Getting to know ‘The Countryside Code’ will help keep you and your dog safe when your out walking in the country side.
Check out our introduction to ‘The Countryside Code’ on our website for more information.
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The ponds is looking more like a muddy puddle.
Even after all the recent rainfall the pond at Cobb Tree Park in Aylesford is still looking a bit sorry for itself. Hopefully it will start filling up now that summer has passsed and the dogs can start having a swim again.
A woman is calling for people to stay alert with their dogs and young children after her pet was bitten on the face by an adder. Kellie Lewton was walking in Riverside Country Park, Gillingham, with her black labrador Alfie when they came across what is Britain’s only venomous snake, sunning itself on the path in front of them. Mrs Lewton, 43, was behind 14-year-old Alfie, but did not notice the reptile blocking their path until Alfie went out to give it a sniff and the adder bit into the side of Alfie’s face. Adders can be found in various parts of the county. Stock picture The dog groomer said: “I tried to pull Alfie back when I realised it was a snake but I was too late. “I used to work in a vets so I knew to keep calm. I put Alfie on the lead, took him to the car and left.” “If Alfie had been a smaller dog that bite could have killed him, and it would be unthinkable if a child got badly bitten” – Kellie Lewton She went straight to Vetsnow on Gillingham Business Park, as it was open on bank holiday Monday. “His whole face swelled to twice the size, he was panting, salivating and clearly in a lot of pain. It was awful. He had to have 18 hours of fluids, morphine and anti-venom.” Mrs Lewton drove to Canterbury to get her hands on anti-venom. “One of the staff would have gone when they realised theirs was out of date, but I wanted to get it quickly and not take them out of surgery,” she said. “Few vets have it because it is hard to store and doesn’t last long, so that’s something for people to be aware of too.” Anti-venom is not always necessary but is does relieve the pain quicker and speeds up the healing process. Mrs Lewton, from Rainham, is now calling on people to take care, especially as the weather improves and adders bask in the sun. “If you suspect your dog has been bitten then take it straight to the vet for emergency treatment,” she said. “I’m sure people know they are there, but it’s easy to forget. If Alfie had been a smaller dog that bite could have killed him, and it would be unthinkable if a child got badly bitten.” A spokesman from Medway Council’s Greenspaces team said: “We haven’t seen an increase in the number of adders in the park, however they do tend to bask in the sun to raise their body temperature to survive. “We advise people to take due care and if a person or a pet were to get bitten, they should seek medical advice.” The treatment set Kellie and husband Roy back £1,050. “It was more expensive because of the bank holiday and I chose to have the anti-venom which was £500 on its own. “I actually didn’t renew our pet insurance on Alfie just this year because he’s getting so old, which is typical really.”
Source: Labrador Alfie bitten on face by adder during walk at Riverside Country Park, Gillingham
Another sunny day for exploring a bit more of Queensdown Warren. With camera in hand and dog on lead we set off to see what we could find, click here if you want to help your dog being less anxious when going for the daily walks.
We parked once again in the small carpark at the far end of Queens down Warren and headed left in the first field and down the hill. Along the bottom we discovered a couple of very old trees one of which has had a tree swing put up by someone which we will try and remember for when the kids come next time so we can try it out. Back up to the top and through the stile we crossed the lane and we were off lead again for a good run around. We took the path that led us down to the bottom of the valley and followed the path all the way along until we reached another stile at the far end. Across another lane and into the next field where we decided to do a circular walk and took the path that lead us up the valley. Not a particularly steep climb but the path leading back down could be tricky in the wet as it is fairly steep.
Taking some photos and throwing the ball as we went we made our way back to where we entered. Back into the next field we took a different path which took us up to the top of the valley and past a water trough for a quick splash and cool down. By the time we made it back to the car I had one tired dog.
The start of this walk is ideally located very close to the 3 Tuns pub in Lower Halstow near Rainham in Kent. With easy parking and a sunny day we were looking forward to exploring some new trails. The walk starts next to the local church and takes you along a coastal path with some lovely views across the estuary looking out towards sheerness. The first part of this walk is in my opinion very dog friendly and we were off lead for a run around. However further along the trail it would be very easy for a water loving dog to jump down into the marshy grounds and quite easily get covered from head to paw in smelly boggy mud. There are also horses in their paddocks which although they are fenced off some adventurous dogs may want to go and play which may not be ideal so we went back on the lead. Although the walk is not a circular walk it is an enjoyable walk with some great views and some fresh sea air. It covers around 1.75 miles each way but if you dont fancy going that far then just stop and head back at any point.
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Queensdown warren is springing into life! Lovely walk round this reserve surrounded by wildlife.
Another great walk today around the Hucking Estate near Hollingbourne and a large muddy puddle for a splash!
First Bluebell siting of the year! Lovley sunny day for a Sunday morning walk at Bredhurst woods.
I’ve driven past the car park for Ranscombe Farm on numerous occasions and have never thought twice about stopping. It is located just off the M2 junction 2 on the A228 heading towards Cuxton. Well today we fancied a change so we decided to investigate. We parked up in the small car park at the entrance next to the busy A228 and was a bit apprehensive as to what to expect. The notice board showed a map of the reserve which looked like it covered a rather large area of fields and woodland. We started our walk by making our way along the road, through the entrance and up the hill. At the top we were pleasantly surprised at how quiet it was with only the rumble of trains to be heard in the distance. Following the well marked footpaths and using the map produced by Plantlife (download a copy by clicking here) we walked across fields, through woods and up and down hills. Our walk lasted about 2.5 hours and with the sun shining we had a very enjoyable walk. We will definitely be going back to explore some of the other paths in the coming weeks.
An irresisable puddle for someone. Great video.