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)

He is indirectly disturbing her.

If you received the email would you think 'Piss off, I'll walk where I like,' or would you think 'OK I'll go another way so they don't get woken up.' ?????

I think it's totally nutty to email someone to ask them to walk elsewhere because you can't control your dogs. If they were friends and bumped into each other from time to time it might be less odd, but I'm assuming he walks there because he likes too, or because it's a safe place to walk. I walk my dog at 11-12 at night because it's when I have a chance to do it, and it means he can sleep through without needing out in the night. I would just train the dog to be honest, and if you're really freaked out so easily get extra locks

OP said there is a footpath on the field where he could walk.

Are you going to accept it if he ignores your email? I would if I were him. Maybe he is a nicer person than me and will take it into consideration, but I have a standard walk that I take with my dog which suits us well, and if someone sent me a mail asking me to change it for some spurious reason, I probably wouldn´t bother.

He is not doing it every night - some nights he does use a different route. He probably likes variety. Or has a fitness tracker and is trying to hit his target. Or something.

OP, if you had no dogs, you would have no problem. Does that help clarify things and help you understand who needs to take action?

yabhorriblyU

leave a radio on for the dogs.....they then will not be focussed on listening for the bogey man walking his dog and won't even hear him.

Op I don't know why you bothered posting in AIBU? Because you're not even willing to acknowledge that you're being unreasonable. You've literally responded to the (very few) people who are agreeing with you. For what it's worth. Yes I would find it annoying but you can't stop him. From what I can gather, it's a public path? (I got confused between your posts) and really you need to sort your dogs barking out. YES, people 1/4 mile away can hear your dogs, and it's very irritating for them. I've had it in the past and trust me, it's more frustrating for them. You really should sort that out.

OP send the email. You've got nothing to lose. He owes you one anyway.

This problem, and similar problems, will be eliminated when the keeping of dogs as pets is banned.

Elephant - "when The keeping of dogs as pets is banned"?! Oh and when might that be exactly? On whose say so? People may not agree with the OP but it doesn't mean it gives you free reign to pop up and be a goady fucker.

I live in rural yorkshire. The farm approx. 1/2 mile away has two spaniels, kept indoors. We hear them bark at night if they hear a fox or cat...

BitOutOfPractice

I would email and ask politely not to come that far as it starts the dogs barking late and night and it wakes your daughter. Under no circumstance tell him you are on your own though at times.

This spiralled a bit. Anyway, I was just back to get my telling off from politix. I know now not to point out a stupid comment even if it is stupid.

YABU

HTH

Your dogs are the ones disturbing you. Not the man. Who is being completely reasonable in what he is doing.

As others have said..... deal with your dogs.

I am seriously amazed how what seems to be a majority of people on this thread think that what is "right" and what is "legal" are the same thing. If the path is public, then it's totally fine for the guy to walk down it no matter what the circumstances are, and if it's private, then it's not. Right to property trumps everything. Totally above any consideration for the fellow human being. No wonder Trump is president.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to politely ask this guy if he would consider changing his route. It's not unreasonable to have barking guard dogs in an isolated country house. It does not sound from the OP's description that changing the route will cause any actual inconvenience to the man. After all, he is already walking for a quarter of a mile to OP's house from somewhere. There must be plenty of equivalent alternative paths. There is just no way I would walk my dog past an isolated country house late at night knowing that it sets off the house dogs every time, especially if there was an alternative route. In the same way, living in an urban terraced house as I do, I don't play loud music, turn the telly down in the evenings, don't play musical instruments after 8 pm, and try not to park in front of my neighbours' houses. I know that I am perfectly legally entitled to all these things, but legality does not make these things right. Why make somebody else's life unpleasant when it's perfectly easy not to?

Unless the dog walker has a hearing impairment, he will be aware that OP's dogs bark when he walks by. Maybe he has already taken a view on this, unless he really is socially unaware and it hasn't crossed his mind.

OP, out of interest, does his dog bark when yours start up?

I'm with those who think OP shouldn't email. The dogs in the house are not the walker's responsibility and receiving an email like that is likely to make him feel awkward, even if he chooses to ignore OP's request.

I live rurally.

I don't think there is any harm in sending the email BUT do not tell him you are on your own!

Also whilst it is a private lane,it is a public footpath so he has every right to be there whenever he likes. I use footpaths every single day and I get completely pissed off with some farmers not keeping access clear, not repairing styles, putting up rude signs. However a polite email from you may do the trick.

It's annoying, but presumably you knew the house had a right of way/footpath going past it when you bought it/moved in? I'd focus on getting the dogs to stop barking - echo what PPs have said about leaving radio on, using black-out blinds and heavy curtains, or moving them to a room away from the lane. I wouldn't make an unreasonable request of a stranger. The fact that you're remote is irrelevant - he's got as much right to walk there as if you lived on an urban road.

There are other, better security measures than barking dogs, and yours sound particularly sensitive TBH. Fair enough to bark if someone actually comes up to the door, but just walking past the house is a bit OTT

I speak as someone who also lives in a remote location, has a footpath going past house, and owns a dog.

Why would the email say that Francis? What Olympiathequeen ^ said was fine.

AutumnMadness has summed it up perfectly.

If you received the email would you think 'Piss off, I'll walk where I like,' or would you think 'OK I'll go another way so they don't get woken up.' ?????

I would think "no way am I changing my route and it's bloody cheeky to ask". I guess that's a slightly more polite version of your first option.

He's only disturbing to op because of her dogs. That's not his issue to solve, it's hers.

Was his dog off the leash the time it got into the field with the sheep?