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)

Yeah of course Margot. Snidely, that's me The vast vast majority of people had told the op she would be bonkers U to send the email. I maybe used a lot tiny but if hyperbole to get my point across. It clearly worked.

Insancerre dd has to be at rehearsals for the production she's in next week. She is very very grumpy about it as you can imagine.

It's not the walker disturbing the op. It's her 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.

Award for most ridiculous comment of the whole thread goes to this one. What how did you get from "man walks on public footpath" to "Trump wins in America"? Are you accusing all of us who disagree with the op's position of being trump supporters?

Do you have neighbours close by OP? Because if so I'm guessing they might not be happy about being woken every night by your dogs barking, so this is your problem really. They probabally bark if a cat wonders by, or other wild life, so really you should be putting them in part of the house where they are not distracted by things going on outside. I've lived near people who have dogs who bark uncontrollably day and night, and it irritates the hell out of me.

The post was snidey BitOutOf - I've no idea if you are generally snide.

Because you worded it in such a way to use the "you're barking" quip "Francis. The way Olympia* worded it was fine.

LovingLola I'm guessing it was off the leash, which ironically is illegal where there are livestock in close proximity I think?

Oh Margot I must've missed the memo informing us that you are now in charge of what is acceptable phrasing.

I walk late at night myself and yes my route sets off some badly trained dogs down a country lane. The owners "having a word" with me for disturbing them because their own dogs are actually disturbing them wouldn't go down terribly well.

A right of way is just that - a right of way.

Oh well, now you know BitOutOf .

Yes his dog is off lead
No he doesn't hear anything as in very odd occasion I have seen him he wears earphones and doesn't even hear car behind him
Yes I am fully prepared to accept aibu if I were "telling him" he couldn't walk there which is what people are leaping onto
I want to just let him know In a polite way what is happening .
It's a dead end so stopping and turning before he gets to the house would shorten the walk by five minutes, it's not exactly life changing is it.
No I do not accept my dogs Abu, it's their job to guard the house at night . The oldest and guardiest is 9 years old and has spent 9 yrs having the odd bark at night if he suspects intruders. We have a lot of farm equipment and machinery and need security. They cannot be expected to know the difference .
So iambu, my dogs anbu but am going to email anyway in the tone suggested on page one.
I honestly think that a normal human being would not mind shortening his walk by five minutes on the odd occasion if he realised it was inconveniencing people. I certainly wouldn't .
There is a 10 acre field with no livestock and a footpath in it , just opposite the house. He could make up the distance by throwing a ball once in there !

PurpleDaisies, thanks for my first ever biscuit!

It's quite easy to get from the dog walker to Trump if you think about the underlying assumptions behind the ethical decision-making in this case. If you value property above human beings, if you treat the right to property as the basis for other rights such as undisturbed sleep at night, if you think that people are "cheeky" just because they dare to communicate with you and politely ask you to do something differently, then you do end up with Trump. Trump stands for all these values - property above people, total individualisation and no regard for community.

I recently asked my immediate neighbours to ask their frequent visitors to try not to park in front of my house (on a public road where they are totally legally entitled to park) and use of the usually available spaces that none of the residents use 50 yards down the road. I am in last stages of pregnancy and struggling to walk, so 50 yards does make a difference to me, especially if I am carrying something. My neighbours obliged. But I suppose you would just politely direct me to the appropriate legal code because it's really cheeky of me to ask, right? My pregnancy is my problem, after all.

And what if the man is very accommodating and changes his route, and then someone else starts walking there on an evening. Is OP going to get everyone's email address who disturb her dogs, and send them polite emails?

Gosh you sound precious!

You actually want to stop someone walking on a foot path? Hahaha! Ok!

My dogs do not bark uncontrollably at all hours of the day and night
They know what's normal stuff for nights, foxes etc

I don't think a single person on this thread N clouding the OP has said the dog walker is doing anything wrong by walking on a public footpath at night. Of course he is allowed to do that. The difference is that some people think it's ok to politely ask him if he could change his route or the OPs sole benefit where most people seem to think that it's outrageous even to politely ask.

I think it's fine to ask. The man might be happy to walk another way and if he isn't then then the OP is no worse off. I'd ask in person rather than by email as it would be easier to get across the fact that you are asking a favour of him.

Including not N clouding

Yes, insancerre when we live in cities, suburbs, close proximity to others. He is walking a route in the middle of nowhere; he could walk a little way away and wouldn't disturb the OP and family. Why wouldn't you want to be considerate?

But in rural areas there aren't always alternatives. The guy probably wants to stick to hard, tarmac lanes at night. Chances are, wherever he goes, someones farm/house is going to get walked past.

I get loads of walkers past my house - we live in a national park and it's a popular route. I get fed up with it, but I know I they have every right to be there.

The OP is looking at this in the wrong way. The question shouldn't be 'how can I stop this guy walking along the footpath' it should be 'what can I do to stop my dogs from barking at night'

YABU - where and when someone chooses to use a public footpath is entirely up to them.

You sound like a total loon to expect someone to change their perfectly quiet routine so that your noisy dogs aren't disturbed.

But the problem is your dogs! Not the walker.

Quite extraordinary of you to ask him to change his walk

I still think you should not email.
My DH walks late at night, we do both have to be up early for work (6am) but neither of us sleep well, we have lots of work to do and i do a late night livestock check at 11pm anyway. He often goes for a walk at 10:30 or 11pm, yes he is a bit antisocial but his job is very people centric and he needs some down time.
He would be very upset if he received an email telling him not to walk down a public footpath, and then to be honest he would probably still do it.
He does not walk to walk the same way each night, he likes to be alone ( and admire the stars) and often if it wet or muddy it could be considered to be at least as antisocial to the farmer to be on the field footpath and churning it up.
In addition you can most definately hear dogs barking a 1/4 mile away at night, we can hear our second to nearest neighbours dogs when they bark at night, and they are more than 1/3 a mile away as the crow flies.

"I want to just let him know In a polite way what is happening."

"No I do not accept my dogs Abu, it's their job to guard the house at night."

So...what, you're going to email this man and point out that the dogs you want to bark to protect the house, are barking to protect the house when he walks past at night and it freaks you out?

If I got that email I'd think wtf?
This is your problem. Accept it.

Memo the OP has stated a couple of times now that there is a footpath in the alternate field.

He is on seriously dodgy ground walking his dog off lead near livestock.

Nemo not Memo

I wouldn't email either.

You'll have to put up with being woken up by your own dogs if they bark at people on a public right of way at night. It's not the walker's problem; he is doing nothing wrong.

Tikky yes I suppose there is generally no harm in politely requesting, as long as the OP accepts a polite 'no' might be the response. And if the walker does agree, he'd be doing her a big favour.

Although to be honest, my community is so tight knit that issues like this can lead to awkwardness or bad feeling among neighbours, so there would potentially be harm in asking, unless dealt with carefully (difficult to achieve via email where a 'polite' tone doesn't always come across). I realise most areas are more anonymous though.