To think parents should take responsibility if children chase sheep on country walk?

[Firethorn]

Recently went for a country walk (public right of way across farmland) with SIL, my 2 nieces, and another couple and their 3 kids. Crossing a sheep-field, the 5 kids started chasing sheep, trying to 'round them up' in a flock like they'd seen sheepdogs do on TV. I asked SIL if we should stop them, she said no they always do this it's not doing any harm. Other couple agreed and said the kids are having fun, let them play with the sheep. I was a bit concerned as one child was carrying a stick and waving it around, but respected the parents' decision.
Shortly afterwards an irate farmer marched towards us shouting and swearing! She was really aggressive and had a snarling dog (off the lead), dog was circling us but not approaching. For about 5 minutes mins she yelled and swore at the kids for chasing her sheep. All 3 parents then turned on their kids and told them off, lying that they'd been telling them to stop but they'd disobeyed! (They hadn't told them to stop at any point). My niece burst into tears and hid behind me and I lost my temper with farmer for swearing at kids, told her to back off and stop shouting, and to get dog under control. The dad of one of other kids then threatened to kick the dog if it came near his kids, and after some more shouting we decided to go back way we'd come. She shouted abuse after us until we were out of sight!

I'm annoyed with other parents for letting their kids chase sheep then lying about trying to stop them! Also with farmer for being so intimidating and rude. SIL says we should just have apologised and carried on walking. AIBU?

It was a mind numbingly stupid OP in the first place, but 7 pages on, you are STILL trying to argue the point ?????

As others have repeatedly pointed out - the dog did NOT attack or bite the dc (or adults). The dog is FAR better trained than the children - or, if you like the incredibly selfish adults who allowed them to harass the sheep in the first place.

ThankFuckSpring... farmland or not, if a dog bit one of my nieces, I would not hesitate to kick the dog as hard as I could! If your dog attacks any child in any situation you can expect the parent to injure dog with anything they have to hand, before the dog inflicts more damage!

If they are on my land, chasing my pregnant ewes and my dog mistakes them for sheep it's an easy mistake to make for the dog. Clearly you, nor your family or friends have any consideration for animals or farmers and no knowledge of working dogs. THE DOG WAS PROTECTING THE FLOCK it's not hard to understand. That's what sheepdogs do!

sounds like the dog was better behaved and more under control than the kids.

the sheer, colossal idiocy is astounding.

in fact i reckon the the kids are bloody lucky the dog didn't bite them, i'm pretty sure sheep dogs are trained to protect the flock from foxes, other dogs etc

Jeez zee! Just read the OP's update and lost any minute bit of sympathy.

Do the sheep where your SIL grew up also enjoy being chased with sticks! Your SIL is thick. Sheep are not friendly unless they were bottle reared. What her kids did is the equivalent of mugging a pregnant human.

There is no law saying animals should be kept off footpaths. People using them are meant to respect the country code and use their brains. Those of us that fence footpaths off do so because we've met idiots who don't know how to behave before. Which is a shame for everyone else.

No, SIL and her friends are not intelligent.

they are very, very stupid.
Seriously dense.
Terminally thick.

they might hold down professional jobs but that is no guarantee of being intelligent.

It is bleeding obvious that you do not allow your children to chase after sheep. Nobody old enough to actually have children needs to be told that. To "non-farming people", ie the vast majority of the population, a field full of sheep means that there is a farm nearby. because sheep don't just fall from heaven when it rains. And that means they belong to someone. But that is irrelevant, because who in their right mind allows a gang of children to torment animals? It is exactly the same as encouraging them to throw stones at cats.

What would be beneficial would be if you and your group accepted you were all totally in the wrong and educated yourselves to a basic level before you ever set foot of a concrete pavement again.

I really hoped this was a reverse.

But sadly this appears to be a very perverse and blinkered POV with a refusal to accept any responsibility for breathtaking stupidity.

What you did was indefensible. The worst that happened to you was that a dog growled, the farmer informed you of your stupidity in robust language and the kiddie winks cried. the worst that might happened to the farmer is the loss of several ewes and their lambs. Maybe if you all had to watch that happen over several nights you might start to see some sense.

have a picture in my head of all these toffs guzzling their gin whilst becoming almost apoplectic with rage due to a couple of kids chasing their livestock

OP you've clearly decided that its fine for you and your family//friends to engage in criminal activity and cannot see why a working dog on its own land, not being aggressive to you, is not a problem. Poor ickle you.

Your family also thinks its fine to lie to children and to shirk resonsibility for criminal damage and to be aggressive to the landowner who's property you're damaging.

What a lovely group you are!

I don't see how parents who blame their children so they don't get yelled at rather then honestly admit they were to blame, are very 'protective'.

It sounds like the dog was in control, unlike the children.

Get over yourselves really

Every action has a consequence OP. You got yours. Farmer shouted and you and hurt everyone's feefees. I suggest you get over it and learn from this.

This shelving of responsibility annoyed me more than the farmer's behaviour.

Hilarious comment, you seem to forget you're a grown up. You were there. You should have said or done something. You then stood there while other adults said it wasn't us and blamed their kids.

The one thing I am a bit "meh" about is the fact that the parent's let the kids take the flack. Now that isn't good.

Wow. Just wow.

Some of your posts sound like you think you were at a theme park, and that said owner of theme park should learn how too look after the customers.

The farmer was obviously distressed by what she saw, and also relieved that she was able to stop the terrible behaviour.

PrettyFeet, are you labouring under the impression that you are amusing or interesting? Think you've had a few too many of those Mojitos and need to go and get a grip on reality now.

poster ProfessorVonIgelfeld I think they just want attention. Best not to give it.

I think she's the SIL, Professor

The dad was fuming all the way home about her attitude.

Yes, I bet he was. He probably didn't like to be pulled up in front of other people and his kids.

The thing is, firethorn, you are the one that doesn't live in a country village and even you knew on an instinctual level that the children chasing the sheep was not a good idea.

And to be honest, I can't quite believe your SIL grew up in Cumbria and didn't have to memorise the Countryside Code until she could recite it backwards while stood on one leg and balancing a saucepan on her head.

To break from the mould a bit, I do have some sympathy with your second paragraph at 19:54:43. The problem here is that the rural world is a very different culture to the urban; in some respects, it is almost like visiting another country where the rules are can be quite different and there is assumed knowledge that the urban dweller may not necessarily have. But that in no way means the rural world must adjust for the benefit of people from an urban culture. To suggest so seems somewhat arrogant.

I find this interesting: "To most non-farming people, a field of sheep is just a field of sheep." I would ask ... so what exactly is "just a field of sheep?" There seems to be a very telling perspective here that somehow gets to the heart of the problem between the rural and urban world -- as though the sheep are some sort of passive illustration on the landscape and not actual living creatures that will react to external stimulus.

Im not "labouring" at all. I don't care whether Im amusing nor interesting. Im saying exactly what I want to say on a public forum. Im not here to gain points or win votes.

I don't think this group sounded like "toffs" at all, Pretty Feet.
Just mindless prats who think they can do whatever they want to and then get enraged by someone who makes their livelihood from farming.

They clearly have no respect for anyone else, or any animals. They really sound a nasty bunch. But you're right, they probably had been drinking. That's the only reasonable explanation for their behaviour - they were off their tiny little minds.

worksallhours - To break from the mould a bit, I do have some sympathy with your second paragraph at 19:54:43. The problem here is that the rural world is a very different culture to the urban; in some respects, it is almost like visiting another country where the rules are can be quite different and there is assumed knowledge that the urban dweller may not necessarily have. But that in no way means the rural world must adjust for the benefit of people from an urban culture. To suggest so seems somewhat arrogant.

The bit of the OP's post explains this - the children were chasing the sheep because it was "like on the TV". They are, then, quite removed from the real world.

PrettyFeet the attitude you're taking is incredibly thick too, if you think this is about 'toffs taking umbrage at children gambolling with their flocks'.