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AIBU?

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Original poster

To never walk my dog again?

104 replies

TerraNotSoFirma · 04/08/2013 10:11

I took one of my dogs for a late walk last night, between 9 and 10pm.
Got into the woods, she was acting agitated and kept looking behind her.
I turned round a few times, nothing there.

Carried on, listening to my mp3, decided to turn out of the woods as was getting a bit dark for my liking so headed for the footpath that runs between the road and the woods.

Dog still acting strange and looking back into the woods, get towards the end of the path turn round and see a black lab sitting by the fence, ah that's what's been bothering her she hates black labs.
Walk another few yards and my dog starts going properly crazy, up on hind legs, twisting around.

Turn round thinking the lab must be coming closer, NO a massive black cat jumps out of the woods, crosses the footpath, jumps the fence and crosses the road into the woods on the other side.

The thing must have followed us all through the woods, thank god I had my dog on a lead or DH reckons it would have went for her if she had been running around.

I'm not going back, I'm buying treadmills for my dogs.

OP posts:
Original poster
TerraNotSoFirma · 04/08/2013 16:37

Whereabouts was that viva?

OP posts:
fuzzypicklehead · 04/08/2013 17:06

We get sightings in Fenland all the time, and a few mauled animals each year. I saw one whilst driving home from work late one night, and felt shaky, even in the car!

EauRouge · 04/08/2013 17:33

Which part of the fens? Shock I hope it's not the bit near me!

libertine73 · 04/08/2013 17:45

Yeah, shit fuzzled am about to take the dog out! which Fenland??

VivaLeBeaver · 04/08/2013 18:04

I'm not far from the Fens.

100% sure it was a large black cat. It was the same size as my greyhound, nearly as fast. Very cat shaped, dog was terrified. If it had been another dog then mine would have run to it not away.

EauRouge · 04/08/2013 18:18

My village is mentioned here. Shock Shock

libertine73 · 04/08/2013 19:55

shit! My Mum lives in Milton!? Really not sure where a cat that size would live around there to be fair.

xylem8 · 04/08/2013 20:13

I think it was getting dark and your mind was playing tricks on you.How come the black lab wasn't fazed? and who was it with , a yeti perhaps? Grin

libertine73 · 04/08/2013 20:20

There was no black lab! :) That was the massive cat

blobandsnail · 04/08/2013 20:22

What worries me more than the big cat is that you think it's ok to walk alone in a remote area with an MP3 player on! Seriously?! As a female alone even at dusk with my large quite fierce seeming dog I wouldn't do that. You can't keep your wits about you while listening to music, it's not safe. Be it a giant cat stalking you or an axe murderer following you!

Please don't do this in future, you're potentially asking for trouble.

Xihha · 04/08/2013 20:33

OP, your DH probably has a point about it being likely to go for a dog off the lead, there were a few reports of dogs getting attacked near where i grew up and the remains of a fox was found.

As a side note my Dads friend tried too keep a male Scottish wildcat as a pet once, He'd been on a hiking trip and found what he thought was an adorable kitten in the snow so snuck it in his bag all the way to Sussex to look after. Once it grew up a bit it wasn't particularly grateful, he had to get the RSPCA out in the end coz it kept attacking him. (this was in the mid 80's and Dad's friend genuinely thought it was just a stray kitten) The RsPCA were not impressed.

IncrediblePhatTheInnkeepersCat · 04/08/2013 21:06

Fuck! My village that I grew up in is mentioned in that article.

When I was a teenager, I used to sneak out of my house at night. To avoid making a noise on the gravel, I'd go down to the end of the garden, which opened up onto fields, walk down the horse track (involving scrambling under a barbec wire fence) and come out at the main road.

One night I'd just crawled under the fence and started down the horse track when I heard breathing. I looked behind and saw a massive black creature. I ran full pelt towards the road and made it. I turned around and nothing was there. Up until now I always thought that it was Black Shuck as I could have sworn it was a dog with red eyes, but maybe it was something else instead. I don't know which is more likely or less scary!

Needless to say I never went that route out of the house at night again.

< realises I now sound like a total loon to believe in hellhounds >

I agree with everyone else - look for footprints in the daylight and leave the headphones at home when walking alone at night.

libertine73 · 04/08/2013 21:26

Grin Hellhounds

IncrediblePhatTheInnkeepersCat · 04/08/2013 22:15

Blush I remember now why I very rarely tell this story...

Xihha · 04/08/2013 22:35

IncrediblePhat, I know which I'd rather it was, a big cat I can cope with but if I saw a hellhound I'd probably die of fright!

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 04/08/2013 22:40

Blimey OP I'd be quaking in my boots. Did your DH see it this evening?

Scary.

TotesAmazeGoats · 04/08/2013 22:58

Big cats in this country fascinate me. Being from the south west we have a lot of sightings. (Exmoor and Bodmin frequently have them)

I remember working on a farm one summer and the bosses youngest daughter had gone into the woods on a quad bike, about ten minutes later she came flying back up the track screaming that she's seen a big cat (she was about 13). She's a bold girl but was reduced to a quivering mess, so I've no doubt she saw something. We all ran into the woods and hunted around but never found anything. I remember that summer hearing an animal cry out one evening whilst we were working. I'm familiar with foxes and such, but that was like no animal I'd ever heard, it gave me the willies!! I've no doubt it was one of the cats.

If you think of their range of territory, they could cross over counties frequently, and encounter others to breed. I've got no doubt there's bigger numbers than we think living in the British Isles.

OP you are brave walking in twilight with headphones in, I'd give myself the ghoulies not having all my senses on!! Take your camera next time.

xylem8 · 04/08/2013 23:15

YANBU can you take a weapon with you?

Original poster
TerraNotSoFirma · 04/08/2013 23:16

We all went out with the DC and both dogs, but much much earlier tonight, played the odds that after walking in the woods around here for 8 years and only having one sighting we were unlikely to see anything.

DH looked for prints but he reckons the ground is too dry.

With regards to safety, I have thought about not playing my music but even if an axe murderer did start chasing me, all the head start in the world probably wouldn't help me, I'm no Mo Farrah :) also daft dog is a bit of a wuss but if someone were to attack me, she'd have them. Hopefully.

OP posts:
IncrediblePhatTheInnkeepersCat · 04/08/2013 23:27

Ah, but a big cat is more definitely 'real'. I can be in denial over a hellhound. I have never run so fast in all my life as I did that night. I'd never heard of Black Shuck at that point either, until I researched afterwards. Was terrifying, but once I reached the lights by the road (I only had the moonlight up until that point, no other light) and it had disappeared that I felt safe.

I definitely believe there are real big cats in Britain too. I hope you find a paw print or two OP (and sorry for the small hijack).

OldLadyKnowsNothing · 05/08/2013 00:43

I think there may be Alien Big Cats in GB, but suspect Hellhounds have a lot to do with drunkenness misinformation, and the noises that cattle and sheep make at night. Going far enough back in GB, wolves, bear, wild boar etc would be enough to contribute to a genuine fear, folk-transmitted. The link given to Black Shuck shows how contradictory the descriptions are; you don't hear it but you can see it, it has one eye, it has two eyes but they're red, you only know it's there because you can hear it padding but can't see it... And all of that from the first page! Grin

SaggyOldClothCatPuss · 05/08/2013 00:48

I believe.
I live very close to the site of the "Essex lion" sighting, which apparently turned out to be a maine coon cat. A crowd of several people watched it for several minutes and couldn't identify a housecat over a LION? Hmm I know this is Essex and all, but really?
It was the second reported lion sighting I have heard of in this area, and a farmer friend who I trust has seen them too. In this area, its always a lion/light coloured cat. I find it very interesting that generally, sightings are of a big black cat.

LadyFlumpalot · 05/08/2013 00:54

We have at least one big cat around here. Sheep and cattle keep getting slaughtered. The police say it's a fox. You show me a fox that can drag a calf across a field, over a barbed wire fence and up a tree...

DH was driving the A303 early one morning and saw what he swears to this day was a dead lion by the side of the road.

ConfusedPixie · 05/08/2013 00:55

Saggy: There was a big black cat spotted in Colchester a few years back too by a group of kids. I mainly just remember their shock faces in the local paper Grin

shewhowines · 05/08/2013 01:07

Friends dw also saw one a few years back.

I can't get my head round the fact that there's all these sightings - even on mn on this thread, yet in all these years there's never been any proof. Surely by now, if it was true, there would be more actual evidence?

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