Dogs, cows and a close call

Another cow incident but this time very, very scary.

We took the dogs down along a public footpath near the river thinking the dogs could have a dip as it was very warm.

OH suddenly says "hey there are cows following us." I didn't believe him at first but looked around and the cows were quite a way but gaining on us quickly. There was nowhere to go except towards a stile near a main road.

A couple of the cows were ahead and we were quickening our pace and calling the dogs to follow. 5 little dogs and one little collie. Tess was tired from the heat and not keeping up and I screamed her name as the cows descended on her and were trying to stamp on her. She looked at me as if to say what on earth and looked round and her ears went back and she look really scared but she couldn't out run them.

I threw 3 dog leads at the cows which very momentarily made them stop and OH started spinning a lead to make them back off. I also picked up a large branch and attempted to brandish it but it was too heavy so I only managed a feeble poke. Fran, the collie was also holding the cows back and OH told me to get the little dogs out of there whilst he and Fran worked to keep the cows back.

Of course, by then I was 3 dog leads down. So with a chi under one arm and a yorkie under the other I clipped leads on the remaining dogs and ran.

It was a very close call and I am too scared to go back and search for my leads.

very scary. Glad you are all ok.

Very scary. Glad none of you are worse for wear though.

I would never ever walk through a field of cows after experiencing a similar incident. I wouldn't care if I had to backtrack and walk back an hour the other way -- I'm not risking it.

Well I wouldn't knowingly enter a field with cows in it. This is a long stretch of field that goes quite a way down the river. It starts near a pub and lots of people including children regularly take a walk near the river and bathe and fish.

Our neighbour, an ex-herds man was really surprised to hear they were allowed to put cows there. The trouble is you can't see the full length of the fields as they wind with the river and there are trees which obscure the view.

Single sex cattle herds are, 9 times out of 10, harmless and just curious, they will run at you to find out what you are. Was this herd all male/female or cows and calves?

I walk through fields with cattle in all the time with little trouble, have done for 20 years. Last year, however, I nearly got trampled after I stumbled upon a herd with week old calves at foot. Now that was a scary experience and I'm lucky to be alive tbh. I now check all herds I don't know for signs of young calves at foot before I enter the field!

They were large cows, no calves. I am pretty sure the cows were just interested in the dogs but the trouble is the size of the dogs and particularly Tess, whose is not able to run fast now.

Two of the cows were within inches of trampling her. They were literally trying to stamp on her.

Oh, that sounds scary! There is a place we walk where there are cows. Thankfully though, the field is on a hill, and the cows are usually at the top so I know it is safe to go in... the distance away that they are, is big enough that if they did decide to charge, we would have enough time to get away. Because of the layout of the field it is easy to see exactly where they are.

Although, once when I was younger, my friend and I took my old boy through this field, and being young we didn't bother to check where the cows were... Next thing, we look behind us and there they were running towards us We all made a run for it, and got to the gate in time. I don't think those cows were trying to harm us though, just curious probably... Was still scary though!

Probably just bullocks or a dairy herd then?

I tend to find if you run at the cattle they disperse and back off a bit, that's what I do anyway. The truth is they're more scared of you than you are of them, although I can appreciate that's hard to believe when they're baring down on you!

Yes, I think probably dairy cattle. The collie was doing well at keeping them back. She was quite prepared to bite them on the nose. The spinning lead was putting them off but there were about 50 cattle. I was scared for the dogs though. The advice is generally to let the dogs off as they can run fast enough to save themselves. However, if they don't or can't....The dogs were already off-lead. I couldn't exactly leave them to their fate.

It is scary. You can't exactly ask them their intentions.

Two of these cows meant business. They were doing a tapdance around Tess.