To walk dogs alone in the woods?

[Mouseorchestra7]

I walk my parents’ dogs (two small-ish cockers) in the woodland and countryside around the busy-ish seaside town my parents live in. I absolutely love our walks, and find them so good for my mental health. I’ve never had any scary experiences (touch wood) in the year or so I have been regularly walking them (discovered the joys of it during the pandemic), but I do sometimes wonder whether I should be going out on my own for long walks as a solo women (late 30s). Part of me wonders whether I should even be asking this, as I know I’ll have to continue whatever people say, as I love the walks so much, as do the dogs!

I was just reading up about the Julia James murder, and it got me thinking (and worrying). I don’t have an OH, or friends in the area that can come with me unfortunately. If you walk on your own, are there any precautions you take? Hate that women have to worry about these things!

I walk/ run with my dogs in the woods and other isolated places. I feel safer somehow than if I was running around streets. I never wear headphones. I refuse to give in to fear when it is just a tiny % chance it would happen to me. Like others above, I have a very large dog who struggle to understand why a man would walk around without a dog and he keeps an eye on them and often follows them until they are past me.

@fernsandlilies same here. I always question it, and I will worry fleetingly from time to time on the walks.

I walk mine in the woods. In the dark mornings.
But I do vary the route and like others, am very alert to my surroundings. Dog is big and I believe would defend me if attack was to occur.
But every time I wonder if I'm safe, which is probably daft. I guess as women we are programmed from an early age to know we are the weaker sex, at least physically.
I can't imagine a world where I could walk my dog in the woods alone and feel 100% ok, regardless of the time of day.
And that is actually really shit.

I hike on my own and have never felt threatened - I always feel much safer in daylight. I do walk my dog in the dark though and sometimes it can be spooky, I take a torch with me and I have a staffy who looks the part so it tends to put anyone off. I had a very strange man cycling slowly behind me a few years ago in the park just after sunset, didn't hear him coming behind me but my dog did and she sure as hell let him know about it. It is awful that as women we even have to think about these things

I don't walk my dog in secluded places alone. I feel nervous just walking around the local playing field but then i did have a man intimidate me there, following me shouting and swearing because i asked him to control his very large out of control dog. My dog is a chihuahua x so no use at all if someone was going to attack me. The only place i don't feel nervous is walking around the busy roads near where i live because there's always someone driving past.

I wish I felt able to do this. Sadly I’ve had some horrible experiences- was flashed at by a man in the middle of a field once and another time had another man come up alongside me and walk with me, he was very friendly and chatty and then randomly dropped in “would you like to have sex?” My blood ran cold but I just sort of laughed and said no and amazingly he just ran off in the opposite direction. But those experiences have completely ruined my life in terms of me ever going out alone in rural / remote places. (This was Norfolk).

@FindingMeno

I wouldn't walk alone in woodland after dark.

Me neither

I'm a professional dog walker and walk in secluded places alone every single day - I rarely see another soul.

I love it and have never once felt frightened or worried or intimidated.

In fact, the only time I've ever felt worried by someone was in one of the busiest places I walk!

I run rather than walk dogs, and I carry a small aerosol, to be used if needed. I haven't needed it in 20 years and it's probably unnecessary.

I've practised karate for 10 years too. Hopefully, should any man be stupid enough to try, I can convince him that I'm just too much trouble.

I hike, just me and my little dog, all the time and I live in Bear Country. It’s empowering to get over your fears and just get out there and hike.

I do, I love the peace. Sometimes meet occasional dog walkers. My mum is hell bent on trying to convince me not to but I refuse to avoid the beautiful walks around here on the off chance I'm about to be murdered. I speak as someone who experienced a violent event in my younger days. Life is for living.

I walk my dogs in woods most days and don't feel unsafe. My youngest dog is a staffie and I know she would defend me and my other older dog against anyone threatening.

I walk my dog on my own and ride my horse in woods etc. I refuse to change my life and believe the risk is minimal.

It’s so sad we have to think about this.

I do walk on my own, with or without dogs, and deliberately choose further away routes as I like to be alone in the fresh air. Never in the dark and always somewhere I know

I do. Woods and hills and moors and whatever, and have since I was a teen.

You have to remember stranger attacks are very rare, and there is no way I would stop a remote chance of something like that stop me living my life how I want. It isn’t rational, although I can understand how people feel the way they do given the attention these rare cases get, plus the current and proper focus on far more common forms of male aggression.

I do it all the t8me and I know lots of other women who do. Women are statistically much more at risk from the men they live with than random strangers.

Go for walks. Don't let fear make you stay in.

I used to but somehow anxiety gets the better of me these days. I live in woodland and our garden is unfenced. On the rare nights I am here alone, I dont even like letting the dog out in case he doesn't come back straight away and I have to go calling after him.
I think I can trace this fear back to DH and the dog finding a fugitive out there one night. Police dogs and a helicopter caught him.

Yes I do and I don't worry about it. I figure I'm more likely to be attacked in a town or city where there are more people.

I don’t like walking by myself. I live fairly rurally and rather than walk alone on country roads I prefer to drive to the nearest town with the dog so I can walk on the beach and promenade, and there’s other people around.

Awful that we have to think like this.

I live alongside a woods and fields and walk my three over there three times a day , if I'm late I walk around the other estate Instead as it will be pitch black dark.
But reading through this thread I realise I rarely vary my routes much so will
Shake that up a bit , I have a small JR pup and two 2 year old terrier x , they mostly bark at other dogs but occasionally will
Bark at men too.

I walk alone but my dogs are large and one is a bit barky, though I reckon he’d sell me to a serial killer for a bit of sausage

So would mine. But they look the part at least.

Honestly walking alone doesn't bother me, with or without the dogs. I'm a single parent and I don't drive, I'd never get anywhere if I didn't walk. I drop DC at after school things and walk home then walk back to collect them, all in the dark at this time of year.

I am very conflicted on this topic. I love walking my dogs in the woods.

Unfortunately, a year or so ago a lone woman dog walker was stalked and attacked in my local woods in Brighton. It was very worrying as it was in broad daylight and is fairly busy normally.

As far as I am aware they have not caught the guy. I have gone occasionally since, but I have had moments of worry that I was being followed. My parents have asked me not to go but I love taking my dog there…

It is really shitty we can’t just enjoy a simple walk with our dogs without worrying about this kind of thing :(

I've always walked my dogs in the woods and felt very safe, only ever see other dog walkers or families with their children (if we see anyone at all). It's more built up areas, I feel more unsafe to be honest, i.e large parks in town.

I walk in local woods daily. It is a fairly busy dog walking area but I do walk at dusk sometimes if I am behind that day.

I am mostly hyper aware of my surroundings. I know the the small woodland area well and have been walking there for 20 years.

If I see a man from a distance without a dog I change my route quickly. I have been known to run back at speed, when I get a sixth sense that something is off.

My DH has had the only odd experience there, though, when a man jumped into his car as he was leaving. He thinks he had schizophrenia and just calmly told him to get out of the car. I would have had a heart attack on the spot!