College Lake: A dog free nature reserve

College Lake

A dog free nature reserve

Dogs at College Lake

The only dogs we allow on site are assistance dogs. We recognise that this can be disappointing for visitors who have been hoping to experience our reserve with their pets.

Well-behaved pet dogs are welcome at many of our nature reserves, but for the following reasons they are not permitted at College Lake:

The natural reaction of wildlife, and our grazing animals, is to respond to dogs as potential predators, even if they are on a lead and regardless of how friendly the dog actually is. Research(*) has shown that a predator response to the regular presence of dogs causes a marked decrease in the nesting success of birds, considerable energy costs of avoidance behaviour in all species, and changes to the territory boundaries of larger animals. As a nature reserve, we want to allow nature to thrive and for our visitors to be able to experience this, and we feel that the presence of dogs across the site would impact negatively on the wildlife present.
Ducks undergo an annual full moult, which renders them flightless for a few weeks every autumn. This is a vulnerable time, and poorly controlled dogs could be a serious problem. College Lake also has valuable wetland invertebrate communities that can be damaged by flea treatments washing off dogs, if they access the water.
The geography of the site means that popular routes would bring walked dogs into regular direct contact with our livestock, which are essential for our site management. The presence of dogs is likely to create a ‘fear effect’, deterring animals from grazing areas near the paths. Additionally, any unnoticed fouling poses a risk of disease to the stock, as well as causing localised nutrient enrichment which can damage sensitive habitats.
College Lake acts as a safe space for many local people who are afraid of or uneasy around dogs. We frequently get comments from people grateful that this is one of the few sites locally where they can be away from dogs, which we feel is valuable in a landscape with many other dog-friendly countryside walking spots.

The vast majority of dog owners are responsible and aware of the issues, but the evidence is clear that not everyone acts this way, and just one poorly behaved dog can mean serious short-term consequences for individual animals and also longer-term ones for populations.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

*In 2005 English Nature (now Natural England) commissioned a comprehensive review of the scientific evidence entitled “Dogs, Access and Nature Conservation”.

English Nature Research Report Number 649; https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/70026

Assistance Dogs

Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK) is the umbrella organisation for registered charities that train dogs for disabled people within the United Kingdom.

ADUK is affiliated to Assistance Dogs International (ADI), a worldwide coalition of not-for-profit organisations that train and place assistance dogs with disabled people.