About dogs on country lanes?

[letsgoandtango]

I have recently moved to a narrow country lane(mostly single track, no pavement or verge) - not many cars use it as it's a dead end, but lots of walkers and dog walkers use it as a cut through to a nearby green space.

My AIBU is about dogs off the leash - I'd say probably one in 3 of the dogs I encounter going past. Sometimes one person will have 3 or 4 dogs running around . It makes me nervous because there is very little room, I have to squeeze past them when driving and once they are next to the car I can't see the dog, so I'm worried about hurting them. It's also frustrating having to go at snail's pace if I am in a hurry to do school run or whatever. Sometimes the dogs even run into our garden (and once into the house but I guess that's our fault for leaving the door open!)

I think dogs off lead on a road is illegal, but it is just the normal "done thing" on country lanes and cars just have to suck it up? If not, what can I realistically do? Put up a polite sign or threaten to run them over?

With single track roads, whichever side you walk is facing the on coming traffic...

YABU
I have always lived very rurally. This is a common occurrence on dead end lanes. I'm assuming traffic is pretty slow and visibility isn't too bad. Dogs aren't stupid (mostly) they usually get out the way provided you go past at a sensible speed and also the owners tend to call them to the side.
Welcome to the countryside

Another thread blaming someone else instead of recognising the need to take care on the road and perhaps leave the house a few minutes earlier. There was one about cyclists, one about cats, for example.

YABU.

@Allington

With single track roads, whichever side you walk is facing the on coming traffic...

Yes. We don’t have ‘sides’ to the road. We have a few muddy passing places, lots of reversing for two hundred yards and few wing mirrors. Cyclists regularly hurtle around blind bends at 25 miles an hour. Our very elderly folk take their daily constitutional in the middle of the road to reduce the risk of falling. The children often practice go karting, cycling or have their ponies out on the sloping road into the village. It’s why cars should be going very slowly.

nosswith

I've double checked the law and it is illegal on any public highway:
Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is a criminal offence for a dog to be on a designated road (ie. a public road) without being held on a lead. There are exceptions for dogs proved to be kept for driving or tending sheep or cattle in the course of a trade or business; and dogs proved to have been at the material time in use under proper control for sporting purposes
NB we don't get any flocks of sheep or (thank goodness) hunting down the lane!

So given that it is the law, it's clearly not too unreasonable of me to think dogs should be on leads

However, I have taken the point from other posters that I do need to respect the local ways and fit in with everyone who uses the road

cyclists could be a whole other thread, they come careening down the lane and are a liability to everyone but I'm not in the mood for a bashing

The i.e. a public road is incorrect. Not all public roads will be designated. You need to check with the local authority not take the word of some google lawyer.