Nervous for personal safety on dog walks

[hmc]

I've always been a bit like this - I walk off lead in the New Forest and there isn't much pedestrian 'traffic,' so I have sometimes wondered whether I am safe at times and have felt spooked over one or two men I have come across over the years... (probably completely in my head).

Now that poor woman has been murdered whilst tending her horse a few miles away from me in Beaulieu (also New Forest) ...leaving behind 5 children - how awful.

Perhaps I am being over fanciful but I am convinced that its going to turn out to be a random killer who may strike again - and he (its going to be a he, lets face it) is obviously local. I am so worried now about dog walking. Today I drove 40 minutes (1 hour 20 minutes round trip) to the beach to take them for an off lead walk because I figured the beach would be a high traffic area and thus safe (it was quite busy), but I can't be spending that much time everyday when there are good woodland and heath walks within 5 minutes of my house.

A couple of months ago two women were knifed walking dogs near Portsmouth (a bit further from me but still not miles and miles) although both survived and the culprit was caught. I don't therefore feel that I am exaggerating the risk in my mind - am I?

As much as I love my dogs I sometimes wish I didn't have them, then I wouldn't have this problem to contend with

Sorry that was long - just needed to offload

Ah yes, quite a guarding instinct

Oh and I was encouraged by a neighbour to takecacwalking stick/salopette
To hit any strange men with :o

I am really sorry to hear that Owllady - it's a bit shit! Am glad you weren't hurt though - nevertheless rather unpleasant experience.

Rooner - I didn't know that about Germany...I have googled how to make your own pepper spray. Apparently it is pretty potent but has a shelf life if just 3 weeks

Yes and I don't understand. I am a bit overweight, 36 yr old mother of 3
Why follow me
Urgh
I felt like I encouraged him as well as I spoke to him the first-time
The dog hated him too. They know don't they

I know exactly the feeling you've described. I've had 'that' feeling a few times whilst out walking my two. However, the more dominant of the two does come and guard me if she feels the need too, I trust her instincts.

One time I can distinctly remember is when walking them both on an open cricket ground that backed onto woods. Normally we'd do a couple big old laps and head home. It was dark, so I had a head torch on and they had their doggy collar lights on. On the second lap, my dog basically herded me away from approaching the woods and acted as a physical barrier to stop me going forward. I distinctly remember clearly standing there and thinking how quiet the area had become, for some reasons I turned off my head torch and my own spidey sense kicked in, cue the sound of broken branches and a man running across the front of the woods at full pelt and then darting back into the woods!! Next day in the local paper there was a report that a prisoner had escaped the local prison and was wanted for attacks against women!

Both my doggies are big, mastiff/pointer crosses and I don't doubt they'd protect me - that is if they've not got their head stuck down a rabbit hole somewhere!!!

I was thinking about this today too out in woods in the middle of nowhere.

My ridgeback bitch has a thing about men walking alone, yesterday we were out walking with another dog and my DS, off the path to our right a man came along, he must have surprised the dog but she stood hackles raised barking at him in fear, I know it's fear but he didn't, I apologised saying she's scared of you. I don't know if she's being protective or just scared but it does seen to be men alone without dogs that get barked at (as well as buoys, wheelie bins and the odd carrier bag tied to a tree)

I walk alone with my dogs and I feel safe, most people cross the road or path when they see my dogs ( a Staffie and a huge black dog ), I know my dogs would probably protect me. I understand you worry though, what happened to that poor woman was just awful.

Mzzf - wow. What a smart dog you have.

My dog isn't a big fan of lone men too.

When I'm out, I constantly check for blokes. If they have a dog or a re running am then I relax. If not, I will detour sharply. I prefer open spaces as a result.

What a bloody shame we all have to live in fear like this. I do think my dog would protet me. I hope I never have to find out!

Wow I think I have dog envy mzzzf - what a clever dog you have! My bigger dog (not all that big) is a comedian, but he is a lover not a fighter!

Same with your ridgeback Kitty - lovely to have a canine bodyguard!

I do the same Rooner - change my direction of travel if I don't like the look of a bloke. And emphatically agree - what a shame we have to think like this

might be choosing from this list for dog no 3

get a rottie ...love them

Hi hmc, think my dad must be in a similar location to you as that poor woman was not far from him. I'm even scared for him out dog walking and cannot imagine that I would be out on the forest. I hope you can manage a nice lot of group walks, I'm sure there will be lots of people wanting to join in.
I remember being about 12 and out riding with a friend on the forest, it was quite usual to see people walking alone without dogs, we would make up funny stories about them like "he's just buried treasure in the middle of a gorse bush". Wish I could be that naive again sometimes!

I am tempted to go for either a rottie or German Shepherd ggirl

Ah yes Moodykat -oh for that innocence

It is still very rare though.

I don't want to live my life in fear. I refuse to shut myself away.

That poor woman was attacked in her own back garden the other day. And statistically, we are way way more likely to be attacked by someone we know than a complete stranger.

So far, I have had two unpleasant experiences out on my own. One was a canal path and the other a wooded valley. Both mid afternoon. First time I was on my bike (no dog) and I screamed in the guy's face and terrified him. Second time I was being followed, and I saw another bloke out walking with a spaniel and I asked him to walk with me.

I don't know the New Forest. Are there busier routes on the periphery that can be taken?

Hope we all enjoy our dog walks today!

I'm quite an anxious person too but manage fine in the day time. I have poor eyesight and poor light makes it worse so evening walks I don't like doing anywhere secluded and mostly dh does any in the dark. If he's away I get one of my adult sons to come with me as although I know Eric would bark he's small and wouldn't be considered a deterrent.

Interesting what a couple of you say about feeling safer in the mornings - I did read somwhere that attacks (rare as we all agree) are more prevalent in the afternoon than in the morning.

You are right Rooner - can't let this anxiety rule our lives. I am off for a walk at 9 with 2 friends from my newly set up facegroup dog walking buddies members only group - it's proven successful already!

HMC - if you loved your bernese, but wanted a short hair version, we have a greater swiss mountain dog....a big lump of love......

www.gsmd.org.uk

I live in the national forest and often walk my dogs in rural locations. However, there are often cyclists, horse riders and fellow walkers about so I never feel totally isolated. This thread fucks me off, because why should we have to feel afraid? I carry my phone and a chain lead (which I've never used for the dogs). My spaniel would probably try and protect me, but at 17kgs he wouldn't take a lot of fighting off. My poodley thing is only 7kgs, and tbh I'm more worried the dogs would get hurt. I'd have no hesitation in using the chain lead, though.

I thought 'why should we be afraid' then I found out why....

It is what it is, but the thing is to keep the risks in perspective, acknowledge, however, that they are there, and protect ourselves accordingly.
Which is what most of us do

In fact, I think that those of us who acknowledge the (small) risk whilst still carrying out are activities regardless, are probably safer than those who feel invincible or those who hide away.
Because we are equipped and ready.

I have only started walking my dogs across the local fields this year due to similar fears. Problem here is that, despite being mainly used by dog walkers and horse-riders, the fields area also a cut-through, as there's a motorway bridge that you can access via them.

To be honest I still wouldn't do the fields if I hadn't been driven from my local park by really badly behaved, untrained dogs with ignorant owners. I didn't walk there for a couple of months, then went back this week when I was feeling too ill to make it across the fields and we ended up being harassed by an enormous, extremely dominant off-lead dog intent of menacing my two and whose owner was miles away on the other side of the park - yet again.

It makes me so angry that I can't walk my dogs in the park that my house backs onto because of other, irresponsible owners. I would much prefer to walk there in the day and do the fields with dh on evenings and weekends.

I doubt either of my two would defend me, but they're both pretty big and people do tend to cross the road to avoid me when I'm walking them, so hopefully they would be enough of a deterrent. Although, being Lurchers, they're likely to be racing around so fast in the fields that they wouldn't even notice if someone attacked me, let alone come back to defend me.

I completely understand your fear. I hardly ever feel nervous in London because there are always people around and lights on in houses even if the street is empty late at night.

I just couldn't set off and walk miles on my own in the country, I really couldn't.

hmc that's fab! Hope you have a great walk. Maybe out of horrible stuff comes new friendships...

It's always been my hunch that early mornings are safer on the basis that unpleasant people might be sleeping in :) I know that sounds ridiculous! But I do keep an eye on crime where I live and that does tend to be the way.

I feel most afraid on long summer nights. Least so on ghastly winter mornings.

snakey I totally agree. It's a ridiculous world where half the population fears the other half, the vast majority of whom are fine! I have spent a lot of time up mountains on my own exploring (I'm not weird, just independent) and have felt cross I wasn't born a man for this reason. I have never encountered a problem in the hills though - only in more built up areas.