IT'S been good to see letters advising dog owners to act responsibly - especially at present during lambing time. I say this as a dog walker on Roborough Down for 30 or more years who has too often been acutely embarrassed by the sound of the distant bellowing from an out of control dog owner to their equally out of control dog.

From another perspective I find it similarly difficult to find enjoyment, at present walking on the moor, when confronted by the spectacle of minute lambs huddled, back arched, in daunting rain as the ewe searches for non existent grass.

Regrettably this is becoming an increasingly common sight this 'spring', the turf having been bleached of any goodness by the hardness of this year's winter, which at the time of writing shows no sign of letting up. The only green on the Down, in fact, comes from the worthless underfelt of moss which is particularly rich after a succession of wet summers.

There have been lambs on the common for about a month now, and without any noticeable grass growth the only way the ewes can be giving them milk is from the flesh — for they are carrying no fat — off their own backs. For the ewes this is made harder for many by their age as they might otherwise have been 'retired' at market had they not found their way on to the common to provide one more lamb.

I appreciate the contentiousness of some of what I am saying but this is how it so often is on Roborough Down where animal husbandry is at the margin and certainly a million miles from Kate Humble's cosy lambing sheds that we recently saw on the Beeb.

Looking at the condition of sheep and ponies at the end of this winter reminds me of the 'bad old days' of the 70s and 80s when we were the subject of the national press. After such a hard winter the stock needs hard feed and hay in substantial quantity now.

It may be that the weather and keep will dramatically improve but if they don't and readers are concerned about any individual animal, please remember, each has an owner that can be contacted directly or by way of the commoners' reeve. Otherwise, organisations such as the Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society are at hand to provide a helpful and constructive hand.

Chris George

Dashel

Yelverton