing it with other agencies joining up too.
If you are out in the countryside with your dog, even if your dog is very well trained and will drop on command, the advice is to have it on a lead around livestock. I would suggest that a flexi lead is not suitable for some big breeds as dogs can build up momentum and pull the lead from your grasp. If you cannot see that the entire field is clear, still keep the lead on. Livestock can be good at hiding.
You and your dog only have the use of the right of way too, so keep on those paths and don't stray off, as quite simply you shouldn't be trespassing.
If you feel that the laws, rules and guidance are restrictive, then maybe consider them before getting a dog as a pet.
We all need farmers in our lives, no matter what your diet is. If you like to eat, drink and wear clothes, a farmer has been involved along the way. So I think it's high time that we remember that, and at the very least, three times a day we benefit from what can take a whole year if not longer of hard work to produce.
I am also frustrated when we are actively working to stop criminals coming into Cheshire from two out of force areas currently, to steal from your property that I am having to divert staff to investigate something that can be simply avoided by people taking more care,
I will leave you with this,
Your dog, your responsibility. The buck stops with you and you may end up answering questions in court and receiving a criminal record. You may end up losing your family pet, you may end up banned from having any more.
Take it seriously please, (I'm sure people will bring up other dogs involved in incidents, but this is specifically about household pets, not working dogs)
Thank you to all of the responsible dog owners out there and to our farming communities that keep the food (whatever our personal choices) coming for us all to enjoy,
Please feel free to share on your local FB groups, hopefully the same ones where unhelpful comments are being made that have been brought to our attention,
Sgt Simpson

 

 

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David9694 | 2 months ago
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From the National Trust website 

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