I lived in on a farm in Wales. My neighbours all had sheep. Dogs were shot on sight.
You would have good fun in Essex:-) And you could use a better phrase than "My neighbours all had sheep"
Adam
yes. Its almost impossible to control a dog (apart from highly trained collies) in the presence of sheep., They are irresistibly chaseable.
trained
We thought that, and 18 months ago our 26 month old Vizsla would have been a great risk to a flock. However now we have ninty sheep on the farm he has become acclimatised, and we can safely walk our fields with him off the lead - quite a pleasant surprise. By contrast our shepardess has acquired a 12 month old Border Collie for training, and try as she might cannot get it to chase sheep!!!!
AWEM
In my case, that's fox piddle. However, on a few occasions now, the vixen has brought her two cubs to have a play on the lawn at twilight, and that has more than made up for the odd brown patch.
well I have a border terrier that will chase anything!
If that's what you want..
He's a nightmare if I don't see the sheep first and he does.
Had a whole flock penned into the corner of a field in about 30 seconds. Occasionally he would charge them to make them break cover, so as to have the fun of chasing them all back again.
I nearly had a heart attack getting to the field. Fortunately the sheep took it all in good sport, and none died of heart attacks.
And he got carried ignominiously home tucked under an arm.
Moonlight and a 12 bore?
I take it you don't keep chickens..
If all the people who complain about cats and birds, saw what foxes do to birds..
Cats here have wrecked the rabbit population. Go cats, Go! At least cats don't eat seedlings.
I used to walk my parents German Sheppards and they never chased sheep. Dogs do whatever the owner lets them not what they want to do.
They are the best dogs in the world.
Adam
When it is really quiet I occasionally hear the sound of cattle from Writtle college. In a previous house in another Essex village I had a field at the rear which I knew had a standing crop. I was puzzled why I was suddenly hearing sheep in the night. Turned out ewes and lambs had been moved on to the grassland to the side of the house. Essex is not all chavs or oilseed rape. Sadly in Hatfield Forest I did see a herd of cows spooked by an out of control dog. They are VERY big when they are running at you. Fortunately there was a large tree to hide behind although my wife is terrified of cows at the best of time. Fortunately she was not as shit scared as the poor cows.
I think it varies a lot. I grew up on a (sort of) crescent, which was a great place; my cousins grew up in a cul-de-sac which was also great; my wife on the other hand grew up in a cul-de-sac that was a parking nightmare and full of extremely nosy and troublesome neighbours. We now live on a straight road where the neighbours take an interest and note everyhting that's going on, but without intruding; the only downside being too much traffic and poor visibility due to parked vans, making it less than perfect for the younger kids.
SteveW
We have some terrible NIMBYS around here who escaped from London. Probably the worst neighbour though was the one with the arable field we backed on to in rural Norfolk. Completely destroyed our vegetable patch more than once through careless spraying.
Unfortunately too many dog owners show a great deal of ignorance. In my school days, we had games lessons on the school playing fields ... that dog owners brought their dogs to every day - disgusting! We also have grass verges at the roadside outside our house and we and our young children often have to play dodge the dog poo - which is nigh on impossible during the dark winter months. The local "dog excercise area" is the public playing field, laid out with football and lacrosse pitches. Why do these owners think it's okay to invade every play area and allow their animals to foul it?
SteveW
Yes. Actually most signage is done by user groups with Highways responsible for where a r.o.w. leaves the metalled highway. I have a good relationship with the County Official who supplies bits for me to install.
Umm.. without them, what would I do with the produce?
Tricky one, that. It is an offence to have a dog *at large* in a field of sheep. Shooting a dog not actually engaged in worrying livestock is likely to bring unwelcome police interest.
Anyway, my guns are all locked away in the farmhouse and not usually to hand.
regards
>
Or dig up your lawn for Leather Jackets!
regards
>
Umm.. The risk can be serious and not obvious for heavily pregnant ewes. Christmas through March for lowland types.
Quite right.
regards
In message , "dennis@home" writes
The only dog my father shot was an Alsatian. Dogs *plan* attacks on sheep and will gang up with others to do it.
regards
Dogs
chaseable.
seconds.
The danger of dogs chasing sheep is highest when they are in lamb. The ewe may well survive quite a bit of chasing apparently unhurt, and several months later give birth to a still born lamb.
Conventionally the ram goes in on Nov 5th, so from then until lambing in April / May is the highest danger time.
AWEM
In message , Invisible Man writes
That takes me back (he says, going completely off topic). Grew up in B/Stortford, and HF was our playground, back then. I'm told the Shell House is still there, doing a roaring trade in ice creams.
In message , "dennis@home" writes
Do you think that Dennis's local plod should be informed that we have another one gone off the rails here ?
Not if the dog is simply never found.
One landowner here does that. Or his keepers do. Dogs turn up with shotgun wounds, or not at all. Everyone acts shocked.
Quite bloody right too.
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