To ask someone not to walk down a footpath at night ?

[Nearlyoldenoughtowearpurple]

We live in the country, at the end of a private lane. This is also a footpath.
For the last few months our dogs have been barking madly about 11o clock at night. We put it down to foxes but I find it really unnerving, especially if dh is away.
One night, just before Xmas, the barking was worse and it sounded like the dogs had got out. It was about 11.30. Dh went downstairs and opened the front door to see if he could see our dog but there was a guy standing on the doorstep. He said that he had come to apologise because he had been walking his dog in the lane and it had got through the fence into our sheep field and he thought it might have chased the sheep . ( sheep all fine in case worried).
He gave dh his card and said that he walks his dog at night as its not good with other dog. From his business card I think he is a bit of a techy up late at night gamer type anyway, who probably doesn't find it weird to be walking at that time.
Since then we have realised that it's his walking down the lane that upsets the dogs as they bark, shut up and then bark again in the amount of time it would take to go past the house to the end of the lane and then back again.
I have his email address, do you think it ok to send him a polite message, just explaining how much this freaks me out and ask him to not walk past the house after a certain time, pretty please ? There is a big field , with a footpath in it, just before the start of our drive so it's not like he couldn't walk anywhere, just not the ten minute walk up the lane past the house and back. Obviously I appreciate I can't stop him, just point out its a bit antisocial?
Am I being precious ? It just really scares me ( and dd)

Asking him to put fido on leash sounds sensible.

Festive, it's a public right of way on private land, as most rural footpaths are

I do sympathise, as 11:30pm is pretty late to be walking a dog. But he gave you his business card, so I don't think he's a mad rapist. If it's your path, then ask him to go elsewhere. If not, think about it as extra security!

I also sympathise regarding your sheep. But he did let you know about his dog getting loose, so he is aware of the risk. I do think it worth telling him when your ewes need extra consideration. He should always have his dog on a leash near sheep anyway.

Another thought would be to have a motion activated floodlight. This might deter him.

OP It wasn't "a point". It was a question. Sorry I wasn't entirely sure if the situation in the lane. Crikey!

"I drop my daughter off for school bus at 7.30 in the mornings . I park outside a cottage on a public road. However quiet we were with closing car doors, radio off etc their dogs would bark. First opportunity I had, I spoke to them and asked if it was a nuisance for them as if so I would make other arrangements . They said no, they were all up and not to worry."

Please, please let us know what his response is to your slightly bizarre email is?

I definitely feel such an email is an over reaction at present. Recent suggestions of putting up signs requesting dogs be leashed is much more reasonable. If he ignores these then by all means feel free to email him and ask him to make sure his dog is on a lead by your property.

But to ask him to alter his route is, as a pp so eloquently put it, frankly barking

Pictish cute pic but yes I did , was actually very handy as discovered guy was plumber and he now does all our plumbing work
Bitoutofpractice sorry, feeling defensive of my dogs !

Badum tish Booble

I'm not asking him to alter his route per se just slightly shorten it
Can't understand how inconveniencing everyone who walks here by asking dogs to be on a lead is a more acceptable solution than asking the one person who causes a problem to modify his behaviour in a massively insignificant way ( very politely if he doesn't mind if you do
Mind don't worry kind of way)

Pictish cute pic but yes I did

Not sure if you saw my post on that subject OP, but why did you not simply park elsewhere as soon as you heard the dogs barking?

YABU. If it is a public right of way, anybody is entitled to walk down it at any time of day or night. You have no right to complain or ask him to change his walking habits, no more than someone living by a busy road has the right to expect people not to drive down it between the hours of 11pm and 6am.

It upsets your dogs, that is your problem. You don't like people exercising the right of way, that is your problem. The man is doing nothing wrong, by the sound of it he went out of his way to make sure that he wasn't causing you any alarm.

How do indoors dogs know the difference between a fox snuffling in the hedge and a dog snuffling in the hedge? Presumably not by smell? (Don't really know enough about dogs but am dead impressed they can do this). Or is it the torch they can see or something?
If you had a chance to introduce the man and his dog to your dogs, would they learn to stop barking at him as they have learned not to bark at other regular "intruders"?

Sirchenjin because it was 7.30 in the morning not 11.30 at night and because there is no where else to park and because according to the majority of people on this thread as it's a public road I can pretty much play the bag pipes outside at any time of day or night, it's my rights after all

Francis.. of course we checked on the sheep , didn't seem relevant to go into detail there

I don't know if it's the torch or the dog ferreting about in the hedge, I have asked my dogs but they have taken a vow of silence. I know he has a torch and I know the dog tries to come through my hedge ( it would have to to get to the sheep )

Hi op sorry to be completely dense here you say it's private lane with no right of way for cars is it actually a bridleway or right of way for walking at all? Before I get flamed I'm only asking because I'm a farm myself but thankfully we don't have any public paths at all (in NI) although it doesn't stop the odd very entitled twat thinking they can tramp all over our freshly dibbled crop; prime example lettuce with 12 (yes 12!) cavalier King Charles "oh I couldn't take them to walk in public I've a show coming up, they might catch something" they just caught you a bill for £6000 worth of damage plus a trespass charge so expensive walk.
If you do have a public walkway you are still entitled with livestock and machinery to have signage and gates and unless laws are different across the water I believe you may be entitled to restrict the hours at certain times of the year due to pregnancy and lambing (sheep not yours )

Scarey antisocial need to be in a crate or not as pets dogs AND proof I have curtains

That should read on our particular farm we don't have public paths or bridle way not NI as a whole obviously sorry grumpy toddler not helping

Scarey antisocial need to be in a crate or not as pets dogs AND proof I have curtains

There's nowhere else to park but you offered to make alternative arrangements. Seems like your offer was an empty one and you were relying on them saying it's fine. Why are you so convinced that everyone who thinks YABU is obsessed with their own rights?

So it was 7.30 in the morning - so what? You still caused their dogs to bark, so given that you're more considerate than c.98% of the posters on here, you should simply have taken it upon yourself not to give their dogs cause to bark - the residents may have been asleep, or ill, or any number of other things. And literally nowhere else to park? Not even a bit further away and walked? What if they had said yes, it's disturbing us and please don't do it - then what would you have done?

Rivers it has been fully established that the path is a public right of way for walkers.

Argymargy/sirchenjin

I asked them, they said it was fine, they are now friends . What part of that is unreasonable
Had it been an issue would have made dd cycle from the house, unpleasant for her in rain etc but possible

I was typing at the same time as the Op added that Argy, but thanks for clarifying. Gorgeous scary antisocial dogs op
Personally I would probably go with the dogs on leads signs then that might not only make it dawn on him he is being a bit of a nuisance but also put any other dog walkers (day or night) on the side of caution for your sheep

I asked them, they said it was fine

Because on the basis that you are super considerate, you shouldn't have asked them - you should have just removed yourself given that you were the cause of their dogs barking. Your DD would have been fine, after all - not a big deal (other than it suits you).