A horse rider has demanded pet owners keep their animals under control, after being chased by a yapping dog on a beach for up to 10 minutes. The incident occurred on a beach in Wales when Adrian Geurtjens and his part-Shire horse, Max, went out for a walk.
They were chased for 10 minutes despite wading into the sea to escape the yapping dog on the beach in Anglesey. Mr Geurtjens later shared a video of the encounter and a photo showing an injury suffered by Max.
He also shared the footage with the police after making a note of the number plate of the dog owner. Calling for automatic fines in such cases, he said the “scary” incident had made him – and his horse – warier of dogs.
Mr Geurtjens, from Holyhead, said he and Max had just arrived on Porth Tywyn Mawr (Sandy Beach), near Llanfwrog, when he saw the dog’s owner. Although the walker secured one of his two dogs, a spaniel ran loose, NorthWalesLive reports.
When the barking dog began running alongside Max, Mr Geurtjens rode him into the sea in a forlorn hope the spaniel would not follow. Disconcerted by the dog’s yapping, Max then bolted up the beach, closely followed by the spaniel.
Mr Geurtjens, who shows horses, was able to pull Max up before he reached a concrete area at the far end of the beach. After he dismounted, the dog continued circling.
“The spaniel chased us all the way down the beach. It was trying to bite Max’s back legs.
“Its tail was wagging probably because it thought it was fun. It certainly wasn’t fun for my horse or myself. We have dogs on our yard, which my horse is perfectly fine with – probably the reason he didn’t stamp this dog to death! One well-aimed kick would have killed it!”
Subscribe here for the latest news where you live
Mr Geurtjens recorded the entire 10-minute encounter on his hat-cam. After making note of the owner’s car number plate, the footage was passed to North Wales Police.
Officers later gave the dog owner a warning. A police spokesperson said: “It was reported that earlier in the day a man was on the beach with his horse when they were approached by two dogs who then chased and scared the horse.
“On reviewing video footage of the encounter, the owner of the dog was given a LEAD first-warning letter. The owner was also given an information pack with advice to encourage responsible dog ownership.”
LEAD is a police-led initiative that has been adopted by several police forces and local authorities. As well as encouraging responsible ownership for all breeds of dog, it aims to improve the safety and welfare of dogs and the people and animals they encounter.
The number of dog attacks recorded by police in England and Wales has risen by more than a third in the past five years.
With Easter on the horizon, the police, farm unions and the Welsh Government have called on dog lovers to keep their dogs under “effective control” when out walking. Referring specifically to the threat posed by dogs to newborn lambs, rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths said: “We have seen the very sad and distressing images where dogs have attacked livestock.”
Dogs have been known to harass and even kill cattle but it is often sheep that are the most vulnerable. Latest figures from NFU Mutual suggest that, in Wales last year, farm animals worth £438,536 were severely injured or killed by dogs, up 15.5% from 2021.
Last month the rural insurer launched its annual dog worrying campaign with a survey of more than 1,100 dog owners. This found that despite 64% of owners admitting their dogs chase animals, almost half (46%) believe their dog was not capable of injuring or killing livestock.
Nearly two-thirds of owners (64%) said they let their dog roam off-lead in the countryside. However, almost four in 10 (39%) admitted their pets do not always come back when called.
Even small dogs can cause distress, injury and death to farm animals. A new law, prompted by the experiences of farmers in North Wales, is currently passing through Parliament which will give police powers to slap ownership bans on owners.
“This will provide police with better powers of investigation,” said Rob Taylor, Wales rural and wildlife police crime coordinator. “The results are barbaric, whether the attacked animal dies horrifically at the scene, later from stress or aborts its unborn lamb.”
Mr Geurtjens believes more must be done to prevent dogs from running amok off their leads. “I’m a dog lover myself but think people should be held more accountable for their off-lead dogs' actions. If they have no recall, they should not be let off and, if there are any incidents, they should get an automatic fine for a first offence.
“This could have been a lot worse. If it had been a busy day on the beach, I could easily have knocked someone over when my horse bolted. If I had fallen off, my horse would probably have headed home along the road where it could easily have caused an accident, or been injured.”
