At the end of my tether? Can I do something legally?

[Cinnamontoast]

Notices can be bought from agriculteral merchants that state in big letters that any dog found amongst stock is liable to be legally shot.Most of the fields around here have them up,and you never see any trespassers.

Regardless of the law, you can put whatever notices you want on your land and having spoken to the OH (police officer) about this, he reiterates my earlier post: tell the cops you feel intimidated and fear for your safety. Try to get the car reg. I echo everything that has been said re keeping a log of every tiny incident.

 

[Honey08]

We used to have a man that trekked all over our land with his dog, and when I politely challenged him for being off the footpath he got all bolshy and started going on about "right to roam" etc and said he could walk anywhere. I asked him for his address so that I could go and roam in his garden, but he refused to tell me. I pointed out that he was in a hayfield, therefore damaging crops, and that in the other field the dog was running among my horses (frankly the dog was in more danger), but he was having none of it. Finally he tried to flounce off shouting his dog, which ignored him and I managed to grab it. I told him that I was confiscating his dog as he couldn't/wouldn't control it, and that I was locking it in a stable until the dog warden arrived. He followed me to the edge of the field looking worried. I then turned round and said that I would give him his dog back, and one more chance, but that the next time I would follow up on what I'd said. From then on he stuck to the paths.

 

[Dolcé]

Her dog is worrying your 'livestock', horses are covered as livestock under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) act, it is a police matter and don't be fobbed off if you want to go that route, ask to speak to someone higher! What I would do personally is find a friendly farmer with a shotgun license, have them waiting for her to pass and when the dog comes in the field march towards it with the gun raised as if aiming at the dog. Make sure she is in view of this and let her go through all the horror of thinking her beloved dog is about to be shot, when she starts screaming at him take you cue. Tell her that this is the final time you will let it go, her dog is worrying your animals and the next time it is seen in your field it WILL be shot! I suspect she will find a new route to walk from that point onwards. She will probably call the police, tell them you have asked this woman numerous times to stop her dog 'attacking' your ponies and you need to protect them. As the 'gunman' was on private land there are no laws broken anyway so that it what I would do.

 

[Dolcé]

Do you know anyone with any geese? They can be very good deterants to people and dogs!

Be careful with this one, I had a dog run through 2 10000v electric fences to tear one of mine apart, the dog became oblivious to everything but the kill. If this dog chases the ponies I would pretty much guarantee it would kill geese.

 

[EAST KENT]

Her dog is worrying your 'livestock', horses are covered as livestock under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) act, it is a police matter and don't be fobbed off if you want to go that route, ask to speak to someone higher! What I would do personally is find a friendly farmer with a shotgun license, have them waiting for her to pass and when the dog comes in the field march towards it with the gun raised as if aiming at the dog. Make sure she is in view of this and let her go through all the horror of thinking her beloved dog is about to be shot, when she starts screaming at him take you cue. Tell her that this is the final time you will let it go, her dog is worrying your animals and the next time it is seen in your field it WILL be shot! I suspect she will find a new route to walk from that point onwards. She will probably call the police, tell them you have asked this woman numerous times to stop her dog 'attacking' your ponies and you need to protect them. As the 'gunman' was on private land there are no laws broken anyway so that it what I would do.

God idea..`cept the firearm would be confiscated probably.The notices do their job `round here,and no one tests out the veracity of them.Farmers have a tough enough time of it anyway without mindless dog owners.

 

[ThePinkPony]

Got to be careful with firearm laws. I know that Oh is within his right IF the dog is doing damage to his birds but its a grey area.

I have heard of one of the old boys catching a repeat offenders dog and keeping in his barn until posters started going up. he returned the dog after a week and said he had found it in an earth. never been off the lead since apparently.

Its so sad, because its not the dogs fault. Ive always said to OH if he can aviod it then please do, try and catch it and give the owners some bull about being allowed to confiscate it or something to really scare them.