What to do about local dog walker

[OnedayIshall]

As I live in a cottage with a small brick yard I bought a field locally a couple of years back which I basically treat like a garden for my dog. He’s recall is pretty shocking, but this isn’t a training field it’s where he can go relax and chill or blow off steam, what your dog would do in your garden really. We do train in their sometimes, but often when he’s in there he isn’t in a training mind.

it has a standard 5 bar gate on it which I keep locked, and a sign on saying private, left over from the previous owner. I was in there last week and a woman appeared in my field with her dog. She’d climbed over the gate and her dog had gone underneath. My dog went running over, not a hope of stopping him (so I am annoyed about that). I asked her to leave as she was on private land, she gave me a bit of verbal but left when I unlocked the gate for her and she could see it was my field.

I then came across her in my field at the start of the week and asked her to leave again. She told me she we were welcome to join her but she was there first and I would have to wait my turn if I wanted to have it to myself.

on Tuesday I put a run of barbed wire along the top and bottom and I’ve just come back and it’s all been bent out of shape where she’s obviously been in again.

i believe trespass isn’t something that the police are interested in, and I don’t want to waste their time, but what can I do to keep her off my property? I don’t think I can do anything privately as I don’t know her details

@viques why would she pay? She’s doing it anyway???

If the lands included on your house insurance you should have legal cover and be able to get a lawyer to draft a simple letter telling her your ll take civil action if she does it again

I wonder if it's the case she has always walked her dog through the field? We had a case near me a few years ago where someone bought a field and then closed off any access to walkers. The trouble is there had been a footpath through the field for well over 20 years. A big of a court battle ensued and she lost and then eventually sold the field. The current owner has reopened all the entrances and everyone can walk through it again.
But she has some nerve to say that to you in your own field! I'd be inclined, if you are sure there are no rights of way through it, to put up a new sign stating the field is under new ownership and there is no public right of way or access to it

I had this in lock down - was renting a field behind my house for my dog. I turned up one day and there was a family having a picnic in there!

You need to say very bluntly "I own this field. It is my private land. You are not welcome here."

I'd also look at putting cameras up and maybe doing a bit of local name and shame if you have a village/area Facebook group.

There’s definitely no footpath and I don’t think she had used it until she saw me in there with my dog and then thought it was a good place for a run around.

I’ll try a post on Facebook as well if I see her again.

I have been very clear it’s my field, I think that’s why she is trying to front it out

You are correct that trespass is a civil matter, not criminal (you cannot actually prosecute a trespasser). You can however prosecute for criminal damage so if she messes with your barbed wire any other measures you put in place you can have her on that (but you’d need cctv for proof). You need a decent stock proof gate (a deer one if necc to stop her lifting the dog over) and/or vandal paint. Can’t believe how rude she’s been.😵

Can you take her photo and then post on local FB sites. Find her car, trace her number plate and send a solicitor’s letter. Anti vandal paint is another good idea. Also try filming her next time.

The nerve of some people never fails to astonish. Hope you manage to put a stop to it OP, I’d be furious!

Utterly brilliant.

OP - get some temp plastic electric fence posts (inexpensive) to extend the gate and create a higher barrier and use some electric fence tape to make an electric fence over the gate.

www.electricfence-online.co.uk/10x-pulsara-plastic-post-155-m-white.html?id=234569675&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-fmZBhDtARIsAH6H8qhsjUc-o5RfBbV4GVczYmgcuHZ4x1qu0xXw-aymv6RK-tTZ1GM9N9oaAuu5EALw_wcB

Great big sign inside your property boundary, in red, saying “”DANGER” 😁

Don't buy a new gate just yet. Friend had similar problem. She painted gate and fence with antivandal paint, it's brilliant, non drying black paint thick like butter. It stopped the local teens climbing over and wrecking their clothes and only cost about a tenner

Yeah I would go trespassers may get shot route - (Of course you have a pheasant shoot!!) and some electric fencing. But yes all a pain.

The other option is to follow her home and shit in her garden, I mean let your dog shit in her garden

My friend lives on a large 3 acre plot that backs on to a public park, and has similar issues - people have broken her fencing numerous times just climbing over to get out of the park area into the road rather than use the official entrances.. Even had one chap with a bicycle, he had to lift it over the remains of the broken fence and then climb over the tow bar of a vehicle with the bicycle (because she left vehicle and trailer blocking the 'gap'). She's electrified much of it now . Electric fencing needs warning signs but is quite effective. Cost a couple of hundred ££. Look in Screwfix.

You are allowed to shoot rabbits, get yourself an air rifle, lay in wait and then give her the impression you are bat shit crazy 😜

Another option would be to plant hawthorn or the like right round the perimeter. Takes a bit to grow on but it's a great deterrent to people straying. I'd also do anti climb paint where you can.

You could also put a "do not use, field treatment in progress" sign up which might put her off.

What did you say when she said about you waiting your turn?!

It doesn't need money thrown at it. Type a letter telling her the land is private and that you do not allow her access then hand it to her next time you see her on your land.

Take a picture of her and her dog and stick it up on all the local Facebook pages a asking who she is and with a description of her behaviour. Hopefully that will be enough to deter her.

I would deliberately try and catch her again.
Take a photo of her and of her dog. (preferably without her seeing)

Then approach her. Be blunt and tell her that if she continues to trespass on your private land she will hear from your solicitors.

Then plaster her photo and her dog all over FB with a question - Do you know this woman, deliberately trespassing on private land and putting my dog at risk?
If anyone knows her, she will quickly stop.

Is she a professional dog Walker? If so see if she has a van near by, find out the name of her business and message her through that if possible, explaining that she is trespassing on your private property and if she continues to do so you will take legal action. Failing that a large padlock on the gate, a HUGE sign saying 'private property trespassers will be prosecuted ' and even more barbed wire across the gate. If she still persists in going in the field it might be worth talking to the police and asking what you can do. Failing ALL that see if you can find out where she lives and go and sit in her garden. 🤣

The fact she’s said you need to wait your turn made me wonder if maybe someone else local is making a fast buck selling slots to use your field as a dog exercise field and she thinks she’s entitled to be there… it’s very odd otherwise.

😱now that you say it, it does sound like an odd thing to say!

Layers of CF ery!

We’ve had similar cheeky fuckers before in stock fields with no footpath. Ime there’s only two ways to deal with this, you either make it totally inaccessible, one field we spent £thosands on metal palisade style fences about 6ft high which can’t be climbed over. Or you lie in wait and go batshit crazy screaming at the top of your voice about 1cm infront of them.

Big 'Beware of the Bull' sign, or 'Warning - Landmines' or 'MOD Live Firing Exercise Area'.

I can't get over her telling you to wait your turn! Its your field/garden! I would love to know what you said back to that! I would have given her a right mouthful!