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

Under right to roam are people allowed to have off-lead dogs on private land? I don’t think that’s on due to toxoplasmosis risks and risks to children and other animals who might unexpectedly encounter an off-lead dog and vice versa.

It doesn’t matter how many signs about toads, adders, field treatment etc you put up, she will know it’s fake if she sees the Op in there with her dog.

I had a guy keep insisting on walking his dog around one of my fields, muttering about right to roam when I told him there was no public access. Luckily he couldn’t control his dog and it ran over to me, so I clipped my dog’s lead on its collar and told him I was confiscating his dog, it was out of control on private land and I was calling the dog warden. Once I got back to the gate (it was a big field) I said I’d give him one more chance, but if he came back he’d lose his dog. He never came back.

Can't wait for todays update!

Right to Roam across massive estates is fair enough, within certain rules. Sometimes when out walking the dog I'm unsure where a path goes or where it's ok to walk, but if someone told me I'd gone wong I'd immediately apologise and leave. There are loads of permissve routes near me. This is a field clearly marked "private", you just wouldn't! I'd kick off at her massively, take a photo, put it on a local Facebook group and see if anyone knows her. Then she'd be getting a legal letter from me once I know who she is. I'd also (longer term) encourage some more pricky hedge plants around like blackthorn, thistles and nettles.

prickly

I cannot imagine the front needed to come back and tell you to wait!

Electric fence is a good idea. I'd be tempted to first put up signs warning about an electric fence to see if that deters her. If it doesn't (sounds like she is very arrogant) then actually put up the electric fence, and she will be shocked at the result, as they say on internet sidebars 😂

Hope you succeed... but do try and find out the address of this person. A picnic in their garden just has to be tried :)

Oh get tae fuck. As a Scot, I would know better than to trespass on a field in England, and let’s face it right to roam does not allow us to blatter our way just anywhere we fancy.

I think I'd be inclined to get a motion sensor sprinkler set up (if such a thing exists) 😂

I'm agog at the woman's response, to the extent that there must be crossed wires and she doesn't realise the OP actually owns the field. There's plenty of private land that people still routinely use. The OP has to state in no uncertain terms that SHE owns the field and has not given anyone else permission to use it.

How are you dealing with the grass in this field and how many acres is it?

Something locals do around my area is take a photo of person (usually people parking terribly) and put the picture on the local FB group.. “does anyone know this person? Has been trespassing on private property and became verbally aggressive when warned we will take this further if anyone knows who the person is?” Type thing???
just a thought? Name and shame type thing

This is exactly what I would do. Then tell her she can have her turn when your finished.

I’m really just here for the update but yes to anti climb paint in your fence and gate.

I'm also a Scot and , properly speaking, it's a right of responsible access, not a right to roam. Dogs should be under close control, and if you "have" to go through an enclosed field you're told that you should go round the edge.... And grass can be a crop.

Definitely get a picture for uploading to local fb pages. I'd be tempted to follow her around next time she comes in and video her, and repeatedly say "please leave my private property" over and over again and post that to fb too. What an entitled wanker.

Don't spend any money on it - every time, say get out of my field, this is private property and phone the police, while she is there... every time.

If you do find out that she is a dog walker - tell her if she does not leave, you will be posting on Facebook asking for advice as to how to stop a local dog walker using your private field illegally.

sign saying Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted may have more of a deterrent effect than just Private Land.

I sympathise OP, I bought a field near my house which has a public footpath running through it. It doesn't get used much, and I occasionally let a local farmer graze his sheep there for free.

The sheep are protected with an electric fence, and I have then had dog walkers complain ! Even though there is a short and very simple detour they could do around the edge of the field on a track.

Going in another direction- buy a goat 🐐 it becomes livestock that she can see. Makesure the goat is angry with anyone but you and your pup. Voila you have livestock in there, you get a goat (which is awesome), maybe over time a lighthearted Instagram page of your pup and goat.

I think my solution is the most elegant.

She thinks you are lying when you say that you own the field. You need a sign with no trespass. Name and shame on facebook or get someone to patrol your field and make people leave.

I'm assuming your not in Scotland as the right to roam is up here so it would be allowed most people are polite about it though. Only place I've had any queries is in the area near Balmoral estate when the Royal family are in residence but usually the security service just come check you out make sure your not a photographer etc.

This is the best idea ever!

I would love it if you did this 😂

I would try the police first. Sometimes the community officers can be quite helpful and go and have a word. At least they would clear up what your rights are.