by Sack the Juggler » Wed Sep 04, 2019 10:05 am
Dogs are great and I love them, but I live in an apartment so can't have one, and to be honest, I travel a lot, so it wouldn't be fair on the dog anyway. I love seeing them on the hills and I have no concerns about them running over to me and jumping up on me, although their owner tend to be really apologetic and embarrassed when this happens. I just think the additional mud is worth the love and brief hug I get from the pooch.
In my lifetime I have been barked at many times by dogs, but having grown up with them, I understand that they will hardly ever bite you (unless they feel threatened by your actions), so I tend to ignore barking dogs on the basis that they will feel that they have done their bit to show their master that they are good at protecting them and will soon move off quite proud of itself.
Having said that, I completely understand people who are afraid of or don't like dogs (for whatever reason) or who like dogs but don't want them running at them or jumping up at them or barking at them (again, the reasons why don't matter).
I feel a bit uncomfortable about cows on the path, especially when they have young around, and once had an angry ram trying to ram us when crossing a field (I had to hold on to both its horns and drag it to the stile with me to stop its constant attempts at headbutting me).
So to me, dogs are less of a worry than farm animals, but I know that others feel its the opposite, but the question remains the same, what can you do about it? My view is nothing, animals are animals and you cannot ban them from the hills, even dogs, they are a natural hazard and you have to deal with it as best you can, for most of them its usually by ignoring them.
