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)

EmeraldScorn The OP references the dogs being inside on around pages 5 and 6. There are photos of them in the house on page 10.

Why wouldn't you ask if it's something you want? There must be other places he could walk his dog.
The worst that could happen is that he could be a bit irritated and say no.

He has every right to walk his dog there - that is the whole point. He isn't required to walk anywhere else - if the OP doesn't like the barking then it's her responsibility to do something about it.

If indeed it's him walking his dog which is disturbing hers - that hasn't been established for definite.

Exactly Francis although to bf honest I'm not really sure what we're arguing about now.

Why wouldn't you ask if it's something you want? There must be other places he could walk his dog

Because its not about what you want, and he likes to walk his dog there, so why shouldn't he.

OP is bothered by HER dogs barking, and she wants to fix this by asking a complete stranger to change his legal and normal behaviour. If you can't see what is wrong with that its quite depressing.

A dog off the lead near sheep? Awful. I would find out where he lives and have a wee 'discussion'.

derxa the OP says they've already had that wee discussion. When the walker's dog got through the OP's (poorly maintained??) hedge into the sheep field, the walker stopped and reported the incident to the OP. Who was fine with it. Presumably the OP has now fixed the hole in the hedge, to prevent dogs entering and sheep exiting.

When the walker's dog got through the OP's (poorly maintained??) hedge into the sheep field, the walker stopped and reported the incident to the OP. Who was fine with it. Presumably the OP has now fixed the hole in the hedge, to prevent dogs entering and sheep exiting. There's no such thing as a dog proof fence on a farm. The man sounds bloody odd.

I didn't though Francis. Others did. I merely jumped on the bandwagon as it trundled by. I'm tired of this thread though now and have no idea why I keep clicking on it. Boredom I suppose

The man doesn't sound bloody odd at all - what's odd about walking your dog at night on a public path?

The man doesn't sound as odd as the OP - or the people who are encouraging her to seek him out and say "BTW, you know that thing with the dog and the sheep that you told us about (and we do appreciate your honesty in coming forward at the time). Well I've been thinking about it and I've changed my mind. I'm not happy about it and I thought I would come round and rather belatedly give your the piece of my mind which I failed to give you when the incident happened".
Although it may just have the unintended effect of encouraging him to walk his dog a very, very long way from the OP.

We live in a similar set up. I would be unsettled and yes I would approach him to ask if he realises that he's disturbing you.
Plenty of other places to walk.

It all sounds odd. Do neighbours not talk to each other in this place?

Good grief - other people are entitled to walk there. If the OPs dogs are disturbing her with their barking then that's the issue that requires sorting.

And of course it hasn't actually been established that it's the man walking his dog which are setting her's off

We live in a similar set up. I would be unsettled and yes I would approach him to ask if he realises that he's disturbing you

Don't you get how weird that is? You can't control who walks where!

No but you can ask him if he realises that he's disturbing you.

If it's a public footpath you'd be absolutely U to email him and ask him not to. I live on a farm track that's also a footpath. Every night before I go to bed I walk the dog along the lane to do a wee. I'd be really '' if someone emailed me to say I was scaring them.

You really can't! He has a right to be there and he's not disturbing the OP, her dogs are (and of course she doesn't know for sure it is actually him). It's like asking neighbours to use alternative routes to early morning shifts or flights because they are disturbing your sleep

Sorry should have added, on the flip side my dog goes mental barking when people walk past. But I bought a house on a public right of way and I presume you did too so it's just one of those things you have to suck up

Hi , I'd ask him nicely. If he's normal enough and reasonable enough to apologise when his dogs have done something wrong he'll probably be reasonable enough to vary his walk ever so slightly so as to be considerate. Of course you cannot stop people using a public footpath but it's not that nice to be doing so at that time when it is right next to a house. Most dog walkers are nice, he's probably not the exception!

Did we establish if the footpath is public or private?

If private, YANBU. Put up a gate with a code to stop people walking on your property. Fence it off all you like. Put big signs up telling people to bog off.

If public, YANBU to ask politely on the off chance, but YABU if he says no and carries on walking there.

carries on walking there and you complain or ask again - you would just have to accept that. (was the end of the post )