Dogs of public footpaths

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Charlie007

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Has anyone heard of a new legislation for walking dogs on public footpaths?? I was speaking to someone today who had had a visit from the footpath inspector or whatever they are called!! He advised her that dogs will now have to be on a lead on a footpath. I know they have to be under close control but now a lead?? This footpath guy has left her with signs to go up on the footpaths that run over her land. There is no livestock on the fields. She said it's to do with the increased attacks on livestock and also this problem relating to livestock aborting due to something in the dog poo.

Can anyone enlighten me further please
 
prepares to be flamed...but it sounds like a good idea to me.

Some people are responsible when walking there dogs but IMO the vast majority are not. the amount of dog crap on any public walk I've been on is a disgrace.People seem to think if its on the grass is it fine.Its not.
Fields are the backbone of someones livelihood. Out of control dogs are rarely on leads :P
dogs mauling and chasing pregnant sheep can cause serious problems..abortions, dead lambs and some sheep can die from the stress of the chase.
Dog **** can carry neospora, a parasite which can cause abortion storms in cattle,this bug can decimate a dairy herd as the parasite can be passed down to the calves leading to generations of high abortion rates. Expecting all dogs to be on a lead on a path and having owners who pick up faeces minimises the chances of these issues arising.

Footpaths were originally there to facilitate movement of people from place to place.They are not recreational areas for people to enjoy the countryside though they now do furfill this purpose. At the end of the day they are usually part of someones livelihood. Limiting potential damage by keeping dogs on a lead on the path is sensible.
 
I don't have a problem with that. My dogs are always on lead on footpaths unless I know the land owner. There is a footpath running across the field our horses graze in and although it is luckily not used much I have seen people walking it with there dogs wandering all over the field.
 
Charlie007 said:
Has anyone heard of a new legislation for walking dogs on public footpaths?? I was speaking to someone today who had had a visit from the footpath inspector or whatever they are called!! He advised her that dogs will now have to be on a lead on a footpath. I know they have to be under close control but now a lead?? This footpath guy has left her with signs to go up on the footpaths that run over her land. There is no livestock on the fields. She said it's to do with the increased attacks on livestock and also this problem relating to livestock aborting due to something in the dog poo.

Can anyone enlighten me further please
Click to expand...

Fantastic news.
 
As a walker I will be happy if this reduces the number of times I am walking along minding my own business and am ambushed an out of control muddy dog leaping up me while some idiot shouts "he won't bite"
 
The drive to my house is a bridleway - I am the landowner. It is a fairly steep hill and of far more concern to me is the speed of cyclists coming down the hill.
 
Q&A Time:

How will keeping their dog on lead make owners who don't pick up start to pick up? (It won't, but we cba sending anyone to monitor this.)
Will it stop the bag and chucker types from bagging and chucking? (Nope, but hey, the little bags are pretty and surely cows won't eat plastic bags.)
Will there be bins? (Possibly, but only until they are set on fire by vandals.)
Will the bins be emptied? (Occasionally, when we cannot avoid doing so.)
Will the landowner be responsible for these bins? (Probably, as long as we can charge them a fee for this.)
Will the long distance runners at last have to pick up their mess*? (Stop asking awkward questions.)

*Guess what type of poo we have the most issue with around here? Hint: it isn't dog...bleurghh!
 
Arizahn said:
Q&A Time:

Will the long distance runners at last have to pick up their mess*? (Stop asking awkward questions.)

*Guess what type of poo we have the most issue with around here? Hint: it isn't dog...bleurghh!
Click to expand...

Never actually thought of this, allowing your dog to crap on a public path is bad enough, the dog doesn't know any better, but humans do know better. I appreciate that sometimes we can be unwell and not close to a toilet, we might not have a dog with us and have a poo bag handy if it does happen to us, but I hope that if it ever does happen to me I'll have the common sense to get well away from the path. I know that's the etiquette when climbing mountains to go minimum of 100m away from the track.
I'll stick to running 10mile loops that goes past the public toilets near the carpark in the forest!!!
 
*Guess what type of poo we have the most issue with around here? Hint: it isn't dog...bleurghh![/QUOTE said:
The first time someone told me they where having a issue with this I could not believe it
Click to expand...
 
I don't know about any new regulation, but the OP's friend is correct. The reason is cattle grazing where dog poo has been found, causes an infection that causes cattle to abort (there was a section on it a few weeks ago on country file). If all picked up, regardless of location, issues solved.
 
Fine by me, but I suppose it will limit many. Then again, I don't feel the same way as many do about dogs having to be off the lead to live a full life.

I didn't know about dog poo causing abortion storms! Thanks for that knowledge, learn something new every day. I do pick up, but then mine are on leads in public. To be honest, if dogs are off lead I don't see how people can always pick up; I know by the time I walk across my land toward where one of mine went, I couldn't find it easily....

I have however had one of mine roll in human poo once :0 vomit. I put her in a bin bag in the car- obviously tied up to her neck not over her head!! And put her under the hose in the garden ASAP with dettol bath after!
 
Aru said:
prepares to be flamed...but it sounds like a good idea to me.

Some people are responsible when walking there dogs but IMO the vast majority are not. the amount of dog crap on any public walk I've been on is a disgrace.People seem to think if its on the grass is it fine.Its not.
Fields are the backbone of someones livelihood. Out of control dogs are rarely on leads :P
dogs mauling and chasing pregnant sheep can cause serious problems..abortions, dead lambs and some sheep can die from the stress of the chase.
Dog **** can carry neospora, a parasite which can cause abortion storms in cattle,this bug can decimate a dairy herd as the parasite can be passed down to the calves leading to generations of high abortion rates. Expecting all dogs to be on a lead on a path and having owners who pick up faeces minimises the chances of these issues arising.

Footpaths were originally there to facilitate movement of people from place to place.They are not recreational areas for people to enjoy the countryside though they now do furfill this purpose. At the end of the day they are usually part of someones livelihood. Limiting potential damage by keeping dogs on a lead on the path is sensible.
Click to expand...


Totally agree!
 
The farmer who owns the field opposite has his collies running around his farm. They have footpaths running through them and someone did get bitten some years ago.
 
It may be that the council have applied dog control orders to the area which state dogs have to be on leads. I think anyone can apply for one if they have a footpath close to their land and have problems with dogs.
 
On the crufts programme on Sunday there was a short interview with Victoria Stilwell and she was asked about the difference in dog problems between UK and USA. She stated that lead aggression was much worse in US did yo the limited amount of off lead experiences in US.
Food for thought
 
"Anybody ever seen a farmer pick up his own dog's poo ? "
His dogs, his land, his choice. Most farm dogs mix very little with other dogs so there will be a lower risk of them contracting diseases. I think with the rise in neospora farmers will start to rethink about cleaning up after their dogs.
Animals being walked on public footpaths should be on a lead and their deposits picked up and taken away.
 
I think you'll find that the dogs as definitive host contract neospora through eating meat infected with neospora not from each other.
 
it was on countryfile last week on adams farm- he was on about it being the dogs and encouraging everyone to clean up after there dogs but nothing was said about new laws about on leads at all times.
It makes no difference to me if they do bring it in- ill just walk my lab at the yard more!
 
I never have my dogs on a lead, perhaps that's why they never cause a problem to other walkers, dogs or livestock. They also poo like clockwork in the first few yards, so it's easy to spot and bag up.
We must live in a dog friendly area as all local dogs are well socialised. Dogs who are always on a lead seem to be more anxious when meeting other dogs, as are their owners.
 
MerrySherryRider said:
Dogs who are always on a lead seem to be more anxious when meeting other dogs, as are their owners.
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I would agree with this - we have 3 dogs in our household, the two girls (border collie & lurcher) both come back when called so get walked off the lead and socalise well (we've had them from pups), my mom has a tibetian terrier who, depsite years of training (I come from a competitive obedience background) simply doesn't come back - he will in the house or garden, and occasionally in training class but out of the house environment the nose goes down and he pays no attention at all. Becuase of this he does not get of a lead at all unless in a very, very secure environment and he tends to get very over excitied at meeting new dogs but is also quite anxious and if he feels threatened he will snap (another reason he is not allowed off lead in public) He's the first tt we've had but have been told that it's a bit of a breed trait that they don't come back, we also got him as a rescue at 8/9 months old so don't know how much affect those had but he's now 8 years, still deosn't come back and despite being well socialised at classes etc remains a lot more anxious than the girls when he meets new dogs
 
MerrySherryRider said:
I never have my dogs on a lead, perhaps that's why they never cause a problem to other walkers, dogs or livestock. They also poo like clockwork in the first few yards, so it's easy to spot and bag up.
We must live in a dog friendly area as all local dogs are well socialised. Dogs who are always on a lead seem to be more anxious when meeting other dogs, as are their owners.
Click to expand...

I think there are two things there which contribute- firstly, I think it's difficult for dogs that are on leads when approached by dogs off leads, it's a personal space and not being able to flee if they wanted. Not suggesting yours go up to other dogs, but that's often why I think they can be anxious.

Also, many dogs are on leads because they are anxious, cannot be trusted To always come back, or are dog aggressive through fear etc. so it may be correlation not cause, or chicken/ egg if you see what I mean.
 
I have to say if I see a dog on a lead approaching I will call my dog back until it has passed as I assume either the other dog is aggressive or it is nervous, and mine can be very bouncy as she loves to play chase (as the chasee!). Its a "nah nah na nah nah I'm a lurcher you can't catch me" sort of thing.
 
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