The dangers of walkers and dogs

When I was a child i was surrounded by herds a couple of times, and although they were just being curious, I felt really threatened and vulnerable. Consequently I've never happily entered a field with cattle in it of any sort and always stick to the edge.

I agree with the earlier poster who said they simply aren't pets, they are pretty dangerous, a farmer was killed by his herd recently. I think a public information campaign is long overdue, people need to know at the very least, if there are animals in the field, to stick to the boundaries.
 
IMHO the root of the problem with many is lack of contact with farm animals beyond a pretty kiddie picture book or tv screen, so their understanding of how to behave around animals & ability to read the animals body language is sadly lacking. I also think this is the problem with car drivers passing horses. Again their lack of understanding & predicting the animals response to their actions causes the dangerous situation.

There are educational videos shown to kids in schools (primary age would be most responsive), maybe one on walkingon PROW with dogs would be useful. Then when they are out as a family, or later when they have kids & go walking they may recall what was said. No easy answer, dreadful when people get hurt/killed, but the countryside is a dangerous working place not a playground.
 
pip6 said:
IMHO the root of the problem with many is lack of contact with farm animals beyond a pretty kiddie picture book or tv screen, so their understanding of how to behave around animals & ability to read the animals body language is sadly lacking. I also think this is the problem with car drivers passing horses. Again their lack of understanding & predicting the animals response to their actions causes the dangerous situation.

There are educational videos shown to kids in schools (primary age would be most responsive), maybe one on walkingon PROW with dogs would be useful. Then when they are out as a family, or later when they have kids & go walking they may recall what was said. No easy answer, dreadful when people get hurt/killed, but the countryside is a dangerous working place not a playground.
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You dont' think that sounds a bit patronising ? I don't think people are stupid and I also don't think the countryside is a dangerous working place....everybody surely is entitled to go for a walk ?
 
You've got a very restricted spectrum of people on this forum who do have an interest in the countryside. Most of the population live in surburban areas with no exposure to stock. If it was patronising, then there wouls be fewer incidents. I'm not being rude at all, just saying it wold be helpful for them to have more information before they went for their walk. Yes I do believe the countryside is dangerous. If you are aware & appreciative of potential problems they can be mitigated, if you aren't, you're in a dodgy situation. I'm not trying to restrict anyones access at all, just trying to suggest ways they can stay safe. I used to be on a farm that raised bullocks, with a PROW (footpath) through the fields. The number of times I had to 'rescue' trapped people in the fields was unreal. I fail to see how informing kids in a safety film in schools is more patronising than putting a sign stating the obvious on a fence/gate.
 
Signs would help. A massive field we always used to use suddenly had sheep put in it after being empty for years so we knew to leash the dogs. We didn't see the sheep til nearly the end of the field.

I've heard of quite a few cow herds killing people, particularly when they have calves at foot. I wouldn't dream of walking through them but I'm not sure how many people are aware of how protective cows can be and they probably wouldn't think twice about meandering through a field looking at the pretty calves. :(
 
Booboos said:
We passed the farmer going into her home as we were openning the gate to the field with the bullocks. To be polite we said good morning and asked if we were on the right track for the bridleway and she said yes. She said nothing about the bullocks. IMO had we been hurt she would have been morally responsible for putting the animals in a bridleway and for not warning us about it.

It is pointless to have a right of way that cannot be used (this particular field had three collapsed gates leading to it, one of which was so heavy I couldn't move it on my own on foot - I think this farmer knew exactly what she was doing with the gates and the bullocks in the bridleway).
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in the same way that having a field you cannot put stock in for the sporadic Walker wandering through stock with a dog.

My parents have a 350dairy herd, and 200youngs/drys, they have 900 acres and the nearest field without a PROW is over a mile away, the option would either be to keep inside or to trek them a mile away morning and night, all for the sake of walkers who haven't read their countryside code and are mostly ignorant to how dangerous herd animals are.

The only things you can't keep in fields with PROWs in are dairy bulls, farmers are not obliged to tell the general public exactly what is in each field because that yould be a legal minefield. Why should we be restricted to the use of our fields, which we legally own, because someone wants to walk their dog through it, is that fair in any way?

Its about time people took responsibility for their own actions instead of searching for who is liable.

And to the poster who suggested farms are not dangerous - what? They are the cause of most industrial deaths in this country, machinery, slurry pits, stock and chemicals make they incredibly dangerous, made more so by Joe public wandering through fields with several large bits of machinery moving about at harvest time. Madness, I've lived on farms my whole life and I would never be on my feet in a field with machinery in unless I had called everyone and they knew I were there.
 
So RTE-how does the family who decide to stop and walk along a designated footpath know that cows are dangerous so they should have read their countryside code before going? Or do they assume that since the cows are in the field with a footpath that they are safe? Or having seen farmers driving stock think it's just a case of waving your arms if they get too close?
The point is that while You know all these things having been brought up on the farm, some people don't know what slurry is so would have no idea that it was just stored in the ground. So a sign on a gate may be the least you can do to prevent a death.

Ignorance is an excuse because the footpath is a right of way and there is no education out there for people who are town reared (And who are not automatically a stupid breed of people despite what you may think just because they don't think like you). I don't see a countryside code advertised in the countryside so how do you know what it is if you spend your life in the town?

And again-plenty of farms have the odd 'screw loose' cow knocking about that the farmer is careful about, and they have a responsibility to be aware that there will be people along the footpath.
 
Im in the midlands a lot of fields round here do have signs up saying if cows come close then let go of dog. Signs like this may help everywhere at least to educate.
A farmer local to us lost his dog in the week after his highland cow stabbed it. These cows were used to it too but still attack.
I admit i walk through fields with cows and sometimes have dog with me i avoid if calves at foot, or go the opposite side of field. But it is the only stock i sometimes feel intimidated by when walking- especially young bullocks.
 
Dizzydancer said:
Im in the midlands a lot of fields round here do have signs up saying if cows come close then let go of dog. Signs like this may help everywhere at least to educate.
A farmer local to us lost his dog in the week after his highland cow stabbed it. These cows were used to it too but still attack.
I admit i walk through fields with cows and sometimes have dog with me i avoid if calves at foot, or go the opposite side of field. But it is the only stock i sometimes feel intimidated by when walking- especially young bullocks.
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The answer is simple; DO NOT ENTER FIELDS WHICH HAVE CATTLE IN, WHEN YOU HAVE A DOG WITH YOU. Ignore that, and you are a tragedy waiting to happen.

Alec.
 
We have cows in the field opposite - I will not go in there on my own let alone with a dog. However there are some fields around here that are shaped so it is impossible to see if there are any livestock in them until you are more or less in the middle and completely exposed. So a simple sign just saying 'Livestock in field' would be useful - as long as it was removed when they weren't.

And maybe if the farmer has enough land and didn't want people using that particular path they could have a 'permissive' route. I understand they wouldn't want to allow a right of way to be established but there must surely be a solution in a lot of cases.
 
Yes its true i shouldn't but its not always clear whether there are cows in field until your already in due to shape of field- i do stand on stiles and look. The fields i walk dog in have dairy cows and i have walked the same fields for years. 99% of time there is electric fence separating them from us but on the odd occasion the fence is down but its too late once in to turn.
To clarify i don't take dog in with bulloaks.
There are occasions you can't avoid it- if i go into the peaks and walk for 3 maybe 4 hours- i can be nearly back and have to cross a field with cattle, if i can't find any other route due to being impossible to get through hedges etc i will walk through- its my choice to do so but its not always simple to avoid them at every opportunity. I don't expect farmers to not use the fields with paths and it does take common sense from users.
I have actually been sent back by a farmer when walking a different route to avoid his cattle but he didn't want to know and just told us off for tresspassing- we didn't have dog at this point either.
 
While it isn't always practical, some farmers can and do fence off the footpaths, or use electric fencing during the months when fields are in use.
Some farmers simply do not want walkers or riders using ROW's and make life as difficult as possible for people to access routes, while others are fantastic, not only using temporary fencing, but ensure bridlepaths have rider-friendly gates too.
Some are good, some bad, but those that do enable people to safely access paths are much appreciated.

I do not think it is acceptable to expect walkers with dogs under control not to use POW's. Neither did the judge who ordered a farmer to compensate and pay costs to an injured dog walker of nearly £1million.

Incidently, the man who was killed in the next village to me, was an experienced hiker. As was his critically injured wife. They did not have a dog with them. The farmer was beyond devastated and had the bull shot that day.
 
bonny said:
I don't know if it was a factor in the sad death of the man above, and injury to his elderly brother but I think there needs to be more publicity about the fact that on the whole the cows are chasing dogs not people and that if it happens to you, let go of the dog.....
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Definitely this. People have it drummed (or some do at least...) into them to keep hold of their dogs in fields of sheep or their dog could be shot, so they presume if a herd of cows stampede towards them that the same rule applies. I have told several people to let go of their dog if this happens, none of them knew to do so before. A dog will usually easily fit through a gap in the hedge.

We've had a few of our lambs killed by people's dogs (our flock is my dad's "hobby", we have about 15 ewes and lamb every year). One of the fields we keep them in is bordered by a nature reserve. People happily let their dogs off the lead because they aren't walking on the village rec ground, and don't think twice about where their beloved pooch is. There's the woman who says "oh, he's just off chasing the deer", rather like I might say "oh, I'm just off for an ice cream" on a really hot day. Yes, because the deer are there purely for your dog's entertainment, and your dog can tell the difference between a deer and a sheep... :mad:
 
If your going to live rural then you should follow the bleeding rules. They arent there to stop you enjoying the country side but to keep you from getting hurt.

Walking a dog on a lead or even loose through a field with livestock is just asking for it IMO regardless of ROW (which in Scotland means jot, SOAC states you can pretty much go where you like ) I mean really putting your life at risk for the sake of walking your dog?? Am I missing something having lived on a working farm from the cradle until my teen years. We had some close calls and we knew the rules and the way to handle these animals.

Its all great to want to live rural but I think its a downright shame that these incidents occur for the sake of either ignorance or pigheadedness. I dont think people realise how the farmer feels when his animals hurt someone regardless of reasons :(
 
RunToEarth said:
Why should we be restricted to the use of our fields, which we legally own, because someone wants to walk their dog through it, is that fair in any way?
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But it isn't someone who just wants to walk their dog, it's someone who has a right to walk their dog through the fields because there is a PROW. Effectively you are saying that you are happy to put people's lives at risk because you can't be bothered to walk a mile. If walking (presumably taking a quad, tractor or 4x4 is also a possibility?) a mile to tend your stock maybe farming is not for you? Or perhaps finding a farm with less walking involved?
 
Booboos said:
But it isn't someone who just wants to walk their dog, it's someone who has a right to walk their dog through the fields because there is a PROW. Effectively you are saying that you are happy to put people's lives at risk because you can't be bothered to walk a mile. If walking (presumably taking a quad, tractor or 4x4 is also a possibility?) a mile to tend your stock maybe farming is not for you? Or perhaps finding a farm with less walking involved?
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But there are lots of 'rights' in life we have but any safety assessment would determine that aren't safe enough to risk. for example we have the right to walk along the public highway even when its dark and there are no pavements, but most people choose not to do it cos its simply too dangerous!

Its almost like this 'right' is determined to be exercised in defiance of common sense. Theres no suggestion of banning cars from all roads where there are no pavements or streetlights even tho they are (rarely) killing these pedestrians, just as farmers are not banned from using their land in a normal legal way which presents a tiny risk to those without dogs and a small but larger one to those who insist on taking an animal into the field which they know the cattle will see as a threat.

Cattle in enclosed fields with defined rights of way are rarely out all year, normally being housed in the poorer weather months
. so it isn't like there aren't months and months when it would be completely safe to walk a dog through. In addition you can exercise the core right to walk through - its the dog you choose to take with you that makes it more than neglible risk statistically.

Im not sure why it is less reasonable for you to walk a bit further to a route that doesn't involve cattle in the few months they are out than it is to require the farmer not to use their own land for farming??
 
Goldenstar said:
I don't see how signs would help walkers can see the stock is there and the farmer can't say the cattle are safe or not safe as they simply do not know , all cattle have the potential to be extremely dangerous .
I survived an attack by cows I was extremely lucky they where bullocks and attacked the horse with no warning chargeing from some distance away. They surrounded the horse who was young as I tried to leave the field in a slow non aggressive fashion , I knew as soon as they started running their behaviour was abnormal and tried to get back to the gate.
After a stand off two of the bullocks barged the horse who was terrified and reared and went over backwards leaving me on the ground I was saved by the fact I had a dressage whip and I just slashed at their eyes until I backed under the barded wire strand in front of the fence .
The farmer then arrived the bullocks chased the horse for two and a quarter hours until we managed to get him out.
very frightening , the horse was in shock and had to be dripped before being transported home he recovered and spent part of that summer turned out with a pony in a field of cows he was fine and never showed any anxiety about cows.
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Maybe my post wasn't clear. There are times when you cannot see over the brow of a hill and don't know is stock is in there but a sign at the gates saying warning, cows with calves, or lambing sheep, etc is helpful. Neither would I expect the farmer to personally vouch for each animals behaviour! However, if there was stock in the fields, a simple sign at the beginning is not a bad idea and works around us. In terms of educating the public, someone earlier made an excellent point that there are a lot of people who do not know about the basic principles and rules of the countryside. It is not saying they are stupid, just have not been taught.

Think how people react around your pets when they are unfamiliar with animals. Think how a lot of "country" people would react at the idea of driving around London. A lot of my friends think I am nuts that its no big deal to me, but as someone who has lived both in London and the country, it's no issue to me. Doesn't mean I am more intelligent, simply that I have been more exposed to this.
 
Booboos said:
But it isn't someone who just wants to walk their dog, it's someone who has a right to walk their dog through the fields because there is a PROW. Effectively you are saying that you are happy to put people's lives at risk because you can't be bothered to walk a mile. If walking (presumably taking a quad, tractor or 4x4 is also a possibility?) a mile to tend your stock maybe farming is not for you? Or perhaps finding a farm with less walking involved?
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I'm not so sure that the mile of travelling is here or there. It will be the availability of grass, and the previously planned for calving time, hoping and praying that it will coincide with sunshine and showers, and the vital grass!

The point that you've raised regarding the "Rights" of others to use a PROW, is valid, and it meets, head on, the "Rights" of a livestock keeper to use his grass when it's available. There needs to be a clear and unambiguous ruling, which gives precedence to one party or the other, when fields are in use, or aren't, for cattle. Quite obviously there's little point in expecting dog walkers to use their common sense and keep out, and as you seem to suggest, quite rightly, why should they?

lachlanandmarcus said:
But there are lots of 'rights' in life we have but any safety assessment would determine that aren't safe enough to risk. for example we have the right to walk along the public highway even when its dark and there are no pavements, but most people choose not to do it cos its simply too dangerous!

Its almost like this 'right' is determined to be exercised in defiance of common sense. .......
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There's far to much reason and common sense in your post for those who are determined to exercise their legal right, and as above, legal rights are just that.

I'm not generally one for "Rules", but in consultation with the farming community and those who would exercise their rights, there needs to be a firm and unequivocal ruling which gives a president to one side or the other.

I had a former employer who, on a day's shooting, on his own land, was left behind with his dog to look for a dead bird. There were cattle (presumably steers) in the field, and no one gave it a second thought. When he didn't turn up at the Gun's Bus, they went looking for him. No one knew how it happened, but he died the next day.

Alec.
 
there never seems to be any meet in the middle on this one.

i spent 8 yrs on beef and arable farms (still have contact with farmers both good and not so good) and i have to say i was and am still shocked by the fact that heifers that are very agressive/reactive/flighty are still kept and bred from. the farmers are fully aware that the calves from these cows are likely to be of similar temperament. also the fact that these same cows/heifers will be turned out where there are PROW.

personally i make sure my dogs are stock proof and will not put them on lead with cattle but always with sheep, twice i have been approached by aggressive (?) cattle and both times my dogs have tried to escape the field and the cattle have followed them the dogs got out of the filed then followed me from fromt he other side of the fence-neither time have there been calves in the field but steers.

i have been approached by cross farmers that have seen my dogs off lead (but close to me) in fields with cattle but when i explain why with my dogs sitting/lying with me under control they have all been more understanding and happy with it.

i avoid walking through fields with cattle i dont know in as i dont feel comfortable with it. often the cattle are not aggressive but you get one inquisitive animal that becomes spooked and it sets them all off, often the ones at the front get pushed forward creating an accident-i have seen cows trample cows when one at the front goes down.

i agree with the previous poster that its not always possible to avoid a field with cows, some times i walk an 18 mile round trip in an area i do not know and if at a latter point i come across a field of cows i am not going to turn round and go back.

i reckon a sign on gates would be a good idea and i for one would avoid the field when possible
 
Booboos said:
But it isn't someone who just wants to walk their dog, it's someone who has a right to walk their dog through the fields because there is a PROW. Effectively you are saying that you are happy to put people's lives at risk because you can't be bothered to walk a mile. If walking (presumably taking a quad, tractor or 4x4 is also a possibility?) a mile to tend your stock maybe farming is not for you? Or perhaps finding a farm with less walking involved?
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oh for god sake. I have the right to ride my horse down the a15, it doesn't mean im stupid enough to do it.

By your comment im guessing you dont understand a great deal about farming, but no, walking 350 dairy cows two miles a day is not reasonable to ensure the person who doesn't understand about stock isn't squashed, because if they bothered to even look on the internet about the recent accidents involving walkers or dogs, they would have a better idea.

I think people need to engage common sense more often.
 
Unfortunately it seems rather a polarised argument here when it isn't. I am not a "proper" farmer but do graze a field which has a bridleway running through it. In fact technically I think it's a BOAT. So it annoys me that some weekends a procession of 4x4's with poor map skills will drive through and then come back after about two minutes and sometimes leave the gate ajar. It annoys me that a local rider was quite forthright and verging on rude when claiming she could no longer ride through because I have two horses grazing in there. She demanded to know what times I turned them out - and wasn't pleased when I said they are out 24/7. It annoys me that sometimes we have to tell walkers to put their dogs on leads because there are sheep with lambs grazing, and which they should plainly be able to see for themselves.

However it also annoys me that with two exceptions, every bridleway gate round here is broken, some to the extend they are unusable. I have posted about this before and will be contacting the council once I've completed all my photos. It annoys me that I avoid a route because a beef herd with calves and a bull are grazing, only to find they have been moved. They could not be seen from the first section of field and I found myself being chased by three irritable cows (the bull didn't give a stuff) who were confident enough to ignore shouting and whip waving. Fortunately I was riding the older mare who is sensible, but god forbid it had been the youngster. A sign on the gate would have been useful.

It falls to both sides to take responsibility. Walkers and riders need to use common sense and inform themselves before using right of ways, but equally farmers do not have god-given right and power over everyone and everything to the exclusion of basic safety. It wouldn't hurt to mend a broken gate or sign a field which is used by suckling cattle, even if it's only occasionally.
 
lachlanandmarcus said:
But there are lots of 'rights' in life we have but any safety assessment would determine that aren't safe enough to risk. for example we have the right to walk along the public highway even when its dark and there are no pavements, but most people choose not to do it cos its simply too dangerous!

It's not a 'right', it's a right.

Erh people do walk along public highways in the dark which is why cars should look out for them! Roads are not just for cars and if as a driver you mow a pedestrian down you can't claim it was his fault for being there!
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RunToEarth said:
oh for god sake. I have the right to ride my horse down the a15, it doesn't mean im stupid enough to do it.

By your comment im guessing you dont understand a great deal about farming, but no, walking 350 dairy cows two miles a day is not reasonable to ensure the person who doesn't understand about stock isn't squashed, because if they bothered to even look on the internet about the recent accidents involving walkers or dogs, they would have a better idea.

I think people need to engage common sense more often.
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No I don't know much about farming at all, I was going by your comment that your parents cannot be expected to walk a mile each way! If you didn't mean that then you should have explained yourself better.


Ditto the 'common sense', for me common sense dictates that if a path is a PROW the owner should expect to see people using it and shouldn't place animals that are dangerous on it. Why is the 'common sense' assumption on the users rather than the owner?

Also why not use 'common sense' and buy a farm with no PROW? Or if your farm has a PROW farm less dangerous animals or crops? I don't see why you expect others to show all the responsibility and you none. I had my dog on a leash and was walking a PROW in full view of the farmer who knew he had bullocks in there, but clearly he has no responsibility whatsoever and I have all of it!
 
round my way we have signs that can be easily changed with a screwdriver showing which livestock is in the field. So it'll say no livestock in this field, or Sheep in this field, please keep your dog on a lead. Seems to work well.

Lack of warnings don't help in some cases though. I was chased by a herd of cows when riding a few months ago which scared me big time. I was on a TROT toll ride, which I pay to use, there was no warning cows were in the field and I only saw them as I went round the corner. On a ride I specifically pay to use and access on my horse i'd expect them to be fenced off!
 
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Booboos said:
lachlanandmarcus said:
But there are lots of 'rights' in life we have but any safety assessment would determine that aren't safe enough to risk. for example we have the right to walk along the public highway even when its dark and there are no pavements, but most people choose not to do it cos its simply too dangerous!

It's not a 'right', it's a right.

Erh people do walk along public highways in the dark which is why cars should look out for them! Roads are not just for cars and if as a driver you mow a pedestrian down you can't claim it was his fault for being there!
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It is a right, the inverted commas were just to illustrate the way some people say it. All I'm saying is that rights aren't much use to someone when they are dead, you can be righteous n your coffin but noone will hear you saying 'i was in the right'

I'd rather be sensible and alive by reducing the risk to an reasonable level.

And really we are mainly talking about the dogs issue here, the risk is much lower without the dogs any you can still exercise a right to walk through, just much safer not to choose to take a dog through.
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JessPickle said:
round my way we have signs that can be easily changed with a screwdriver showing which livestock is in the field. So it'll say no livestock in this field, or Sheep in this field, please keep your dog on a lead. Seems to work well.

Lack of warnings don't help in some cases though. I was chased by a herd of cows when riding a few months ago which scared me big time. I was on a TROT toll ride, which I pay to use, there was no warning cows were in the field and I only saw them as I went round the corner. On a ride I specifically pay to use and access on my horse i'd expect them to be fenced off!
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I agree with you, although given stock fencing is about £5 a linear metre plus gates, there would be unlikely to be any viability in providing TROT rides were that to be a requirement, I guess. However they could maybe use temp electric at lower cost with cattle, tho it would poss need mains power so it would depend on location.
 
the only safe solution is for the taxpayer to pay to fence off the footpaths with sturdy fencing. Cattle especially and walkers don't mix. Having kept both cattle and horses I would be very nervous of having the public walking around either. I am afraid that they have little grasp of the risks.

Yesterday I watched a few heifers lying down next to a stile. A couple climbed the stile with their very young children, not to walk along the footpath but for the kids to stroke the cattle. The cattle were not happy and got up and walked off.
The people had no idea whatsover of the risk they were putting their kids in.

The public need to exercise responsibility in their right to walk on paths. I often look at a field of cattle with a bridlepath and evaluate if it is safe to ride through or if I would rather go elsewhere.

Every animal, be it cow sheep, pig, horse etc is a potential risk given the wrong situation. Farmers are running a business. It would not be practical to change the use of many fields with footpaths to different sorts of farming, the only practical use of that field is grazing. People are demanding meat so the animals have to live somewhere and many farmers are operating on a tight budget and have to make use of all of their fields in order to service the bank loans which are supporting their businesses.
I have seen several instances of farmers being injured over the years when cattle have been put in a stressful situation. These farmers have grown up with cattle. Many of the general public have no hope whatsoever of reading farm animals.
 
Booboos said:
lachlanandmarcus said:
But there are lots of 'rights' in life we have but any safety assessment would determine that aren't safe enough to risk. for example we have the right to walk along the public highway even when its dark and there are no pavements, but most people choose not to do it cos its simply too dangerous!

It's not a 'right', it's a right.

Erh people do walk along public highways in the dark which is why cars should look out for them! Roads are not just for cars and if as a driver you mow a pedestrian down you can't claim it was his fault for being there!
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Someone was knocked down and killed by a police car on a busy road near me. It was the early hours of the morning, he was wearing black clothes and was apparently drunk and possibly actually wandering in the road. There was no action taken against the driver , and the inquest gave the cause of death as accident.
I do see this argument from both points of view, I do like to use public footpaths, and it can be a bit of a pain if a field is full of cows. A few years ago myself and some friends did a sponsored walk for Help for Heroes. Right near the end of our 10 mile route we came to a footpath through a field full of very lively bullocks. As we had around 6 dogs with us we decided to retrace our steps, and ended up putting an extra couple of miles on the walk when we were already cold and wet.:(
However the field I rent has a footpath through it, luckily it is not often used, but on occasions I have had to ask people to put dogs on lead. I was also very peeved when the local ramblers group decided to walk across the field, around 10 abreast, just before we had it mown for hay, I would have thought common courtesy would have made them walk in single file. My donkey is currently grazing this field, and in his youth he would attack strange dogs, I did wonder about putting a warning sign, but as he is now old and not very fast, and there is only a narrow stretch he can access, I decided to see how fast the walkers can run.;)
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Booboos said:
No I don't know much about farming at all, I was going by your comment that your parents cannot be expected to walk a mile each way! If you didn't mean that then you should have explained yourself better.


Ditto the 'common sense', for me common sense dictates that if a path is a PROW the owner should expect to see people using it and shouldn't place animals that are dangerous on it. Why is the 'common sense' assumption on the users rather than the owner?

Also why not use 'common sense' and buy a farm with no PROW? Or if your farm has a PROW farm less dangerous animals or crops? I don't see why you expect others to show all the responsibility and you none. I had my dog on a leash and was walking a PROW in full view of the farmer who knew he had bullocks in there, but clearly he has no responsibility whatsoever and I have all of it!
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Im sorry but are you for real? Buy a farm with no PROW? I take it you dont look beyond the borders of the country where you live?? To the Far North of you is Scotland (where I think L&M is from ;) ) for your geographical information, where SOAC is in effect so really NO FARM is safe from walkers, ramblers, riders etc. So Farmers need to keep the livestock in all year so should heaven forbid MR Twigle wants to walk bonzo round the outside of the field for his daily stroll? Really???

I just dont get peoples reactions to being asked to walk your do somewhere else, I mean my life means more to me than walking my dog through a field full of beasts with babies. Do the people asking that farmers not use certain fields actually eat Beef?? Mutton/Lamb?? Drink milk?? As without the farmers utilising their land to the best ability then these things arent going to be available.

Maybe Im just blessed in that where I stay there are square miles of forests, country walks (that dont once go through a farmers field shock horror :eek:) and places where dogs are welcome and can be off the leash without being in siht of livestock. I would say popping the dog in the car and driving to a nice safe walking place would be more productive and less selfish than risking your life to walk through a field just because you have the right to do so.
 
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