News from our Valley
We use this page to keep you up to date with all the news from our valley. Anything new will be here so you find it first. If you feel we have missed something then get in touch and let us know.
Stanley Police
***Request for assistance - Dipton***
On Friday evening, a female was out running through DIPTON Woods down into the valley, when she has been circled by what she describes to be three red-gold coloured ‘hunting dogs’. She stopped instantly when she saw them but they migrated away from the male owner (who did not call them back or stop them) and they circled the female, barking and being aggressive. Two of the dogs stood as tall as her waist. When she tried to walk past them, one of them bit her left thigh without being provoked in any way, and left two puncture wounds in her leg, leaving her requiring hospital treatment.
The male owner is described as white, around 5’10” in height, proportionate build in his late 40s with grey hair and wearing green-brown coloured clothing.
Can you identify the owner of the dogs? Please contact PC 651 Bates at Stanley Police or call 101 quoting reference DHM-19062015-0187
Hi everyone.
After the unfortunate incident with the dog in the woods, for those who are not sure what they would do, I have found some pretty handy advice on what to do if you are approached by a dog...ok so most of us won't be carrying water but hopefully the other suggestions may help.
As fond as we are of our furry pals, there's one thing we don't appreciate: being chased by them while we're running. What can you do to protect yourself from canines on the run? For answers, we went to dog training expert, Karen Peak, owner of West Wind Dog Training in Prince William County, and JT Clough, a professional dog trainer. Below are their tips:
If you are chased...
Slow down. Slow your run to a walk. "The prey instinct dogs have is triggered by fast movement," says Peak. "Slowing down to a walk makes you seem less interesting."
Turn and walk in the opposite direction of the dog, but keep watching the dog out of the corner of your eye.
Don't stare. "Staring a dog in the eyes can be interpreted as a threat by some dogs," warns Peak. "Keep the dog in sight, but avert direct eye contact."
Be boring. If the dog approaches you, stop and stand very still. The more boring you are, the less you'll interest the dog.
Don't cower, as this may activate a prey response. Don't adopt a combative position either, this may instigate a fight. Instead, stay relaxed and use an upright posture to give a sense of authority.
Use a deep, firm voice to convey a sense of calm, not a high-pitched, shrieking voice. The latter broadcasts fear and may activate the dog's fight instinct.
If a scary dog really comes at you, spray it with water if you have a bottle. Clough suggests carrying water , just in case. "It sounds terrible, but it doesn't hurt the dog, and you're teaching it not to be so aggressive."
Report it. If an aggressive dog continually threatens you on a run, choose a different route and file a report with animal control.
If you are attacked...
Hit the ground. If the dog attacks, cover your head and curl into a ball. "Your best bet in an attack is to minimize access to the soft tissue areas such as your throat, face, and belly," says Peak.
Start yelling. But scream something that you know will get people's attention, such as "Fire!" "Help" may not do it.
Compiled from articles written by Christie Aschwanden and Beth Moxey Eck that appeared in our September 2010 and September 2003 issues.
Dawn Metcalf
After the unfortunate incident with the dog in the woods, for those who are not sure what they would do, I have found some pretty handy advice on what to do if you are approached by a dog...ok so most of us won't be carrying water but hopefully the other suggestions may help.
As fond as we are of our furry pals, there's one thing we don't appreciate: being chased by them while we're running. What can you do to protect yourself from canines on the run? For answers, we went to dog training expert, Karen Peak, owner of West Wind Dog Training in Prince William County, and JT Clough, a professional dog trainer. Below are their tips:
If you are chased...
Slow down. Slow your run to a walk. "The prey instinct dogs have is triggered by fast movement," says Peak. "Slowing down to a walk makes you seem less interesting."
Turn and walk in the opposite direction of the dog, but keep watching the dog out of the corner of your eye.
Don't stare. "Staring a dog in the eyes can be interpreted as a threat by some dogs," warns Peak. "Keep the dog in sight, but avert direct eye contact."
Be boring. If the dog approaches you, stop and stand very still. The more boring you are, the less you'll interest the dog.
Don't cower, as this may activate a prey response. Don't adopt a combative position either, this may instigate a fight. Instead, stay relaxed and use an upright posture to give a sense of authority.
Use a deep, firm voice to convey a sense of calm, not a high-pitched, shrieking voice. The latter broadcasts fear and may activate the dog's fight instinct.
If a scary dog really comes at you, spray it with water if you have a bottle. Clough suggests carrying water , just in case. "It sounds terrible, but it doesn't hurt the dog, and you're teaching it not to be so aggressive."
Report it. If an aggressive dog continually threatens you on a run, choose a different route and file a report with animal control.
If you are attacked...
Hit the ground. If the dog attacks, cover your head and curl into a ball. "Your best bet in an attack is to minimize access to the soft tissue areas such as your throat, face, and belly," says Peak.
Start yelling. But scream something that you know will get people's attention, such as "Fire!" "Help" may not do it.
Compiled from articles written by Christie Aschwanden and Beth Moxey Eck that appeared in our September 2010 and September 2003 issues.
Dawn Metcalf
News updates for opencast plans
This is our final flyer if you are local you will be receiving a copy through your door over the next few weeks, come to our meetings and support your local countryside.
We also have pens and t-shirts and aprons being printed for our members to wear so you will recognise us at all our events, We are looking at caps, badges and other personalised clothing to help promote our group events if you would be interested in any of these items please let us know and we can forward prices to you. We will soon have pictures uploaded to advertise these.
Our flier is on its way to the printers.... we hope to update everybody in the local communities about the fight against the opencast site at Bradley over the coming months. We have lots of walks and activities in the planning stages for the coming months and invite everybody to come along and experience the beauty of our valley for themselves. Have a look at our events page to keep updated as the plans are confirmed.
The NOTT Campaign is moving forward nicely and we have been told Natural England will be working very closely to the site as we have a rare form of TUFA on site. If anybody would like to find out about their work and activities in respect of the valley or let natural England know hopw much you love your valley and would like to keep the mining away PLEASE CONTACT THEM AND SHOW THEM YOUR SUPPORT.
phone 0845 600 3078
email [email protected]
website http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/
If you have any ideas or events you would like to help organise and take part in then please come along to our next meeting with your ideas.
The NOTT Campaign is moving forward nicely and we have been told Natural England will be working very closely to the site as we have a rare form of TUFA on site. If anybody would like to find out about their work and activities in respect of the valley or let natural England know hopw much you love your valley and would like to keep the mining away PLEASE CONTACT THEM AND SHOW THEM YOUR SUPPORT.
phone 0845 600 3078
email [email protected]
website http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/
If you have any ideas or events you would like to help organise and take part in then please come along to our next meeting with your ideas.
PVN & NATO working together to bring us orienteering in the valley
Due to the speed our orienteering project has progressed please have a look at our dedicated page, posters, flyers and maps will be with us very soon. There are going to be events over the summer to publicise the courses and our local schools have been invited to come and test them out. Do you think you could complete the course too? Watch out for event dates to find out.
David Marrs has been working closely with N.A.T.O orienteering group and with additional funding we have nearly completed the 3 varying orienteering courses in the valley. These range from 3-11 miles and varying difficulty levels. More information will be coming as we close the work stages and finalise all maps and information. David has produced all the markers himself from a beautiful length of Elm and they have been securely positioned by other members of our group. Do you think you could find them as you walk the valley following our maps?