we have a narrow track/road that goes through our croft and it leads on to another few houses. It’s very quiet, basically it’s just we have fields on either side of it really. We get occasional walkers and people do like to walk up when we have foals. We also have sheep, and lambs in spring.
Now along the road is a lovely family with 2 boys, roughly 8 and 14 ish. They have 2 small terriers and all credit to them they are constantly out walking them. The problem is, they dont seem to see the need for leads. Even if the parents are walking the dogs they are racing on ahead off the lead and out of control. There have been a few times when Ive been riding or walking my own dogs and been faced with these dogs bombing along with the owners nowhere in sight - they are always several hundred yards behind. They always apologise profusely, shout and panic to try and get the dogs and usually fail. Last year I caught the boys throwing a ball for the dogs over one of our walls and into the field with mares & foals. I gave them a strict talking to and they seemed to take it on board. A few weeks later I noticed the ponies in one of our other fields over the back , racing about.. when I checked it out, one of these dogs was in there loose and chasing them
I went along to the house and spoke to the mother, who apologised, was in tears and said she had been trying to catch it to no avail and now didnt know what to do ?! I felt so sorry for her I offered to help her and gave her some advice ( i ran dog training classes and did behavioural 1:1’s for years), I ultimately told her they needed to make sure their garden was escape proof and keep them on a lead if they can’t control them, even when just going through between our fields. She was so apologetic and I thought that would be it solved. However a few weeks back I was in one the fields rounding up the sheep with one of the dogs and was *just* about to pen them when the dogs appeared along the track, one came under the gate and the other over the wall and boom, sheep everywhere. I was fuming. It was the teenage lad on this occasion and I got “ oh sorry sorrry i didnt realise you would be working the sheep ?!” again, I spoke to him about keeping them on a lead. Then yesterday, just as it was going dark, I was pushing a barrow laden with feeds down our track and had MiniCA with me helping. Our track is completely enclosed with fences and wall on each side and gates at the bottom. (We were heading down to feed the ponies and sheep across the road) Anyway, the dogs appeared along the road, saw us, belted over the wall, through the fence, barking like mad and started jumping all over us barking. Mini is well used to dogs but was scared... the lady appeared, shouting oh sorry sorry and shouting the dogs to no avail. I ended up having to open the gates to return the dogs to her, one of them shot off and disappeared and she put the other on the lead and went off on her walk, not knowing where the first one had gone !!
I am now wondering if I am being too nice The boys were walking them this morning, I happened to be looking out of the window across the fields and they saw me and started leaning over the wall and scooping water out of one of our troughs with the ball flinger thingy and chucking it towards the ponies - in this case, a stallion and 2 colts. They then waved cheerfully at me!
Ive told them the consequences if the dogs are out of control and chase our livestock and so far Ive not taken it any further. I love dogs and whenever I stop to pass the time of day with this lady she seems so nice, its like they genuinely are ignorant about it.... or I thought so, now Im wondering if they are deliberately carrying on regardless. I hate the thought of conflict but I don't know what else to do other than speak to the dog warden now
Now along the road is a lovely family with 2 boys, roughly 8 and 14 ish. They have 2 small terriers and all credit to them they are constantly out walking them. The problem is, they dont seem to see the need for leads. Even if the parents are walking the dogs they are racing on ahead off the lead and out of control. There have been a few times when Ive been riding or walking my own dogs and been faced with these dogs bombing along with the owners nowhere in sight - they are always several hundred yards behind. They always apologise profusely, shout and panic to try and get the dogs and usually fail. Last year I caught the boys throwing a ball for the dogs over one of our walls and into the field with mares & foals. I gave them a strict talking to and they seemed to take it on board. A few weeks later I noticed the ponies in one of our other fields over the back , racing about.. when I checked it out, one of these dogs was in there loose and chasing them
I went along to the house and spoke to the mother, who apologised, was in tears and said she had been trying to catch it to no avail and now didnt know what to do ?! I felt so sorry for her I offered to help her and gave her some advice ( i ran dog training classes and did behavioural 1:1’s for years), I ultimately told her they needed to make sure their garden was escape proof and keep them on a lead if they can’t control them, even when just going through between our fields. She was so apologetic and I thought that would be it solved. However a few weeks back I was in one the fields rounding up the sheep with one of the dogs and was *just* about to pen them when the dogs appeared along the track, one came under the gate and the other over the wall and boom, sheep everywhere. I was fuming. It was the teenage lad on this occasion and I got “ oh sorry sorrry i didnt realise you would be working the sheep ?!” again, I spoke to him about keeping them on a lead. Then yesterday, just as it was going dark, I was pushing a barrow laden with feeds down our track and had MiniCA with me helping. Our track is completely enclosed with fences and wall on each side and gates at the bottom. (We were heading down to feed the ponies and sheep across the road) Anyway, the dogs appeared along the road, saw us, belted over the wall, through the fence, barking like mad and started jumping all over us barking. Mini is well used to dogs but was scared... the lady appeared, shouting oh sorry sorry and shouting the dogs to no avail. I ended up having to open the gates to return the dogs to her, one of them shot off and disappeared and she put the other on the lead and went off on her walk, not knowing where the first one had gone !! I am now wondering if I am being too nice
The boys were walking them this morning, I happened to be looking out of the window across the fields and they saw me and started leaning over the wall and scooping water out of one of our troughs with the ball flinger thingy and chucking it towards the ponies - in this case, a stallion and 2 colts. They then waved cheerfully at me! Ive told them the consequences if the dogs are out of control and chase our livestock and so far Ive not taken it any further. I love dogs and whenever I stop to pass the time of day with this lady she seems so nice, its like they genuinely are ignorant about it.... or I thought so, now Im wondering if they are deliberately carrying on regardless. I hate the thought of conflict but I don't know what else to do other than speak to the dog warden now
