Got Yelled At For Dog 'harrassing' Stock

[Lexy88]

LOL. Was walking Blade and pushing Riley in the pushchair and a herd of cows was running alongside us, along the fenceline we were walking beside. Blade was barking at the cows and suddenly I hear this motorbike screaming up behind us and the farmer starts yelling that my dog is harrassing his stock. Um. More like, your cows are harrassing us buddy!? I just ignored him and kept walking... it was one paddock to get past and hopefully he would just bugger off. What am I supposed to do? Blade was barking at them? He was ON LEAD. Farmer keeps following us and tells me that Blade is a menace and he is pissed off about 'those types' of dogs being around here. I just keep walking... Farmer keeps following and yelling at me that my dog should be under better control. Better control!? Like!? What!? Carry him in my handbag or something? Anyway we are well past the cows - by the way, this is on a PUBLIC walking track where dogs are ALLOWED - and we get to the end of the track which opens to a park and hes still having a go at me and people are staring wondering what the commotion is. I was like "what the hell? what's your problem?" Reply "it's your arrogant attitude". LOL so I have an arrogant attitude because I didn't react to his stupidity? I was like "what do you want me to do? apologise? ok. I'm sorry. Sorry you're an arsehole!" *walks off to carpark*.

Sorry guys. Vent over. Lol.

 

[Dogster]

I hate it when people are soo arrogant. What dog couldn`t help barking at a HERD of cows??? It`s not harrassment!!! He should really mind his own buisness. I bet he has no dogs, because he definately does not know how to react to a barking dog. I would not want to be in this situation. He would have made me furious. Double grrrrrr....

 

[Lexy88]

Especially when a herd of cows is running after you, of course a dog is going to bark.

I was a bit shaken afterwards. He followed us for at least 5min having a go, and my 2yr old son was in the push chair and people were watching [and not stepping in] so I wasn't only pretty angry, but also embarrassed.

 

[Dogster]

Oh, that must have been embarrassing.... I wouldn`t be able to show my face for a couple of days after that. Why was the farmer following you??? Stalker......

 

[Lexy88]

He probably didn't get enough hugs...

I am definitely not keen to walk around there again, not on my own anyway. Which is a shame as I have walked there a few times a week for over a year. Oh well.

Oh and I have ALWAYS recommended other people walk there as it's so nice... Hope they don't get harrassed like I did. Won't be recommending it again and if I encounter that farmer again, I will be complaining to the park ranger about his behaviour.

 

[Dogster]

You really should. He shouldn`t harrass you like that. Really.

 

[tigerlily46514]

Lexy, this is terrible, that farmer was harrassing YOU!!!! My goodness, this is just crazy, and you were absolutely in the right. I think you should carry a cell phone, and warn this farmer HE will be talked to by the police for harrassing a person, or scaring your young child, or whatever is worst thing you can come up with.

be sure to ask this farmer his name and address, ha ha!! but do NOT give yours! or give fake one.
Many dogs would bark around at a buncha unexpected cows running alongside of them. I know mine would!

 

[Dogster]

Couldn't agree with you more, Tigerlily!!!!

 

[Amateur]

Lexy ... I would take the hubby or a sufficiently Large male friend and walk there again ... many times.

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Oh yes, the cows were SO terribly harassed, that they chose to continue chasing you...clearly Blade stressed them SOOOO much!
If the cows can handle a MOTORBIKE and his screaming going past them, I'm sure BARKING doesn't concern them in the least. What a $#%.
I would definitely take the fiance with you next time, and when the farmer starts to yell at you, yell, "I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE! ARE YOU THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE COWS?? Every time I walk past here, these cows harass my dog and chase after us. We're quite stressed by the whole ordeal! These cows should be under BETTER CONTROL!"

 

[Lexy88]

Lolol! Damn straight.

I told my Mum about the incident and she said maybe there had been other dogs barking earlier that day or loose dogs and it was me and Blade who copped it when the farmer had had enough.

Hmm yeah maybe, but he certainly didn't need to react the way that he did. If he had come over and said something politely like "there have been dogs harrassing the cows lately so just make sure yours stays under control" I probably would've been happy to talk to him and say sorry that Blade may have been contributing to the problem [not that he was causing the cows any distress anyway, but politeness = politeness]. But he came rushing over yelling at me! So. Pfft to him. Won't be walking around there again without company.

 

[tigerlily46514]

ohhhhhhh, all righty then, i guess Lexy's idea of going for politeness, rather trumps my urge to go gangsta on the farmer.... i guess i have been hanging around my dog* too much..





(*my dog IS a gangsta...)

 

[Ripleygirl]

If there are sufficient people around for you to feel safe in the situation and you have a camera phone in a situation like that take a picture (or pretend to) of him on his bike including his licence plate and say you will send to police as someone who is harassing walkers on a public highway... not nice tactics but what you went through is completely wrong especially with a child there too.

 

[Pawbla]

Wow, that one was a crazy farmer! I'm sorry you had to go through this, especially with your son. But you acted in the best possible way, at least! If you had told him anything else, he'd have answered even more angrily. I would have gone mental on the farmer, hahaha.

 

[Lexy88]

Lol I would've gone mental if I had someone with me

 

[Amateur]

Carry a big gun next time and call him a punk

 

[Dogster]

LOL Amateur!!!! But I'm pretty sure she would get more yelled at for that by the farmer-"Stop harrassing my stock with your rifle!!!!!"

 

[Amateur]

THen you give the ole Dirty Harry speech ... did I shoot five or did I shoot six ...
Does your cow feel lucky punk ... well does she ?

p.s. your dog pic should replace the laughing smiley

 

[running_dog]

This particular man was right out of order and I'm really sorry that you experienced that Lexy.

I do generally have some sympathy with farmers many of whom DO warn (not abuse) owners rather than shoot dogs if they know who the owners are - maybe that way they are more likely to get compensation! A lot of people are incredibly stupid about dogs and livestock and I expect that Lexy's Mum is right and those cows do get chased by dogs. The fact that the cows were chasing Blade is an indication that they HAD ALREADY BEEN CHASED BY DOGS. I walk through cows fairly regularly and they never chase dogs because dogs don't chase them. I expect the man saw the cows running from a distance and pelted across on his motorbike fuming all the way hoping to catch the culprit in the act, when he got there and Blade was barking though on the lead he was too mad to sort out his suspicions from the evidence.

The people who had their lurchers shot last year did actually deserve to lose their dogs despite their sob story. Their dog's were out of sight in a field of stock, one of the things that was noticeable was that the owners never said "we spent hours every day for months making sure that our dogs are steady with stock." One of the lurchers was at the age where they do experiment with chasing different animals. The owners habitually allowed their dogs to go out of sight in a field of stock. Unlike Lexy they were downright irresponsible so sadly the dogs paid the price for the owners stupidity.