Dog owners, your views please

I was out walking with Mrs Muz this morning, lovely day for it. In a private estate with bridleways and footpaths through it.
When towards us came a family with a dog, it was off it's lead and as it was rooting around in the undergrowth, it spooked some roe deer. They run across the footpath we were on into the woods on the opposite side, where the dog started to follow them initially.
As we approached the family, two men, one woman and three or four young kids, I asked if they were going to put the dog on a lead.
'No' came the reply from the woman, 'you don't know my dog'.
'Well, I know it just spooked the deer, that's why they came running across the path'
Long story short, it didn't get any better. There was no reasoning with them. Having realized I was wasting my.time, I turned away and carried on with my walk.
Not before adding that a gamekeeper would be within his rights to shoot that dog, not sure of the breed, like a boxer but without the typical head for one :facepalm: if it were to kill one of those deer.
AFAIK, a bridleway is only the width of two horses at most. Whether you're on a track, or in open field. Including dogs. Should they be on a lead?
I would like to know how you walk your dogs. And please don't come back with 'the Mrs does it while I ride/build/tinker /buy old bikes!

Mike

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Dog we have now can not be let off the lead ,in this day and age
Best to keep control of the dog, these sound like your everyday chav

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I'm sure this will get very heated so I may only say this before retiring well away, but I would have thought it depends on the land owners if it's private land - if there were no signs specifically saying that dogs must be kept on leads, they were probably not breaking any rules?

Having said that, I'm not sure how enforceable such signs are, having lived on farms where we had signs on gates saying just that, people totally ignored them anyway and just for good measure also left gates open...... :roll:

(No longer have a dog but walk other peoples, always make sure I know how the dog will behave before ever letting it off the lead, any doubt over it's obedience and it stays on the lead)

Looked into this a few years ago. My dogs occasionally appear out of the woods with pheasants. We walk off piste with landowner's permission and I wanted to know where we stood. First thing is livestock and wild animals. If you were in a deer park I suppose they could be 'farmed' so classed as livestock. Worrying livestock you can shoot if in the act. If they are wild deer I'm not so sure. Otherwise where does it stop? Think squirrels rabbits etc.

On the pheasant front, I found that if captive (penned or in a run etc) we were in trouble but loose on woodland etc fair game if you'll forgive the pun. But I tend to keep the terriers on when the pheasants are thick on the ground regardless.

Don't quite me but that's my recollection from about 12 years ago.

Edit: to stop heated debate:

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In Holland, I have places where we are allowed to let our dogs run unleashed and places where we have to keep them on. Easy, but in this case: my dogs will never be unleashed near game, ever. They are not hunting dogs but will chase for fun, a deer won't see the difference. And I do not want to give any hunting dog owner the opportunity to point at me to make excuses for his behaviour. All dog owners should have a basic rule sets, this is a classical example. For me, I love all animals not just my own dogs, and feel responsible for the wellbeing of all.

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I do believe these are farmed deer THM, on a private estate. As are pheasants on the same estate.
Not wanting to cause a big row with anyone, already had one today thanks, just want to know how others on here go about walking their dogs

Mike

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I'm not thinking you will be the one rowing Mike, it's just 'certain people' shall we say, like to hijack threads like this. Sometimes. And then it gets heated. :facepalm:

Cornwall CC on it interpretation of the law.
https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/environment ... ts-of-way/

As far as I see, it cannot go off the right of way*.
if the owner is not near it to control it (I.e. not left to just run about as they are then not close) then it is an offense

The little shitter cannot shit where it likes and tying black bags to thing full of shit is an offense under the littering law. I assume the owner ties the bags and not the dog ;-)



If it is Open Access land then the rules are sticker and leads must be used during certain times of the year.


If it worries report the happenings to the council as a good citizen

Also. Https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public
I would see it as an out of control dog, they had no control of it.

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They didn't even call it back. Possibly wouldn't have responded anyway.

Yes, those bags! :evil: Along with fly tipping :facepalm:
Please don't get me started FC!

There are few times I'd like to be a copper, but this is one. When one of the men flippantly said, 'I'll shoot you in a minute'
It was at that point I had to turn away. Not through fear, just the ridiculousness of trying to talk sense to these people.

Mrs Muz was upset for a while, it took two hot cross buns and cups of coffee to calm her down!
I just saw it as fuel for a lovely blast on my Sunn this afternoon!



Mike

As the owner of a very lively working cocker spaniel; I would honestly say if the dog was *under control* then all is fine.

ANYTHING will spook deer, I wouldn't blame the dog for that, but if it chased and they knew it couldn't be recalled then they were being poor dog owners. We spend a lot of time with our dog in the New Forest, and it's all off the lead. That said, we trained him to ignore cattle/livestock/Ponies etc. He'll walk to heel, and has (almost) perfect recall; so IMO is under control at all times.

On a bridleway/byway/footpath surrounded by farm land, he'll not be leaving the track.

HTH