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The doghouse

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Original poster

Told by the farmer to keep dog on a lead?

634 replies

mudstuck · 26/04/2021 13:19

I was walking my dog through a field and the farmer came up on his tractor and complained that he had seen my dog off the lead. There are no sheep or livestock around, and I would always always put her on a lead if I there was any chance of encountering any livestock.I did raise the fact that the field was empty with him and he said there are young pheasants going about... I apologised and agreed to keep her on a lead in future. However on reflection I am wondering if he is in the right to ask that of us? My dog doesn't have a very high prey drive at all and lives happily with three house cats. I don't allow her to chase wildlife although her recall, even though it's good, is not 100% and we have had the very occasional chase of a squirrel or deer. She probably would chase a pheasant if she saw one running away but she would never catch it. What do you think? Like I said I am happy to keep her on a lead just for an easy life. I live close to the farmer and don't want the trouble/conflict. Just wondering who is in the right..

OP posts:
MiaChia · 26/04/2021 16:01

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

brokengate · 26/04/2021 16:01

@StarCat2020 yes. They were in a lovely spot but the cattle and calves were coming in and we had four ready with bikes to move them. It's dangerous and cows are terrible when they have calves. He chatted to them and took them up to the tops and to an equally lovely spot. They could actually watch from afar and it was not causing them a huge detour (saved one steep climb).

CokeDrinker · 26/04/2021 16:02

[quote themalamander]@CokeDrinker

Maybe check the rules in Scotland (and the slightly different rules for England/Wales) before you post, because most of what you have said just isnt the case here.

However, in this situation, the OP was wrong and the dog needed to be on a lead due to the time of year. In general, it is more considerate and more responsible to keep your dog on a lead when on farmland.[/quote]
@themalamander So it's ok for A) people to trespass on private property and B) dogs allowed to be unleashed and wild - in Scotland?

tenlittlecygnets · 26/04/2021 16:03

Oh op. Of course the farmer is within its rights to tell you to put your dog on a lead. Have you never read about sheep being attacked by dogs? These animals are his livelihood.

Yabbbbvu, especially out with a dog you admit don't have perfect recall 🙄🙄🙄

OhRene · 26/04/2021 16:04

You have every right to have your dog off lead to exercise!!!!!

All you need to do is buy your own field of course.

StarCat2020 · 26/04/2021 16:09

@brokengate
This has literally made me day hearing this and another poster said her farm-owning aunt and uncle would do the same.

Thank you!!

themalamander · 26/04/2021 16:09

@CokeDrinker

It is bit tresspass. In Scotland, we have the right to reasonable access. We can cross fields and all that stuff. In England, there are right of way footpaths through fields, which farmers must maintain as footpaths and people can use those to cross farmland.

In regards to dogs, they need to be under control if off lead or they need to be on a lead. During nesting season, they must be on a lead.

trappedsincesundaymorn · 26/04/2021 16:10

You might have the right to walk freely across farmland, you dog does not. Keep it on a lead.

themalamander · 26/04/2021 16:10

*not trespass.

Original poster
mudstuck · 26/04/2021 16:10

@CuriousaboutSamphire

That would be something you have asserted rather than something someone else has said though!

Do I really need to rifle through the thread and quote all the people who have said my dog could be shot with no consequence to the farmer? Please read the sodding thread!

OP posts:
Moonwhite · 26/04/2021 16:10

Shoot my dog for no reason and just wait to see what happens to your sheep.

Instead of making up fictional retribution fantasies, just put your dog on a lead. Personally I would not take the risk that one day my dog would run out of my sight, scare a pheasant, and get shot by a farmer. And it's very easy to avoid. If your dog is not fast enough to catch a pheasant, you can probably take it on an on-lead jog and give him the same exercise.

RedToothBrush · 26/04/2021 16:11

Its the farmers land. You are allowed access through right of way, but if he askes you to put your dog on a lead, just bloody do it. It doesn't matter why. Especially if you are keen to avoid conflict.

Its not hard. Why are you making this into a drama. Just show him some respect for the polite request whilst you are on his land.

Original poster
mudstuck · 26/04/2021 16:11

@2bazookas

The first time I met my farm neighbour he said "Good to see your dog is on a lead. Because the farmers here all operate a policy called shoot, shovel and shut up. Stray dogs disappear without a trace."
They sound just lovely 😳
OP posts:
LeilaLiesLow · 26/04/2021 16:13

@Scrowy Did you actually read and understand my post?

1 I do not own a dog

2 My DP was bitten by a dog being walked on a bridleway. Police visited the owner. DP had to have tetanus jab.

3 I have lived in a rural ENGLISH village for 30 years where dog walkers do not ever have dogs on leads during the months you mention.

4 In debates in the parish magazine, no one has ever said dogs need to be on leads on footpaths. The law in England is dogs under control.

5 Local farmers use signs on gates during the lambing season when sheep are in fields. After sheep are gone, farmers remove signs.

Did you read this?

Ineedaneasteregg · 26/04/2021 16:14

Are there different rules for Scotland?

Yes.
Scotland has a very different history of landownership and now has what is usually ( if not entirely correctly) called right to roam.
Which enables people much more access to open countryside than is usual in the rest of the UK.

It does come with a clear set of responsibilities for the people roaming however.

Original poster
mudstuck · 26/04/2021 16:14

@tenlittlecygnets
No dog had perfect recall yet we see dogs off lead everywhere...

OP posts:
Hawkins001 · 26/04/2021 16:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Operasinger · 26/04/2021 16:16

Gosh the dog haters are out in force on this thread!

sunflowersandbuttercups · 26/04/2021 16:17

Do I really need to rifle through the thread and quote all the people who have said my dog could be shot with no consequence to the farmer? Please read the sodding thread!

Actually, what people have said is that it doesn't matter if the farmer was in the wrong by shooting your dog, your dog will still be dead, so why would you take the risk?

And also, without video evidence or witnesses, how would you prove that your dog wasn't putting livestock at risk in the first place?

sunflowersandbuttercups · 26/04/2021 16:18

@Operasinger

Gosh the dog haters are out in force on this thread!
I haven't seen any dog haters on here whatsoever.
BillieSpain · 26/04/2021 16:19

@Operasinger

Gosh the dog haters are out in force on this thread!
The absolute opposite
Original poster
mudstuck · 26/04/2021 16:19

@Moonwhite

Shoot my dog for no reason and just wait to see what happens to your sheep.

Instead of making up fictional retribution fantasies, just put your dog on a lead. Personally I would not take the risk that one day my dog would run out of my sight, scare a pheasant, and get shot by a farmer. And it's very easy to avoid. If your dog is not fast enough to catch a pheasant, you can probably take it on an on-lead jog and give him the same exercise.

Pheasants ain't livestock. While I agree that no dog should be chasing any wildlife, the farmer has no right to shoot in this instance and would leave themselves open to prosecution. We take reasonable precautions with our dogs but they are still dogs and never have 100% recall. So if you are that worried about it you shouldn't be letting them off period. Yet there are off lead dogs everywhere. It's about taking reasonable precautions and keeping risk minimal. Risk will always be there unless you keep dog exclusively on a lead.

The person who said bird die very easily from stress caused by dogs, what do you think happens when shooting season comes round? It's all the same to the poor birds.

OP posts:
themalamander · 26/04/2021 16:19

@Operasinger

So because people respect working farms and also want to protect nesting birds and wildlife, they are dog haters?

Why is it that if you don't think dog owners should be allowed to do whatever the hell they want on someone else's land and during nesting season then you're a dog hater? Why isnt the dog owner just irresponsible and giving all the responsible owners (who respect farmland and birds) a bad name?

JackieLavertysWeirdVoice · 26/04/2021 16:19

[quote StarCat2020]@brokengate
This has literally made me day hearing this and another poster said her farm-owning aunt and uncle would do the same.

Thank you!![/quote]
Only genuine walkers, mind! The secret passport is possession of an OS Landranger map and a happy willingness to ride in the back of a filthy pick-up truck Smile

My aunt looks like Vera Stanhope.

GillBungalow · 26/04/2021 16:20

Instead of making up fictional retribution fantasies, just put your dog on a lead

Grin
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