I'm so cross!  Sorry but I feel the need to vent!

I have a field of my own - a lovely big one surrounded by other fields (horses etc) - so I can take my dogs somewhere safe and enclosed where they can run without any distraction (bar the odd squirrel!) - I also use this field to practice training.  My dogs love it there!

Well today, happily playing with my BT, who is on a lunge line (I was practicing recall with him at the time), when out of nowhere comes a spaniel not on a lead with an owner trailing far behind it!  The spaniel comes bounding over, and I stamp on the lunge line, however my BT probably had about 5m of slack, and starts to bark at the spaniel.  I know, I know that he shouldn't have barked but the owner of the spaniel comes over telling me I should have him on a shorter lead!

Anyway I just couldn't get it across to this woman that she was on private land and should not be walking her dog there!  She assumed because it was an empty field without horses etc that it was okay for her to exercise her dog there!  This is MY land (feel like I should be carrying a pitchfork and flat cap whilst saying this!)

The trouble is, now I can think of loads of great things to say to her ie what if I brought my dog into your back garden - would you mind!?

Am I being unreasonable!?  I didn't think I was!  However, she seemed to think that I was in the wrong and that I should have a "dog like mine" on a lead at all times!  Am I in the wrong?

Why get so stressed, there is no need to get into a pointless discussion, just tell her to leave your property, end of!

She was just so "I know everything" - it made me question myself!!!

Am thinking of taking all the dog poo I collect off the field and dropping it off on her front garden!!!  LOL  Only joking!

*starts thinking seriously about the idea*

I don't think you were in the wrong, but if the land is yours I would put a notice on the gate(s)to the effect it's private land & any limitations you want to put on it-a polite notice will probably get more acknowledgement. I presume thare is no public right of way on the land if there are I think they have to be signposted

How did she get into the field? Put a 'No Public Access' sign on the gate/s.

She climbed over the padlocked gate!!!

Hi

I totally understand were you are coming from, I have land og my own to for grazing horses, but when the field is being rested I walk my dogs in there, other  people have seem me do this and just assume they can do the same but insted of climing over my gate they cut the fence.  I have told them time and time again but they dont listen. really frustrating.

I would put a sign up.  I think its something to be annoyed about, like you said how would she if you went into her back garden, you bought that land to exercise your dog not so this random lady would have a nice place to walk her dog.  And how dare she tell you that you should have your breed on a shorter lead....  Get a Big sign! 

You are so NOT wrong, sarahlolly! I live miles from anywhere out in the country and I remain astonished about how some people think they have a right to roam - or do pretty much anything -  on any piece of land they come across!  My particular bugbear is people treating my unenclosed front garden as a car park, leaving socking great tyre tracks all over the mown grass and then treating me as if I was mad when I ask if I can come round, park MY car on their herbaceous borders and have a picnic on their front path!!  I've also had people complain that my dog had barked at them or ask whether he was dangerous - this was my old cocker spaniel!!!!

I've always hated "Git Orf Of My Land" attitudes but by heck, some people test your patience don't they?

some people knocked on my friends door once & asked them if they could use the loo!!!! (whats wrong with behind a tree?)

theyve also had people having picnics in their paddock & coming in through their open back door asking if they do cream teas!!!!!

(they have a out of a way farm on exmoor) A footpath/bridleway runs NEXT to their land,byt not through it.there is also no through road!

Shove loads of 'Private Land - No Access' signs up and next time, just tell her to leave before you call the police. Alternatively, bluff it and stick a 'Beware Of The Bull' sign up.

You owe her no explanation. You are not in the wrong and that woman should have more control over her own bleeding dog before she starts criticizing others.

Makes me cross because my OH goes on long walks around here, Peak District, Lakes District, Wales etc (sometimes I even go with him :D) anyway he spends ages with local maps ensuring that he knows where the public footpaths are.  They astound me sometimes as they do take you through paddocks with horses in sometimes (I'm scared of horses).  However, he or we always stick to the public footpaths because that way you don't upset anyone and then they won't have any cause to want to block your way.  It's people who assume that because it's an open field it must be public that give the rest of us walkers a bad name.

You rant as much as you like hun, I would have.  I'm a fairly straight forward person and would have told her in no uncertain terms that she "was" in the wrong lol.

Out of curiosity, how easy is it to buy yourself some land not near your own home, like a field somewhere else, and is it LOADS of dosh ;)

Simple:  Find out where she lives, climb over her gate & walk around on HER garden. :) That is what i have done in the past :) Then you send her a written warning that if she trespasses on your private land again she will be issued with a civil action. This is usually enough to deter even the most stupid people in my experience.

I was very very lucky in the fact that my dad stables horses on his land and someone gave up part of his land they were renting from him.  I got in there as quick as a flash!!  Got it cheap too!!!  LOL

you must be so annoyed!!!

would you like to borrow a GSD for a few days to leave in your field?? comes with a sign for your gate that says 'i can make the gate in 5 seconds..... can you??' .complete with picture of a big smiling GSD! hee hee.

My Mum used to have a retired psychiatrist as a neighbour. He got so fed up with people pinching his apples ( he lived in the middle of nowhere) that he put up a sign reading "Warning - this area has been sprayed with Paraquat" - worked a treat!

Hi Sarah

Its very hard to stop people entering your land as I found out with my lake that I am the part owner off.
We erected a gate and are looking into a flexible top thats angled like the security fences you see that have wire held at an of centre angle which stops people stepping over the gate.
Its very hard to stop this and to be honest anglers out of season still walk around my lake but as long as they leave it as they found it its fine by me. The trouble is even if we put signs up saying private we are still liable for any accidents that happen there and we have had to take out several insurances to cover both us and the land just in case( uneven ground law is a real pain now ) .
All you can do is make it harder for people to enter your land be it by fence or by a hedge row and a top section to your gate will help too.
Oh our gate is metal and we covered it in grease once which is real messy and is a devil to clean off your cloths :)

Regards
Stu

>My Mum used to have a retired psychiatrist as a neighbour. He got so fed up with people pinching his apples ( he lived in the middle of nowhere) that he put up a sign reading "Warning - this area has been sprayed with Paraquat" - worked a treat!

Wonderful, anwen! I should have done this earlier in the year because it might have avoided one of the more bizarre "Git On YOUR Land" episodes we've suffered from. Only one fine afternoon I went outside to discover an elderly lady raiding my gooseberry bushes. Which, to be honest, wasn't such a problem until she looked up and saw me and then, instead of a polite hello or an explanation of what she was doing, just said very accusingly "Someone has been eating these gooseberries and it's very inconvenient because I've driven all the way over from Lewes to pick enough for a crumble and now what am I going to give my visitors for pudding?".

For one of the few times in my life I was rendered speechless!!

That's just incredible, Roz!

It beat all, I reckon!! When I'd recovered the power of speech I think I muttered something about giving her guests something for pudding that came from HER garden, not mine but she wasn't fazed. Just stalked off to her car (also parked on the lawn) saying "how thoughtless" we'd been not to leave any gooseberries on the bush. Because she'd collected LOADS the year before!!!!

I don't know, the oldies of today, they've just got no manners!!!  :D :D :D

Loved your response about making something from her garden and not yours.  :)

Mmmmm gooseberries... where do you live Roz??? ;) :P

>Mmmmm gooseberries... where do you live Roz???

"Somewhere" in Sussex!! :):)

If you see her again, tell her you have little to no objection to her using the field to walk her dog however you will need to levvy a charge - £5 a day or more. Nothing hurts them more than having to dip their hand in their pocket.  Find out where she lives and send her the bill! 
Neeva

Ah a bit too far - even for gooseberries!! ;)

My gran used to grow them in her back garden, and rhubarb, then she would make gooseberry and rhubarb crumble with raspberry ice cream :D Yummy yummy!! :D :D :D