Aye, this was many years ago, and people didn't know any better about abandoning their pets. So sad, but it still goes on. I don't know how people can be so cruel as to dump a pet out a car door after living with it for years...there's just no heart in those people.

Kingfisher

Even the most solid of dogs would be tempted to chase sheep, so if there is even a hint of sheep, on the lead my dog goes.
A problem in the north west are landowners who shut off footpaths & bridleways . Mike Harding 'Rochdale Cowboy' the folk singer hails from Rochdale & was always a big campaigner on the foot path front. Is this a problem countrywide?
Isn't there a law, about if a footpath hasn't been used for a number of years it can be closed?

This post was last modified: 10-12-2007 05:31 PM by tibbar.

I'm not sure if there is a law about footpaths being closed after being unused for a certain number of years, but I dare say that if a footpath was not used, some land owners would shut it down anyway knowing that it is unlikely anyone would know there ever was a footpath there. Then again, if it hadn't been used for that years by anyone at all it is probably not going to be missed.

Would there be a problem in proving that a footpath hadn't been used for the required period of time? Also, I suspect that the new Right to Roam laws would make it harder for landowners to have the footpath closed.

It would be a big poroblem trying to prove no one had used the path, you would have had to have the path monitored 24/7 which would obivously be impossible.