Intelligence Report: The Livestock Worrying Act

Filed by: Agent Nine Lives, Deputy Director. Subject: The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 (as amended). Priority: Standing operational advisory. Applicable across the United Kingdom.

This is not a piece the Agency writes with a raised eyebrow. Handlers should read it plainly.

It is a criminal offence for a dog to attack or chase livestock — including sheep, cattle, horses, pigs, and poultry — on any agricultural land, or for a dog to be at large (not on a lead or otherwise under close control) in a field or enclosure in which there are sheep.

The offence is committed by the *owner* and by the *person in charge* of the dog at the time. A pet-care business walking a client's dog is squarely inside this definition.

Operational guidance for walkers, sitters, and daycare operators:

1. Assume every rural path passes through livestock land. In the UK, most footpaths do. 2. Keep dogs on a lead near livestock, on open access land during lambing season, and wherever a sign or gate indicates. 3. Recall is not enough. A dog on a reliable recall can still be prosecuted. Lead is the safe posture. 4. Report any incident immediately — to the landowner if identifiable, and to the police (101). Records matter. 5. Document every walk — route, dogs walked, any incidents. MyPetSitter's walk records collection stores this by default.

> "The law does not distinguish between the family Labrador and the professional pack. If the dog was in your charge, the charge is yours." > — Agent Nine Lives

The Agency does not consider this alarmist. It considers it standard operational hygiene.