[roberrl]

My wife and I are part of a volunteer group which maintains our community woodland.
Dogs, or rather dog owners, are a perennial issue raised at our Annual General Meeting following the types of behaviour described above.
It seems there is nothing which can be done about some owners who seem to think dog ownership confers many rights but no responsibilities.
Nice to vent but I'd rather find a solution to the problem if anyone has one.

[timb64]

My wife and I are part of a volunteer group which maintains our community woodland.
Dogs, or rather dog owners, are a perennial issue raised at our Annual General Meeting following the types of behaviour described above.
It seems there is nothing which can be done about some owners who seem to think dog ownership confers many rights but no responsibilities.
Nice to vent but I'd rather find a solution to the problem if anyone has one.

To quote an ex Prime Minister “Education,education,education,”

[BigDave]

Perhaps you can work a time of day option. Very early or late in the day, true, not as much light, may not have as many issues with the K9s. Early AM is my best bet. As a dog owner, I would find these things annoying too. If there was some smell the dogs would avoid (and they smell everything), having that near you may help. Any thoughts on that idea out there?

[Fenwoodian]

.

Dogs have ruined some of the public places I like to photograph.

[johnyates]

I feel for you.
The only possible thing I can think of doing is to lobby hard for enforcement of the rules and regulations that are supposedly in effect. Find out who's in charge and make phone calls. Write letters. Once these irresponsible owners start receiving fines they'll likely either change their behavior or go somewhere else. Good luck.

[RGlasel]

The root of this problem is that there are too many of us who want to experience being alone in the wilderness without actually being alone in the wilderness. Birds (and most of the animal kingdom) are more adaptable than people, there is a man-made pond surrounded by a small community park a block from my house and several species of birds spend time there in spite of the dozens of people who walk their dogs all around it every day and students from two elementary schools at recess and lunch hours. Our biggest wildlife problem is the rabbits that eat flowers and vegetables from neighbourhood yards, if there were a couple of stray dogs in the area there might be fewer rabbits and the stray dogs would be less likely to defecate and urinate on my front lawn within a leash-length of the sidewalk than the people-accompanied dogs.

I grew up on the edge of civilization (some would say we were more uncivilized than our surroundings, but that's a different story), so as long as I was content with seeing bears, moose, elk, lynx, hawks, geese, herons, grouse, chipmunks, rabbits, crows and sparrows, I never had to go any further than I could pedal my bike. But none of these wild animals cared for my company, so they never stuck around long enough to model for me. If I want to be a serious wildlife photographer, I have to be prepared to get as far away as possible from other people and spend many hours pretending to be a tree, rock in the water or mound in the grass. Or I can go to a park or zoo and spend time with animals that have acclimatized to people and their pets (and it is people, not dogs that present the biggest challenge), with the result that my photos will be totally unsuitable for National Geographic.

[peggers]

Hang on, this is an opportunity. Why not photograph the dogs in the wild? Could be some great shots coming your way.

[micl161]

I finally have carefully and quietly gotten to a good vantage point for the wildlife I am shooting. Along comes a dog or dogs either on an overly lengthy leash or running free ..barking or even splashing along if theres water. THERE GOES THE WILDLIFE!

In this case, I'll change to take some photos of the dog or dogs, and have some fun.

[Walkingwolf]

Yes, I too have been plagued with dogs finding me. I say "finding" because when seriously seeking wildlife (and not stalking) I typically hide myself in thick bushes/shubbery/ undergrowth, preferably by some water's edge. No person has ever bothered me but dogs have, as they love to follow a scent. So, when I'm closer to built up areas then to avoid the dog problem I have to muster up enough determination to "kill" the scent and that takes some considerable effort as I have to meander through faster moving water for a fair distance before being confident the dogs would give up. (The pepper or vinegar type tricks don't really work, neither do the descenting formulas and the smarter dogs will even find you up in a tree.) Well that may all seem like overkill but I find it does work.
Or, you can just pepper spray the dog and hope the owner doesn't catch you...👼👼👼 😀😀😀

[nosliwmit]

I visit a nature preserve in Florida once or twice a year as it's a fabulous place to get pictures of ospreys, ibises, roseate spoonbills, herons, egrets etc. For me it's a special experience, but for many people it's just their normal dog-walking, biking and jogging park and they pay little heed to the birds, crabs, lizards etc. Quite often while I'm enjoying the peace and quiet and watching for birds a pair of joggers will run by yakking at a high volume and seemingly oblivious to their surroundings. It's a bummer, but it's a multi-use park and at least it isn't a parking lot or a trailer park or a vacant McMansion...

[35mmfilmfan]

Why not carry a few 'Path Closed' signs, and display them prominently ? Then, if you are disturbed (or when !), you can point them out, and accept the apologies with grace and charm - maybe even photographing the perpetrators 'for the records'. I have known people in the UK display 'Closed for repairs' on the doors of hides on reserves, to get some peace and quiet for a while.

[rogerstg]

Why not carry a few 'Path Closed' signs, and display them prominently ? Then, if you are disturbed (or when !), you can point them out, and accept the apologies with grace and charm - maybe even photographing the perpetrators 'for the records'.

Ethics anyone? Lying, impersonating an official and intimidating people for one's own benefit.
Speaking for myself, it's not how I roll.

[MossyRocks]

Why not carry a few 'Path Closed' signs, and display them prominently ? Then, if you are disturbed (or when !), you can point them out, and accept the apologies with grace and charm - maybe even photographing the perpetrators 'for the records'. I have known people in the UK display 'Closed for repairs' on the doors of hides on reserves, to get some peace and quiet for a while.

If one did that where I live in one of the county parks they would end up in rather severe trouble. Because of a number of "pro" photographers there are all sorts of rules about commercial photography and photography in general now in the county parks. I've been told by several of these pros that I can't go somewhere because they are going to be shooting there. My standard response is to ask if they have a permit for commercial photography and if they have gotten approval from the county park board for the shoot that they are conducting. I also point out that county park regulations state that photographers are not allowed to block paths or prevent someone from passing or moving through an area which these "pros" often do.

While I like taking pictures in the parks I make it a point to not be in the way and if I stop to take a picture I move off the path or to the side out of the way or check that no one is around. For a regular person like me who isn't doing commercial work I don't need a permit of any sort, but I do have a special use permit to enter one of the parks after hours and use the parking lot there for astrophotography. Even though I setup a giant tripod and some times a smaller one I'm not impeding anyone's use of the park. On the plus side I've probably met most of the overnight county sheriff officers who stop by to see what is happening as I am in the park after hours and the initially assume I am not suppose to be there. After they see that I have a special use permit they are often intrigued by what I am doing and curious as to what the pictures look like. This past summer I've probably given 5 or 6 impromptu astronomy lessons to cops

[BigDave]

Here is an idea, carry some hot sauce with you. Don't use it on the dogs, but on your shoes and near your spot. I have found dogs will shy away quickly when they get even a small whiff of the smell. My dog licked some years ago and now I just have to have it on my plate and he doesn't even beg at me anymore!

[redmenace]

Its interesting you note my avatar but expected. I am a cat owner, not a dog hater. I've been a bird watcher for 30 years.My cats are neutered strictly indoor cats because I recognize their impact on wildlife. cats affect on wildlife is documented.

As for dogs not killing the birds?Thats not true at all.
Dogs' becoming major threat' to wildlife - BBC News

I would add that maligning cats in a thread about dogs is 'whataboutism'. This technique can be extended to any other species, as in: "What about humans who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to hunt endangered species for sport?"