Pirri pirri bur and dogs

I’ve been a dog owner since I’ve had my own home, and as most dog owners know there can be ups and downs with owning a dog – doggy disagreements, ticks, selective hearing, tummy upsets, eating disgusting things and rolling in disgusting things. I could continue. Coming to write this article I’m struggling to think if I’ve ever had or heard of doggy problems with plants, except one – pirri pirri burr.

Pirri pirri bur is an invasive species which has taken hold on many of our important dune grassland at the expense of some of our most beautiful dune wildflowers, and the huge array of native invertebrates that they host.

The Space for Shorebirds Wildlife Rangers have a special responsibility to tackle the threat of pirri-pirri on the Northumberland coast. This is a big challenge that needs a county-wide approach, as the plant is also present in a number of beauty spots away from the coast. I’ve seen the plant myself at Otterburn, Simonside and Longhoughton.

It originally came from New Zealand and Australia where it is native, and has been present in Northumberland for just over a century.

For dogs and dog owners it’s a serious problem in it’s own right. The spiny sticky burs are ripe from summer to early autumn and quickly become attached to a dog’s coat.

One or two can be tricky enough to remove, but hundreds can quickly become attached to a dog’s coat if they run through a patch of this plant. This can be painful, and another one of those difficult dog owning situations. Some dogs have got so covered in burs that they have had to be shaved!

The best thing you can do to avoid this prickly problem is when you cross the dunes, keep yourself and your pooch on the main paths.

If you visit Lindisfarne this is really important, as pirri-pirri bur has colonised large areas of sand dunes there, so please refer to on-site signage from the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve team when visiting.

Check your clothes and your dog after walking through the dunes for burrs. Take care to prise them from your clothing and your dog and put them into a rubbish bin.

This would not only help yourself avoid a potential doggy disaster but also you’re helping to preserve our wonderful wildflowers such as Bloody Cranesbill, which is the Northumbrian county flower.

It would be great if dog owners can help each other by passing on the news about pirri pirri at the coast to fellow dog owners.