... to avoid walking in countryside because I'm scared of cows and dogs?

[LilacWine7]

(NC to protect identity as this is embarrassing!)

I have a fear of dogs, I'm fine with them on leads but i hate it when people let them off leads. In fields and woods they seem to run at me out of nowhere, sometimes on narrow path, and owners look bewildered if i ask them to control their dogs. I just don't like being jumped, sniffed at or approached esp if dog is big. AIBU to shout 'please control your dog' when one comes at me? Owners seem to take offence.
Recently I was walking in fells with friend and we stopped outside farm at dusk to check map (standing in a lane) when 3 sheepdogs raced out of farm gates and surrounded us, barking and snarling with teeth bared and hackles raised. We were terrified! We shouted for help but no-one came so we sidled along fence until we got away from farm and dogs didn't follow us after a certain point (this was after about 10 mins standing still as to move in any direction we had to make dogs move out of way). I kept thinking they were going to attack us. My friend was scared too and she's normally good with dogs.

I'm also scared of cows or entering any field of cattle in case they charge or in case there's a bull hidden amongst them. If I see cows i won't go in and if I don't see cows I keep next to fence ready to climb over if I see one. When I was a child I remember getting cornered by bullocks and having a panic attack. My dad (who used to work on a farm) says carry a big stick and wave it at them if they approach, or hit them with it if they get aggressive. He says the same works with dogs.

I haven't walked on farmland since last year, when I fell out with DH because I wouldn't cross a field with cattle and made him walk back the same way. We used to walk in fells instead (no cows) but now I'm scared of another incident with farm-dogs! He thinks I'm 'being ridiculous' and says cows and dogs are harmless. What do you think... AIBU? How do I get over this fear?

To the poster who says there's no such thing as a reliably under control dog off lead, why do you think that? Not goading, genuinely interested?

We have a smallish springer spaniel who is all kinds of stupid but who has impeccable behaviour off-lead. She'll pause and wait if I whistle and say 'off', she's never jumped up a stranger or even run at one. She's not aggressive to other dogs and her recall is perfect; you can call her name and guarantee she'll be by your side within 8 seconds. For me that's pretty much under control. I'd be a little affronted if someone shouted at me for simply having her off-lead when I'm certain of her behaving herself.

I go walking a lot and have never, ever had a problem with another walker's dog. Generally the sort of people who go walking are good at training their dogs, plus the dogs are outside and just want to run around. Farm dogs can be frightening (but are usually just territorial).

The dogs to be worried about are underexercised, untrained inner city dogs with owners who don't give a fuck. They do make me feel nervous.

It wasn't me that said that 'there's no such thing as a reliably under control dog off lead' Charlotte but when I was bitten by a dog while I was out walking, the owner was totally shocked and mortified because she had never bitten anyone before, or showed agressive behavior. I was simply walking towards them, was about 10 metres away and the dog just bolted from walking with her owner, ran towards me and bit the back of my leg. I hadn't made any sudden noises or gestures.

The only thing we could think of was that the dog that bit me had a one of her (few months old) pups with her and maybe she was startled because I suddenly appeared over a hill from her perspective and she was protecting the puppy. So probably a freak occurences and luckily a minor incident, ie the dog bite wasn't worse and I am a healthy adult and not a child or person with health problems that may have been in more danger from a dog bite.

I sometimes walk MILs dog who is mostly good off the lead, but she does occasionally get a bit excited by the free space and won't come back when shouted. I have also witnessed a dog go from walking nicely with it's owner to bolting off, jumping over broken walls and chasing sheep two fields away.

MidniteScribbler
Don't ever go to a cattle market. All the people herding the cows in and out have a stick. Are they cruel idiots too? No but they'd be idiots if they didn't have one! No one runs at cows and dogs waving a stick, nor is it used to hit them. You can push cows away from you with a stick, it's very affective. For dogs a long stick can be held up to protect you, and yes in the worst case scenario it can be used to save you or another from a vicious attack. Her father is not suggesting she goes around beating animals with a stick.

All the farmers near me and the wives and the kids, carry some kind of stick when they're bringing the cows in. Its no easy task bringing a 20 herd of cows down a lane, there's usually the farmer in front and maybe one of the kids behind, always they carry a stick. They'd be foolish not to.

tomatodizzy, In the US they are fattened in feedlots, ok its not always strictly indoors but it might as well be. Not a blade of grass to be seen and months eating grain their bodies cant digest. All farmers will supplement with grain to fatten before slaughter but in the UK most cattle are grass reared and finished, a quick google shows a Sunday Times article from a couple of years ago www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article1320600.ece I really hope this practice doesn't spread.
Its a horrible, unneccessary thing that produces inferior, drug riddled beef and animal suffering.
A happy animal is always tastier than an unhappy one. British beef is infinitely tastier than regular American imo, unless its a Texas steer of course.

I think what people are not grasping is that this is done in the month or two before slaughter, it's done to fatten them up, they are not put in these lots from birth, they cannot be and survive or be viable beef cattle.

I'm not saying it's not done I know full well that it is. I've lived on a US cattle ranch that is used for research when my husband was working for one of the state universities. The cows are raised outdoors, and this is not unusual, it happens on most ranches. It is a leap of assumption and ignorance of livestock to say they spend all their lives indoors in the US. We are farmers, ours are fattened up but this requires rounding them up daily to feed them. I would rather this than having them locked in a muddy pen all day and night. Others do not feel this is a problem and do it, some people just sell them on to be fattened up elsewhere, so they don't know what the practice is.

The problem, with US beef, is that they inject the cows with hormones and antibiotics which are completely illegal in other beef countries (Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Australia). These hormones will/do affect the meat. Organic or non-organic beef from most countries might be the difference between a facotry foodlot compared with gradual/natural fattening or non at all. In the US it can mean the difference between eating and not eating hormones that other countries have outlawed for good reason. Sticking to the organic variety is the safest bet. This will encourage the foodlot practice less. And don't even get me started on pigs and chickens, they ARE raised indoors in terrible conditions. The UK is one of the worst offenders of this.

And to the OP, avoid cows, and ignore anyone who tells you to avoid the countryside because you don't like cows, or get over you fear of them. I'm scared shitless of them.

Yep - here in New England we have cows and sheep on the field about half a mile from my house. Also numerous cattle farms round here where the cows spend the majority of their time outdoors. In winter they're indoors - we get around 9 feet of snow though.

I don't think cows are attacking (unless you have a dog and they have calves) They are coming to see if you have got something for them. Cows are programmed to follow, so surely running away is not teh best plan!
I turn to face them and calmly herd them away.

I had one of them urban cows going through my bins last night. Bastards.

I dont think you are grasping feedlots dizzy. My family farm, I have lived on farms, I own a farm that I rent out. I am far from ignorant about livestock. Yes non free range pigs and chickens are raised in terrible conditions in the UK. That does not make feedlots any less terrible.

www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/12/feedlots-vs-pastures-two-very-different-ways-to-fatten-beef-cattle/250543/

Half their lives spent in a feedlot, that's appalling.

Since i've had children my enjoyment of walks in the woods has been marred as i am scared now of all kinds of terrors, mainly hammer weilding murderers and fierce dogs off the lead.

It is obvious to me that in order to make the whole world safe and easy for human beings, who are, after all, the only living things that matter, we should be striving to eliminate all other inconvenient life forms. I know many of us are doing sterling work in this área, but so far not enough!

I suppose we could allow some of the more visually appealing life forms to stay in zoos so we can take our kids to look at them, but really, what is the point of anything other than us? There's only so much space, water, air etc on this planet, and we need it.

ShebaRabbit I'm not arguing that feedlots don't exist or aren't terrible or that the US beef industry is awful. You went from saying "spend their lives indoors" to "Half their lives"

This is not the same and I was just pointing out that feedlots are not the reason that a couple of Americans that one poster knows have never seen cows.

I thought feedlots could only be used for a couple of months. Thanks for pointing out that that is not the case in the USA, I wasn't aware. So that explains the use of antibiotics. Which are illegal elsewhere. It means the cows can be forced to survive on grain that they're not designed to eat. That makes it even worse and a reason for US consumers to demand changes, don't you think?

walk in the town then if you don't like cows

Charlotte it was me who said no such thing as a reliable off lead dog.
I live on the sea front and see literally HUNDREDS of dogs every day.

every day I see he same scenario being played out.

owner lets Fluffy off the lead.

Fluffy skips around the owner fetching balls , sticks etc.Owner very happy, imagines the rest of the world to be admiring their beautiful and well behaved dog.

Fluffy catches sight of other dog / imagined rabbit/ kid with ice cream /whatever in the distance
Fluffy abandons owner/ ball/ stick and hares off into the distance in pursuit of whatever.

owner, somewhat surprised calls " fluffy, Fluffy , come on boy, there's a good dog "

Fluffy ignores owner and keeps running till target is reached.

owner looks perplexed, gives chase, still calling " Fluffy ! " etc , and then " FLUFFY ' and then bellowing "FLUFFY!!!"

owner reacher Fluffy and the object of his desires which migh be another dog or a terrified kid; owner clips lead back on, says " BAD DOG FLUFFY " and apologises profusely for Fluffy's indiscretions , assuring the victim that Fluffy is just playing and is not normally so naughty.

I swear to God I have seen this scenarios played out THOUSANDS of times and I cannot for the life of me understand why I can predict Fluffy's behaviour and the owner can't.

OP I don't know about cows but bloody dogs- I sympathise.

Yes very true.

I live in a rural village, grew up in the countryside and am from a long line of farmers, but I've just about given up going for walks round here because of badly behaved dogs and their entitled owners. I'm scared of big loose dogs because I was once bitten by one. Twice recently I've had a bad dog experience whilst minding my own business trying to have a gentle walk.

First occasion DH and I suddenly found ourselves cornered in a wood by a large snarling dog, teeth bared, whose owners were slowly walking towards us in the distance. DH called out out and asked them to call their dog off and the next thing we knew the dog owner descended on us shouting that his dog wasn't aggressive, and then threatened to hit DH ! Luckily his female companion was more reasonable and we managed to escape unscathed.

Second occasion was in the grounds of a National Trust property - Sissinghurst Castle. We were having a quick stroll around the lakes after visiting the garden when a huge wet muddy dog suddenly ran up and jumped on DH, smearing his shirt with muck. The owner was nearby attending to a second big dog and I called out to her very politely. I said "Please can you call your dog off because I am frightened of dogs". She completed ignored me and left the dog to carry on worrying us. We had been intending to go for a meal in a nearby restaurant but had to go home instead because DH's shirt was plastered in mud from her dog.

I am sick to death of entitled dog owners interfering with my enjoyment of my countryside.

me too Tams in but it's not just the countryside. they're bloody everywhere.

I put my hands in my pockets, so there is nothing for them to bite!

The dogs may be showing extra interest in you because they think you are getting them a treat from your pocket.

YANBU not to like cows or dogs, but YWBU to insist that dogs are leashed even on countryside walks - dogs need off-lead time and the countryside is a safe place for them to be walked off-lead.

Jesus we live in a dull world of risk free adversity. I would recommend sitting at home just in case...