A dog and footpath question

This item was posted on chatbox by "Voiceofreason" and we thought merited a wider audience

It would be interesting to find out responses to this question:

If you see a sign on a gate to a footpath warning of livestock/sheep grazing alongside a footpath and asking for dogs to be on their lead, would you

a) Respect the landowners wishes?
b) Ignore the sign?

If you answer "respect the landowners wishes" then thank you for your common sense
If not, please consider the following:

• not having your dog on a lead is disrespectful and causes tension between dog walkers and landowners
• dog faeces can harm livestock if ingested
• if your dog worries livestock then the incident could be reported to the authorities or the landowner could take action
• other dog walkers with their dogs on a lead may not want your dog bounding up to theirs

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