Just had a run in with some members of the travelling community. Pleased to say I won, but still feeling shook up, intimidated and apprehensive about going to work tomorrow and leaving the house empty...

Our landlord has a large area of land behind our house. We don't rent the land, the grazing is rented to someone else....but because of my agric background its an unspoken agreement that I keep an eye on things and the cattle when they are here. We have lots of hares...and rolling hills of grassland...hare heaven. Because of this we get lots of people looking to course the hares with their lurchers and greyhounds...this is where i have trouble. This past time *IS* still legal over here, but there are specific seasons...to course outside of the season is an offence...if you could get a Guard to care enough. [this post is not going to turn into a discussion on the right or wrongs of this activity, pro or anti arguments etc! I'm just giving this info for background] Obviously you also need permission to course on someone else's land...and I know our landlord doesn't give this permission to anyone....so I can be reasonably confident that anyone attempting to course on this land, whether in season or not, is doing it without permission...so I don my pit bull terrier disguise and march out to confront them. Normally I get curt apologies, explanations that they were just looking for somewhere to exercise their dogs (yeah right!), out hunting foxes (with a greyhound? and still out of season?)...or that the hare numbers were crap here anyway (did it ever occur to this particular genius that this was because of the out-of-season coursing...if they want lots of hares they have to allow them to breed, duh!) But everytime without fail, and without a fight as such they turn around and leave the property....well today, this charming guy wasn't going to do that.

Would I just let him cut across the track so he could take his three boys (too very young) home to their mammy, accompanied by two enormous lurchers. NO
But I just need to get across there. Well I've just there [just there is actually a pig farm, and no other dwellings - I know for a fact he's not from the pig farm] No, this isn't a public right of way.
But I've come a long way, and its two miles back around the roads No, this is private land and there's cattle everywhere, including two bulls.
But the roads (a quiet country lane) are too dangerous for the boys What the road you've clearly just come along? No, you're not coming across this land.
The young'uns will be kil't in the roads They're more likely to be run down by the bullocks, believe me! Even if you had permission to cross this land it wouldn't be safe to do so...especially with two small children. You're not coming across.
God will judge you for this, you nasty b*tch Unlikely, I'm not really religious
Can we just no
But... NO
I've come a long way already and its two miles on the roads You really should have thought of that
Do you own this land No, it belongs to my landlord (no point lying, this info is easily found)
So its not your land then? No
So you don't have a say then? Actually yes, no one comes on this land except me, the cattle owner and the land owner...that is fact. You're not coming across this land.
How will you stop me I could let my dogs out on you...and I WILL call the gardai. they can be here is less than 3 minutes...you'll never cross the land in that time.
But its not your land We've discussed that already
can't I just No
what if I go down this field [the other side of the house, belongs to another farmer] then out the bottom You still have to cross this land, and you may not do that
no i don't Um, yes you do...unless you can fly
why can't I come across the land because I said so. because its not safe with the bullocks out there. Because you've no permission, shall I go on?
Do you have a problem with me. No I have a problem with people who can't stay off private property. I don't come trotting across your garden, so don't come trotting across here. I'm fed up with people with your sort of dog coming on here illegally, chasing the livestock, damaging fences, and illegally coursing for hares.
[he deliberately mis-hears me here]
Oh..so its all down to 'my sort' is it now? That's not what I said and you know it. Kindly don't twist my words. [for what its worth I actually have J on the phone, listening to every word...which I hope won't be handy - he'd phoned me about lunch just before these people turned up]
You said 'my sort' I said your sort of dog.
What do you mean by that lurchers, long dogs, greyhounds etc
Oh...and I suppose you think only certain types of people own those types of dog not at all, I haven't mentioned any type of people, you did. Do you have a problem with certain types of people?
I have a problem with people who run me off their land and expect me to take two small boys on the road, shame on you how did you get out here [we're in the middle of nowhere] and what are you doing out here anyway?

Then followed a barrage of curses and insults, and threats on me, my house and my dogs (who were barking behind me) and finally they left with the aprting words "well f*** you, and watch your back!"

3 minutes later J turns up and we go into the house to start lunch, but I can't...I'm too jumpy. I spot the horses in the field next door (NOT my landlord's land) and notice that they are all looking in the same direction ,ears pricked and very interested. I go out of the house, to find my 'friends' tiptoeing across the field, trying to duck down behind long grass. I shout 'Oi!' at them and come inside to look out of the kitchen window...Just in time to see them cut through the hedge on to 'my' [landlords] land...at which point the cattle in the first field spot them...and charge over. Well the man and his children run for their lives (literally) down the hedge line, duck under the electric fence wire and cross into the next field. They need to be heading to the right across the field, but so far they're stuck on the left-hand hedgeline. The cattle in the next fields spot them and charge over too. The man and children run some more. They can't cross back through the hedge now...the hedge sits on a stone wall at this point and its impossible. On they go into the third field. J is asking me to ignore them and come inside...but I can't now. Not because I want to see them fail, but because I wasn't lying when I mentioned the bull, and the fact that the cattle will happily run them down...they're in the farthest field now, they are in HIS domain, and I NEVER go in there unless I'm IN a vehicle, NEVER on foot...I'm now watching so that I can call an ambulance should I need to, all smug self-righteousness is firmly in check. Can I get inside and grab my collie (who's pretty brave with cattle) in time to help them if they get into trouble...even if I could they're too far away for me to get there quick enough...all I can do is watch. With all the luck in the world they get out just in time, and retrace their steps up the hedgeline...they've spotted me watching them and start shouting some more abuse...but I stay silent this time. Even the kids are shouting at me now. As if its MY fault that the cattle chased them off...yes of course, cattle training is the next big thing don'cha know! They really should have listened, and not tried to get one over on me...when I said the cattle were dangerous they should have listened. He crosses back through the neighbours field...shouts some more, and waves the smallest child at me (hard to describe, even more bizarre to watch) as if it is a ragdoll...as if to emphasize that he just ran the gauntlet with the bull with his youngest child...um...I did try and stop you, you idiot! He threw out some more threats then headed off...I've locked my front door...and keep checking out of my windows front and back...tempted to pull a sickie tomorrow, can't imagine life without my dogs, and they would be their principle target. They are all microchipped...but still

On the diet front, I'm too worried to be hungry...going to force some soup down in a while, when I feel confident enough to stop watching through this window right by the pc...I'm scared if I miss them through this window they'd be in before I knew it...they'd meet my two biggest dogs head on, but would that be enough?

No time for exercising yet...to busy arguing with travellers...sorry. maybe I'll have a good walk around the [empty] field this evening instead....and while I'm there I may as well check my boundaries