Dog walking during lockdown

[Gruffalomom]

Is anyone else getting enraged by some dog walkers during lockdown?

Walking with my two small children and taking lots of care to keep our 2m distance and every 5 minutes we have a dog off the lead running up to us .

My littlest one freaks out with that at the best of times after a bad experience as a toddler but we have no idea if dogs can transmit the virus or not.

Even if they can't transmit the virus, the dog walker who comes running up to us to reign in their dog certainly can!!

Aibu to think dogs should be on the lead in the current circumstances if their is any chance of them running up to other people?!

I really don't care if your dog is friendly, we don't like them running up to us!!

And the increase in dog poo ..

The world is full of people who can’t understand why you don’t want their dog to slobber on you. And “he’s only being friendly” apparently makes everything ok.
I’m not afraid of dogs and neither are my children, but I’ve always kept my distance because of the germs eg licking and/or sniffing shit and then attempting to lick people - no thanks. And now there’s Coronavirus on top.

The dog owners should definitely be keeping their dogs on the lead if they do not have effective recall. Only thing I can suggest is to try and vary the time you go out to see if you find a less busy time.

Fourpeasinapod - sorry but it’s 1 exercise per day. Not 4. You can’t adapt the legislation to suit yourself

@fruitypancake
Yes, that is the point - if a dog touches someone or their clothes. So Keep Your Dog on a Lead. People's lives and health matter more than your dog's preference for off lead exercise. For pete's sake, what does it take?

@Darbs76 oh and how can the police prove that i have been out more than once?
I have a large empty green space of grass across from my house and there is plenty of space for social distancing. So I can’t infect anyone or be infected If there’s nobody beside me.

Absolutely nothing wrong with exercising more than once a day as long as you stay away from people.

I would understand your point of view if I was gathering with a group of friends and going for a walk but I am not, it’s literally just me and my dog in open spaces, alone. So me going out more than once will not increase the spread on my part

Fourpeas it not really about whether the police will catch you or not though is it?

We all have a responsibility to take the guidance seriously and limit the amount of time spent outside of our homes.

I'm fed up of the hoardes who never walk anywhere in the village who've all now decided that the exercise is compulsory.

They're clogging up footpaths, walking across fields with emerging crops and glaring at you for daring to walk a path that you've walked all winter and in all fecking weathers without seeing a soul.

As for leaving gates open, words fail me. DOH. Can't wait for Costa and Next to re-open so they can all be occupied again

@Gruffalomom I understand and agree with you but you can’t spread or catch this virus if you aren’t around anybody in close proximity.

I always distance myself when I’m walking. If somebody walks near me I quickly get out of their way.

How many more threads do we need to moan about dogs??

JaneEyre I think all of us who make regular and responsible use of the countryside are finding the additional people frustrating.

It's not just dog walkers that have a monopoly on use of the outdoors

Doesn't mean dogs shouldn't be kept away from other people at the moment.

@fourpeasinapod whilst I understand what your saying, if the whole country took your approach, what do you think that would look like?

I get that these new rules say you can’t exercise outside more than once a day.

But, as long as you aren’t anywhere near people, you are grand to go out more than once.

It's not dogs Betty it's the inconsiderate owners that are the problem

1. Dogs can get (and therefore I assume pass on) the coronavirus 2)This thread just proves how this lockdown is just going to fall apart very soon. Everyone's making up their own rules anyway.

YANBU.

I own multiple dogs, have done all my life and I have come to the sad realisation that some dogs owners are my most least favourite people in the world.

We farm and it is driving me potty the extra amount of people that we have simply never seen before, now walking everywhere and anywhere they want with their loose dogs terrorising the wildlife and livestock and of course non-dog walkers. Bloody selfish idiots, can't stand them and their stupidity.

@purpleboy fair point, can’t argue with that, but like I’ve said, i haven’t been anywhere near anyone during my walks so that isn’t a problem for ME at this point in time

Everyday there is a new thread about the extra people who are using parks and public spaces.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a3865477-To-think-one-of-the-rules-should-be-dogs-on-leads-at-this-time?msgid=95163994#95163994

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3859371-To-ask-dog-walkers-to-keep-them-on-a-lead

They always end up the same.

There are people who do have well behaved dogs off leash, there are those who insist that their dogs are well behaved and are not really, and there are those who simply do not care because ___ (insert appropriate answer here).

There are walkers/runners who are inconsiderate, who don't announce their arrival (never seems to be that the person who is constantly surprised by runners are actually vigilant and actively checking in front and behind, but hey ho!), who are too fast, who are too slow, who are ...

There is plenty of consensus that there are groups of people out who are not social distancing as they should though!!!

Why don't we have a permanent thread?

I thought this yesterday. Far too many people with their dogs off leads, letting them bound up to me, my baby and my dog ( who is always on the lead) telling me it's ok, they're friendly before dragging them away.
Even before all this, it should be that if you can not control your dog it needs to be on a lead.

I have also noticed an increase in dog poo as well. Very odd.

I have read on MN that it is an unspoken rule in Britain (or maybe just England) that on a shared path with cycles, it is the norm to walk/run on the left like the cycles. I grew up in areas in my home country where this is certainly the case on all footpaths within certain cities (people who don't end up with briefcases/satchel injuries at peak time - not deliberately, but simply because they are a single person swimming up the wrong side of the footpath/tunnel whatever).

Is this unspoken rule, so unspoken that it is non-existent or just ignored because, as one of my friends said, it takes away freedom of choice?

Being on the left (following the bikes rules) seems to make it so much easier to navigate this social distancing when I see it in action.

Does anyone else do it consciously?

I have not been able to go to my usual park as I need to drive really(could walk ,but a long way on top of walking when there) There is a wide road near us with trees ,bushes and lots of smells .Most people stand to one side and I do the same so to enable each other to pass safely .

Just chill out everyone. We will all get through this nightmare if we just stay calm and help one another. Just think by the time normality is back we will be so happy to be Able to go about our lives normally again

@fourpeasinapod it's a hard one really because in practise your not coming into contact with anyone so as you say no risk, but the real point is that if everyone decided to bend the rules as they see fit then we are going to find ourselves with a much bigger problem, because people seem to find a reason why the rules don't apply to them and others then see this so think it's ok for them too?

The dog poo bins near us have all been sealed shut with tape. So of course people are just piling the bags up next to the bins because a clear notice saying ‘Our employees are covering essential work elsewhere so these bins will not be emptied’ means fuck all to some people. I imagine some dog owners are not even bothering to bag it now, because they know the council employees won’t be monitoring the area like they did either.

I have 2 dogs atm. Both spriger spaniels, and both need of lead to get enough exercise, never mind the fact the younger one we havent had for very long, and pulls on the lead terribly. I have them off lead as much as possible, BUT they both have excellent recall. The youngest gets excited and will try to run to people, but he has never let me down when I call him back, and I never take my eyes off him.
I completely understand where you are coming from about dogs being allowed to approach people. At the moment people seem to be keeping their dogs under more control than usual.
I have found that on paths I usually walk with the dogs, that are usually deserted, there are so many more people and a lot of them are taking no notice of the social distancing rules and take up the whole path and won't budge.

@purpleboy yes I see your point and I agree with you completely.

I can only talk about my Experiences and that is that I’ve never come into close contact with anyone recently whilst I’ve been walking. If I noticed it was getting busier I’d stay away