From Ann the Dog Warden and doglost.co.uk we have some excellent behavioural tips on how to approach a feral dog. Apparently calling 'Sky', whistling or moving towards the dog is seen as very threatening and he will run away. It is much better to stand still, keep low and just watch what he is doing. If you have binoculars and can look for the scar on his back that would be excellent. If he is near enough to see putting your hand in your pocket and dropping a biscuit on the ground then backing away might entice him nearer. Don't move towards him.
We are not sure if he will still respond to Ffion or me. Apparently feral dogs often need to smell the owners before they respond to them, but will not let anyone get that close. All very frustrating. If you see a black lab please just watch him and call us.
The strategy at present is to find his regular haunts. We know about the Green Lane area, but where does he go when he is not there? We are trying to get him to come regularly back to the same place with the feeding stations, so that we can then set up a trap. The fact that a dog took the food on Thursday was exciting as this was the first time that food had gone (although of course it could have been a dog on a walk down Green Lane whose owner did not spot him guzzling).
If you are looking for a walk this weekend the Green Lane is pretty well patrolled, but it would be good to see if his other haunts can be spotted - so a walk would be good anywhere in the area bounded by Nailstone, Carlton, Congerstone, Twycross, Snarestone, Heather and Ibstock.
Thats all very interesting. I have just got back from Green Lane then the Leics Round path down to Nailstone Gorse. I scoured the wooded area, shich incidentally was not frosty like the surrounding areas and had lots of natural dens from fallen trees and the like, so quite an hospitable area for a feral animal! I then digressed from the proper footpaths and patrolled around the large ploughed fields but saw nothing. Both before and after our walk I drove round the area ( I think I passed you on the A447 around 10am) but again, unfortunately, saw nothing.
ReplyDeleteRachel
Yes. Nailstone Gorse seems like a great hiding place to us too. In the snow we followed the footprints of the Black Lab that Ian saw running across to the Green Lane and tracked them back into Nailstone Gorse - which was covered in the same tracks.
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