How do you get walkers to keep dogs on leads??

[JoPowell]

Im having a bit of a problem!

We have recently got hold of a field which we are growing crops in. We spent the whole of April muck spreading, ploughing, rolling, seeding, spraying etc to grow a crop to feed the cattle. There is a footpath going round the one side of the field (ordnance survey shows it round the outside) so we have left a good 2 metre gap on the edge. Well all the walkers are letting the dogs off the leads, letting them run through all the crop and letting them poo everywhere without picking it up.

I have put signs up asking them to keep dogs on leads or under control sticking to the footpath but it seems as though some people can't read! What can i do next? There are starting to damage the crop which is costing us money.

Any suggestions?

Jo

 

[flaboy?]

I would first contact law enforcement and explain your problem. Here there are leash laws. If all else fails there are always land mines, trip wires, steel traps, snipers......... :lol:

Don't know a big a place you are talking but usually a low hanging electric fence will deter dogs as well.

 

[ffscj]

You could try the often promoted SSS method. But then you still have to figure out what to do with the dog that running through the fields.

Chris

 

[Jogeephus]

Put up some nice signs stating something like this:

Warning: Due to pest problems this field is being trapped. For your protection, please keep to the footpath. Owner is not responsible for any injuries to pets roaming off footpath.

They may not care about your crop or livelihood but I assure you they care about Fifi and Fido. ;-)

 

[dun]

Put up some nice signs stating something like this:

Warning: Due to pest problems this field is being trapped. For your protection, please keep to the footpath. Owner is not responsible for any injuries to pets roaming off footpath.

They may not care about your crop or livelihood but I assure you they care about Fifi and Fido. ;-)

Clever, but I wonder if trapping is even legal in the UK

 

[andybob]

The 'right to roam' legislation has been a constant headache to landowners in the UK in recent years. When I was running outdoor piga and Boergoats in Wiltshire, my landlord had several bridle and footpaths through the property, all fenced off from the fields, this didn't stop 'ramblers' cutting through the fields and leaving gates open. I eventually ring fenced the perimeter of the fields I was renting with electric fencing, with a seperate mains unit to that of the pig field, with appropriate warning signs, there were a few initial 'contacts' especially with dogs investigating (one coccked his leg against a corner post, had everyone, exept the owner in stiches!). The problem was soon a thing of the past, as ramblers and dogs alike learned to respect the fences.

 

[mdmdogs3]

The 'right to roam' legislation has been a constant headache to landowners in the UK in recent years.

do you mean that anyone has the right to roam around your property just because they want to walk their dog or themselves? :shock: Dang, don't like that idea much!
Around here that would get a guy shot in some areas...

how on earth do the potheads hide their cash crops

 

[andybob]

The 'right to roam' legislation has been a constant headache to landowners in the UK in recent years.

do you mean that anyone has the right to roam around your property just because they want to walk their dog or themselves? :shock: Dang, don't like that idea much!
Around here that would get a guy shot in some areas...

how on earth do the potheads hide their cash crops

Any path that has at any time been a public right of way, has to be left unobstructed to allow anyone access, the 'Rambler's Association" has located hundreds of unused paths on historic maps, and had legislation passes to force landowners to re-open these paths even if they are now through a field or your farmyard (you are also liable if you injure someone while operating machinery eg; backing your tractor/plough out of a barn onto a' public path'.)
Ramblers come out on Weekends and holidays by the coachload, thieves case out your farm under the guise of being a 'rambler', gates are left open, and townspeople see if Fido has the instinct to herd sheep! The culture shock was hard for me to get over, being used to being allowed to escourt trespassers off my property at gunpoint prior to moving to England.
I think Travellers grow most of the pot on land they are squatting on, nobody 'rambles' near traveller camps!