contradictory information yet again about dog walking!

PapaverFollis said:
I think we could end up in full lock down, dogs out for pees and poops, with distance limits from home only if you don't have a garden to be honest. Which will be shite. But might be necessary.

The dogs will cope with this even if we think they won't.

Really don't think dog walkers should be working. Especially visiting multiple households.
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We will end up in full lock down as soon as the army has finished its work with stocking the NHS and building temporary hospitals they will be on the streets. A friends brother is in a unit currently a 4 hour standby to deploy to the streets.
 
I’m late to this thread, so apologies if this has been covered, but there was someone interviewed on the news the other day who was answering viewers questions. One was essentially am I allowed to drive to a quiet location to walk my dog, and his answer was yes. This was on the BBC news. This might be why some people have thought it was ok to do this.
Obviously it looks like the advice has changed now. I think it can be quite confusing when people get so much conflicting advice.

I am fortunate to have a footpath over the road from me that not many people actually seem to know about. I will occasionally pass one other dog walker, but we are able to stay a good distance from each other as we pass. It allows my dogs to have a run and is very close to home. The farmer allows us to walk the perimeter of the adjoining field if we wish, provided we stay off the middle.
 
We normally take the dogs out in the car loads. We are right by a big park but its full of idiots at the best of times. My partner is taking the dogs out between midnight and 3am when everyone else seems to be asleep.
 
Cant open that says site cant be reach ? Has someone decided that its the spokeswoman was wrong, nothing on Guardian website
 
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Smitty said:
So far I have followed the guidelines to the letter, and am just grateful that we still have a degree of liberty. I dread a complete lockdown which I fear may happen if the fairly lax restrictions in comparison to other countries are continuously flouted.
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We will be, don’t worry. Just look at Italy and Spain: we’re a couple of weeks behind them in everything.

Re driving to get somewhere, my yard is 3 miles. I can’t remember the last time I walked that far, I suppose I could give it a go, combine the exercise and the animal welfare thing, but next week, I’m rota’d to be in work Monday-Friday. It’s nearly 10 miles away then I have to do the horse en route home. My OH assures me that if I’m stopped, I just say ‘animal welfare’ and it’ll be fine-essential travel.

As an aside, a yard acquaintance claims she’ll give police ‘a mouthful’ if they stop her. She’s highly educated, well off and now seriously in my bad books. What an arse of a thing to say. She knows my OH is an officer. If someone like that has that attitude, we WILL be on proper lockdown and the Army will have to step in.
 
Ponies are in a field 10 miles from home so have to drive every day. I have to go once a day as the people who ride are doing the evening checks and feeds. OH usually drops me off and gets the shopping and feeds while I poo pick feed and give hay. they are out 24/7 but no grass left and the sandy soil is causing tummy troubles. It is like a desert
 
windand rain said:
Ponies are in a field 10 miles from home so have to drive every day. I have to go once a day as the people who ride are doing the evening checks and feeds. OH usually drops me off and gets the shopping and feeds while I poo pick feed and give hay. they are out 24/7 but no grass left and the sandy soil is causing tummy troubles. It is like a desert
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I also have to drive 10 miles each way to my horses, but as there's no one else there I have to go twice a day. I actually go and do the horses, go to the office, then return to the horses and then return home as it's less mileage. I take the dog with me and we stop somewhere for a walk, today we went up Chanctonbury Ring, it was glorious. I passed just 4 other people. If I'd walked in the local woods I'd have seen at least twice that many!
https://flic.kr/p/2iHVtcL
https://flic.kr/p/2iHRa95
 
I wouldn't necessarily disagree but I think you'll find that the official government line is not to do it. Mr Gove said otherwise but was not authorised to do so I believe.

Bear in mind that if people dot follow the rules we will all be in lockdown where dogs are only allowed out to wee etc.
 
Apparently a question and answer session on the BBC yesterday suggested that taking a drive somewhere away from others for exercise is a good thing as your daily outing. (According to a friend who’s a reliable commentator).
 
Parrotperson said:
I wouldn't necessarily disagree but I think you'll find that the official government line is not to do it. Mr Gove said otherwise but was not authorised to do so I believe.

Bear in mind that if people dot follow the rules we will all be in lockdown where dogs are only allowed out to wee etc.
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Is the Cabinet Office not the official government line then?
 
planete said:
I really wish they would make up their minds!

"Police said members of the public should not be driving anywhere to walk their dogs or exercise. However, the Guardian checked with the Cabinet Office, which is overseeing restrictions on movement, and a spokeswoman confirmed that the guidelines did not prohibit driving somewhere for exercise or dog walking".
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Frankly this has been a case of the police misinterpreting government guidelines. Commonsense would suggest that if you live surrounded by two trunk roads on either side and drive 3 minutes up the road to a safe quiet spot where you can exercise safely following distancing guidelines then that would be accepted whereas driving 30 minutes to your local beauty spot crowded with others is not acceptable.

Edited to add in case of confusion the Cabinet Office guidance is the official guidance, the police have then (mis?)interpreted it
 
BBC News just quoted a force saying driving your dog to walk your dog in the countryside, even if there's no one else around, is not essential. Think it might have been the peak district. Clear as mud!!
 
this posted on twitter from someone who lives and works in the countryside

Everytime you touch a gate on a footpath, someone else, possibly a covid-19 carrier, has also touched that gate 10 minutes earlier. 10 minutes after you, another person will. Going to the countryside is not essential for you but some of us have to work here. Please **** off home!

they've got a point.
 
vallin said:
Again that's very easy to say. The government is working off information from the scientific community. Originally it was thought that, given the relatively low transmission rate, herd immunity could be reached without overwhelming the NHS, assuming the public obeyed social distancing to reduce the rate further. People didn't so that option is no longer viable. Hence the change in government policy. Now we have to isolate for an infinite amount of time until either an effective vaccine is produce, an effective treatment is produced, or herd immunity is reached. I cannot stand BoJo but there's no point blaming him or the government, they can only with off the information available. (And you can say look to Italy but given the difference in social structure and demographic there is only so much that can be extrapolated)
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1243283899008106497
 
It's touching gates that farmers are potentially using that I think is a major problem. This is what the Lakeland farmers were very upset about. They are trying to get through lambing and don't want to get ill, plus many sheep farmers will be in the vulnerable age groups! As well as obviously other walkers touching the gates and picking up the virus and it moving around. If you walk along a road from your house... no gates except your own.

But difficult if it's crowded or traffic.
 
If I WERE to go to the woods to walk my dogs - which for Conniegirl’s benefit I will once again explain I am not doing ? - I wouldn’t touch anything except my own car and my own dogs....no gates, no livestock...

This argument simply goes round and round and there will never be a consensus of opinion. You don’t need to be a virology expert (or even think you are one now) to use some common sense about precautions to take not to spread the virus, but this is the consequence of having to adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach nationally. C’est la vie
 
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