Cows killed another poor dog walker

[Pippetypoppity]

I’ve just seen on the BBC news that a lady has been killed in a field by cows. She was walking her chihuahua. This is absolutely tragic. She possibly ran with dog and was chased. That would be my guess as the same happened to me on our farm when I was very young. Your instinct is to save your dog and run. I remember I had a sheep dog puppy in my arms and I’d gone into the field to play. I was about 6 I think. The cows noticed the puppy from quite a distance away and the whole herd started moving in. Luckily I was close enough to the gate to get out, but it was terrifying. I remember my father on the yard yelling ‘Drop the puppy’ at the top of his lungs. I didn’t but I’d have been a gonner if I was another 50 yards in. I just want to tell everyone what my father said to me that day. It’s stuck in my mind ever since and it’s important anyone who dog walks in the country knows it too

1. If you see cows with calves leave the field by the nearest exit immediately. Cows often charge to protect their young
2. If you see cows without calves and they start moving quickly towards you they are being inquisitive. If you have a dog with you the cows will want to know if it is a threat. They see dogs instinctively as predators. If you cannot get to a gate and they are approaching- startle them by shouting jumping, waving your arms and making yourself appear as loud, big and threatening as possible. This will frighten them and make them stop or bypass you.
3. If they persevere it will be because they want to force your dog out of the field. Let the dog go! This is critical. Your dog can run faster than cows and much much faster than you. The cows will then focus on the dog and you can get away.
4. Never ever pick up the dog if cows are refusing to back off. This is the hardest thing in the world to do as all your instincts will compel you to try and protect it. It stands a better chance running and dodging them however than it does in your arms. You will then avoid becoming a target yourself and being trampled.
5. When cows move quickly in a large group the ones at the front get pushed by the ones at the back even if they themselves try to slow down. They will not be trying to mow you down but the sheer force from behind might mean they do. For this reason if cows approach in a group and your initial efforts to threaten and scare them failed, make that momentum go in a different direction ie after your dog.

I am so so dreadfully sorry to hear that this has happened again. The lady in question was inevitably a devoted extremely responsible and loving pet owner. She must have been to have been giving her chihuahua a country walk. I expect for this very reason she picked her dog up when she saw the cows getting near. Poor poor lady.

I do think it would make sense to use some fencing to keep access away from the cows for people to still use the right of way without risking their lives. Why can't there be a solution to meet everyone's needs?

That's not nice is it? Let's hope her family don't see this thread.

My dog died so not dog walker currently. But as someone who lives in the countryside in greenbelt, its incredibly hard to go on a local walk without going into the countryside. In fact it's impossible. Maybe I need to drive 15 miles to the large town for fresh air? We had Highland cattle on two local heaths near us and both resulted in fatalities and the cattle being removed. Thank god non of us country bumkins was horrified and perplexed about locals walking in their own rural village.

Jesus Christ almighty why on earth would you take a baby into a field with cattle??

'to be sure', I imagine. Probably misremembered

People do respect working farms- that’s why they stick to public footpaths, and rights of way.

which is great if you see them, but in a field which has a slope, you sometimes cant see them until you are in the field. This happened to a friend of mine.

Because it's someone else's property. You have a right to ramble on approved paths, but respectfully.

The right we hold to do that rambling essentially means farmers just can't legally shoot you. So be greatful 🤣

@iwasthereason

Jesus Christ almighty why on earth would you take a baby into a field with cattle??

Try reading the post you've replied to again! She was walking past the field of cows.

But they don't. I've had dogs attacking my horses, I've had people climbing my gate and picking my blackberries, I've had people sitting on my fence and splitting it, buckets of apples dumped on my property, grass cuttings thrown over onto my land.
My neighbour has had abuse thrown at her for pointing out they are not on the footpath, people picnicking on the footpath, leaving bottles and other refuse, climbing over gates, cycling on footpaths which is unlawful, etc etc. So don't come out with sanctimonious rubbish that people respect working farms and stick to the footpaths. They really don't.

I'll join you. What are you drinking?

Genuinely question though, you’re half way through a 10 mile circular walk, only one footpath option ahead and the field had cows in. No obvious way to go around and reconnect to your path. What do you do? I would always assume that if there a cattle in a field with a footpath through its ‘safe’. Naively I guess.

Where else are they supposed to go?

I think it's quite clear that the farmers on this thread would prefer that you don't walk at all. Anywhere.

Doesn't the Countryside code suggest separating livestock from rights of way?

They can't legally shoot you for trespassing anyway,

I'm petrified of cows after being chased by a large herd when I was young but they really are delicious.

Excuse me- it’s not sanctimonious rubbish.

There are twats in every walk of life, so I’m not doubting your lived experiences, but everyone I walk with (and there are many) are respectful on farmland. It has never occurred to me that a farmer would actually put animals that might stampede in a field with a right of way across it. Reading the OP made me go cold. My dog only has three legs- he couldn’t outrun a herd of cows.

I’ve had cows and sheep approach me whilst walking, but only once have I felt anxious, and that was in a field of bullocks, when two ran at me. I shouted NO and put my hand up, and they stopped. I’m thinking now that I had a lucky escape.

Actually it's a permissive path over the farmer's land. Public right of way/ public footpath doesnt mean it is owned by the state or the public, it means that the public have a right of access over the land due to the ancient rights of way. The land is still owned by the farmer and is theirs to do as they please with as long as they aren't knowingly causing a danger to people using the right of way.

@MaidOfAle

It's legal, so what's the problem? I don't reckon the cattle will knock it down.

I'd love a fence like that around my house (Merseyside, one of the nastier bits), but planning regs limit me to 6ft tall...
I don't have a problem but walkers do. They complained that they no longer had access to roam across the fields and had to stick to the path and that their view was now not very nice.

The farmer put the fence up because he was sick of dog shit everywhere and dogs off the leash running amok

Exactly this. Arable here (former dairy) and we get people moaning in the summer when the fields are not yet being harvested (due to perceived fire risk) and then when they are (apparently we should ask neighbours for a convenient time to avoid interfering with their BBQ parties and laundry days). They buy a house in the countryside because they like the farmland views but don’t want the reality of a working farm with the resulting livestock, smells, spiders and heavy machinery.

I did point out to one resident that even if we could afford to leave the field adjacent to her house idle, she’d have travellers for neighbours within the month.

Our footpaths have become ridiculously busy over the last 20 years as other local dog walking plots have been built on. We’ve always kept our paths clear for walkers but sadly a good 25% of the people using them seem to disrespect the fact that they’re essentially walking through someone’s garden by leaving gates open, dropping litter, trespassing off the designated public right of way and vandalising boundaries, signage and buildings.

And if the footpath goes right through the centre of a field cutting off the water supply to half of it if its fenced off? What happens then?

Particular cattle? This thread pretty clearly says it’s all cattle and always has been. Farmers have to be able to use their fields.

How irresponsible of you to go through the field Jesus wept 🤦🏻‍♀️ some people are so stupid

Because cows don't just stay in the same field all year round. They get moved to where the grass is - some fields are more suitable for outside calving than others, some have better water supplies than others at particular times of year, some may have issues with ticks or flies at particular times of years, some are harvested for crops and then have cows on afterwards to add natural fertiliser into the soil. Sometimes we like to put cows in before we put sheep in to reduce the parasite count for the sheep.

Farming is much more complicated than Have a Field = put livestock into it

Permissive paths and public footpaths are different.
A public footpath is a public right of way for walkers only. A public bridleway is a PRW for riders and walkers. Something marked as "public right of way" on a map (as opposed to footpath/ bridlepath) is usually something you can take vehicles on (in theory if not in practice).

There is no right of way on a permissive path- it's at the landowner's discretion.