Farmers dogs on public footpath

[Cuppateeee]

Just been on a lovely walk in the countryside, only to be spoiled by a shouty farmer. Need a different perspective on it otherwise it will just wind me up. Will include picture.

Walking with my dog on a lead through a field, staying on the public footpath when I see two border collies barking in the distance. I stay where I am to look for a farmer to check if they are aggressive or not, no one in sight, they are staying where they are but still barking and in the way of where I need to walk, so I went back and walked down the other side of the fence.

I get to the bottom and see the dogs have gone, also notice the gate was open so they could have got to me anyway, never mind I’m there now and go over the stile back onto the public footpath.

Only then I notice the dogs have come back, so again I check to see if I can see the farmer because whilst they weren’t growling they were barking which is intimidating enough.

At this point there is a fence between us so not a problem but I check to see where the public footpath leads and you’re supposed to join the farm track but their gate is open. The dogs are following me and my dog down the fence, still barking, so I decided to walk away from them not wanting to risk what would happen when we reach the open gate. I am at this point on the farmers field.

After a few steps a farmer comes running shouting for my attention, I stop and see what he wants. He said ‘the footpath doesn’t go along there, you’re damaging the crops’. So he was clearly watching me, and would have been able to see that I was uncomfortable with his dogs around.

There is snow on the field so I wasn’t sure what I was walking on but either way I said, sorry I appreciate that but your dogs were being aggressive towards me and my dog so I felt I had no choice.

He kept repeating that if I can’t stick to the path then I shouldn’t go on the walk, which in normal circumstances I totally agree with, but in this case I felt it best, to protect me and my dog.

He insists his dogs are not aggressive, they are with him at this point, still barking but I admit not growling or coming closer, just staying with him, but I said again that I was not to know this and didn’t want to risk anything happening to my dogs.

In the end I walked away because he clearly could not see my point of view.

So was IBU waking on his land or was he. And if he was is there anything I can do to stop if happening to someone else. Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading.

I loathe farmers
what a stupid fucking comment.

Quite humblesims

Streetwise you really need to start thinking before you post such utter drivel. Honestly

They are protecting their land They probably weren't. It is normal for farm dogs to act like door bells. They alert farmers to the presence of others. It's a good thing... the barking can often be heard over tractor engines etc.

Farmers tend not to have dogs that attack as they would be a danger to livestock! They certaily don't breed attack dogs and then leave them out near footpaths.

It's one of those things you have to get used to if you want to walk in the countryside. It is VERY doffrent from urban areas! Don't let it put you off!

@isth I appreciate your comment, and perhaps just needed to be told this but at the time the farmer was shouting at me, I think a sign would’ve helped to reassure people they are friendly

You're so far from being reasonable.

It's like going into a bakery and smashing up all the produce or someone walking through your veg patch ffs.

Light and air??? Do we have a Breatharian in our midst???

OMG!!!!!!!!

You shouldn’t of walked on the farmers land. The farmer should of been keeping an eye on his dogs. You were both in the wrong.

Streetwise. You are not so wise are you. Obnoxious i would say

While not farmers, we have a smallholding with footpaths on it, and while it's annoying and rude when people stray off footpaths, I think in this case it was understandable.

Dogs that live in remote places can get barky and territorial when people and other dogs go through their land. Mine do and a lot of my neighbour's dogs do. My dogs would probably have run down to the fence line too barking, they often do, but I know it's intimidating for other people, so I'd call them back. The farmer should have done the same. If you apologised and explained why you detoured he should have realised it was partly his fault and let you off this time.

Well, if it happened as you said, it seems unreasonable to shout at you but honestly, we work fucking hard and seeing someone who is, in your eyes, needlessly damaging your livelihood is infuriating. Hope you weren’t too upset by it. Signs would be ignored for the most part as they always are, and I think you probably would’ve felt nervous regardless. Also where do you draw the line with signs, could be signs for all sorts which may make people nervous on a farm.

I'm also a farmer, and I think yabu. Especially at this time of year when animals are heavily pregnant/giving birth and crops are dealing with frosts etc. It's extra stresses that neither crops or stock needs.

Also, how many people before you went across his land? It can get really frustrating when the general public traipses across your land and nobody is listening.

I do sympathise with you op. I’m a farmer actually well my family are. And I was walking my dog today over our land and someone in a neighbouring field had a horrible yappy terrier unattended and i was bit nervous to go past him.

And I’m not from the country so I don’t meet many working dogs.
Where I’m from if a dog barks at you when out in the open, it’s a warning not to get closer

I suggest you keep to city parks and such. Trespassing on crops/farm land and then complaining about working dogs doing their job is a big no no.

Anyone that says that arable fields should be fenced needs to give their head a wobble and then look up the price of fencing. No farmer is going to fence anything unless it's to keep stock in. The price of posts and stock fencing (no matter the grade) is eyewatering and the maintenance is a full time job too.
Marker posts are for just that. Cut yourself some slack though OP. It was snowy and you are not a local. Farmers have a lot on their plate and he was probably over reacting a bit. Forget about it. Farm dogs are pretty shouty generally too.

@honeyroar I think that’s why it’s bothered me so much, the farmers attitude towards me when I apologised, moved straight to the path and explained myself. I can see why he was so angry but I was just trying to tell him all this could have been avoided if there was simply a sign explains why the dogs might be barking and following us.

Like I said before I’ve never strayed off the footpath before and certainly won’t be again!

think a sign would’ve helped to reassure people they are friendly

Livestock theft is a real problem and barking dogs can be a good deterrent. A sign would really stop that from working.

Streetwise you are an absolute twat.

OP this was completely your fault. You should not have left the path. Basically you don't sound grown up or sensible enough to be out on your own in the countryside, let alone in charge of dogs in public.

OP the farmer was likely angry because of people leaving footpaths and trampling crops / scaring animals. You shouldn’t be walking your dog in the countryside if some barking working dogs make you nervous. I’m sorry if this sound harsh but it is true. In my 3 decades of rural living I haven’t met a working dog that isn’t fully under control nor one that would be likely to attack another animal unless to protect livestock.

I would suspect you are more likely to be attacked by a poorly trained small breed in an urban park.

Yabu if you think a collie can't get under, through or over a gate...it would have made no difference having been closed. Fwiw if they're just making a noise rather than being agressive working collies often stop barking if you shout at them to shut up 😉

@Pandechocolate but this is exactly my point, if they are used as a deterrent, then surely the farmer can see they may also be intimidating to people on the footpath.

And... what? You need a sign to explain why farm dogs bark on their own farm?

I don't think there's any hope for you.

So hang on, when we have threads on here where an OP says oh my sniffed another dog everyone piles in and says your dog was raging out of control. But because the dogs belong to a farmer then being aggressive means they are doing their job?! Is their job then to prevent walkers using the public footpath thereby forcing them to step onto the farmer's land? Bugger me those dogs must have good eyes "ere look Rex she's stepped over the boundary our work 'ere is dun" - ?

But that said OP the farmer is NEVER going to see your point because he saw a safe target for a bit of a rant. His dogs caused the situation. Farm dogs aren't meant to be aggressive guard dogs particularly not where there's a public footpath.

Replace farmer's dogs with farmer's bull. If you think the footpath is unsafe due to animals in (or beside) the farmer's property, please feel free to not go on the farmer's property. A footpath is all well an good but a legal right to go somewhere where livestock or other animals can be doesn't mean you should.