A woman who rescues hedgehogs says she gets calls “on a nightly basis” about the animals being attacked by dogs.
Lucy Felgate-Baumberg, owner of East Yorkshire-based Lucky Hedgehog Rescue, said she wanted owners to keep their dogs on leads between 18:00 and 08:00 BST – the period when hedgehogs are most active.
Five hedgehogs have already been euthanised this year due to the severity of their injuries, she said.
Felgate-Baumberg added: “Dog jaws are hedgehog destroyers. Hedgehogs are in serious decline and we need to do as much as we can to protect them.”
Felgate-Baumberg said the organisation, which fields calls from across the UK, had taken 30 calls from people whose dogs had attacked a hedgehog in the last month.
She added: “These dog attacks are getting more and more and more, and very few can be saved.
“People have got to start using their common sense and be more aware of what’s around them.”