Living in Burgundy, with hunters around

“Scotland is very dog friendly.”

Yes, Scotland is dog friendly but dogs off the lead in a field of sheep can be (and not infrequently are) shot on sight.
On grouse moors they aren’t too popular either.
And nobody likes some random dog or person wandering about when you are out stalking…
I grew up between Perthshire and the Côte d’Azur, by the way.

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I would imagine having a dog who must run daily in the countryside would change your experience of living in any country to be honest. But then, so do many of our lifestyle choices and constraints - choosing not to or being unable to run a car, wanting to live near a gym, needing good adsl for work, having a medical condition that can’t support a damp climate… you have to be realistic, decide what your top priorities are that you won’t compromise on, and then be prepared to compromise some of the rest.

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A report from BBC Scotland.

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Beautiful.

But nobody mentioned walking in a field of sheep. This discussion is going in an absurd direction. Next we ll be discussing silly dog owners letting their dogs in a supermarket.

Like I said, years in Scotland hiking everywhere, not once a problem

France is unique with every day being Hunting Day, everywhere. My family there describe hunters as a calamity. But the lobby has power, like the recent new powers given by Macron to hunters.

What breed of dog do you have Tess…???

I have two Border Collies…they’re not trained to herd but obviously that instinct to herd is always there and is part of their makeup…

I’m surrounded by farmland and cattle and my home stands on half an acre that I have enclosed with deer mesh…it keeps my dogs safe and stops them from running onto neighbouring farmland and worrying the cattle…

Half an acre of land also means they get plenty of daily free running and exercise…and was probably the main reason why I loved this house on first sight…x :slight_smile:

But when I take them for a walk off my property then it’s always on lead and collar and tag with my name address and phone number…I’m mindful of other peoples’ cattle sheep crops gardens cats and small dogs…then there’s squirrels birds frogs grasshoppers…lol…and one of them is a car chaser…

I take them out in the car and we walk round local lakes but most often there are signs saying to keep dogs on a lead…so I do…

With regards to hunting…I hear the hunting dogs occasionally but I’ve never seen them round here…maybe because I’m surrounded by cattle and crops…???

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I don’t think you have quite measured the importance of sheepfarming or shooting in rural Scotland. The keepers I know shoot first and ask questions later and there is no question of dogs being loose on land unless they are gundogs, working (or the owners’ pets).
Here in S. 24 the chasse is active only on Sundays but as shooting is a much more ‘democratic’ pastime in France the chasseurs are a lot more visible than the happy few enjoying the Glorious 12th in Scotland.

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Yes my experience has been that UK farmers are more inclined to shoot dogs. Having grown up in UK with dogs I was always highly aware of this and did have some near misses. However I have found this particular part of France has been less nerve wracking. When our current dog was a tiny pup he would want to chase livestock (he’s a sheepdog), but the one time this happened in sight of a farmer we were just yelled at to get our dog under control - which we did pronto. These days he’s trained not to go in with cattle, so it’s ok.

One of the things we like here is the positive attitude to dogs.

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You did mention that your dog chased other animals and went in to say how that was OK as Scotland was so dog friendly. You’ve already dug yourself a big hole.

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