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With many dog owners planning to visit the countryside at a time when sheep and lambs are at their most vulnerable, NFU Mutual is calling for them to:

• Keep dogs on a lead when walking in rural areas where livestock are kept but let go of the lead if chased by cattle
• Be aware that all dogs, regardless of size, breed, and temperament, can cause the distress, injury and death of farm animals
• Report attacks by dogs to the police or local farmers
• Never let dogs loose unsupervised in gardens near livestock fields - many attacks are caused by dogs which escape and attack sheep grazing nearby

READ NOW: Livestock worrying costs farmers £2.4 million a year

Free signs warning dog owners to keep their dogs on a lead near livestock are available through ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Guardian's Take the Lead campaign, in association with the National Sheep Association.

To request yours, send a stamped self-addressed A4 envelope to: FG Take the Lead, ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Guardian, Unit 4, Fulwood Business Park, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 9NZ.

We will be able to send up to 25 signs.