A few years ago we walked a route that took us across a field with cattle in it. The cattle started to trot towards us at quite a rate, so I let go of both the dogs' leads.
The late lamented Django did the sensible thing: ran to the hedge and found a way through. Lola Loudmouth, who is all valour and no discretion, decided she'd give them a piece of her mind and ran towards them, barking.
They really started to run towards her (and us) then. I was quite surprised by how fast they moved, tbh.
Thankfully, she saw sense and ran towards the field edge as we ran to the stile. I just scooped her up and chucked her over the stile and got over it myself. They were so close I accidentally kicked one on the chin as I got over.
It's the first time I've ever been scared of them, I find shaking an OS map at them often sends them packing.
Mainly they're just curious though I don't go near them when they have calves and particularly here when the calves are taken away beginning October - even the most placid Highlander gets distressed like any Mum would. But totally agree that a herd of cows heading towards you is menacing.
I'm afraid that my collie/huntaway cross is a bit of a wuss - we used to get wandering cattle in our garden often and he - unlike Lola Loudmouth (Great name Fran1000) - believed in discretion! What's odd though is that he isn't fashed by Highlanders; I put this down to having unexpectedly met about 50 of them being moved by the farmer along the road and Mum just giving the ones in the way a bit of a scratch and a tap to give over - all behaved impeccably and the final ignominy was that both I and dog got slobbered over. (Not recommended!)
Sorry for the digression on a very serious subject. Only intended to put a different perspective from a different part of the UK. We have livestock and wild animals wandering all over the place (and a twelve pointer red deer stag taking up temporary residence in your garden is not without its alarms) so it may well be that our livestock and our dogs are more live and let live than those who are bred for specific purposes and live confined lives. When I lived in a farming area down south, had I had a dog at that time, I just wouldn't take my dog in a field of cows.
------------- " When I die I don`t want my life to flash before me in an instant, I want it to be a 3 hour epic !"
I walk with friends as a group almost daily during the Summer. We always take care to stick to footpaths but understand that we have to do risk assessments these days for everything. If we come across a field of cows most times everything is fine. BUT if they seem extra frisky or run towards us as we are starting to get into the field or if we have any reasonable anxiety about our safety we would have no hesitation to go off the footpath and into another field to avoid it.
We did this the other day and the farmer was sitting in his tractor across the other side of another field and he smiled as he approached us and told us that he was happy with the slight diversion but the cows would have been safe. Not all farmers are so obliging though.
One farmer stopped us and asked if we were going same way next day and if so he offered us another route avoiding his cows if anyone was anxious.
We usually find farmers are helpful and like a chat but not always.
Having grown up on a dairy farm, I would be more scared of cows with calves than bullocks, the ones we had were a dozy bunch, and very inquisitive, I wouldn't walk my dog through a field of them though.
Both my Granddads were farmers, and one of them lost a leg to a bull, he had always told us to never turn your back on the bull, but one day he was working in the field and hadn't spotted it and it tossed him out and speared his leg!! so be warned lol
If you were to meet Lola Loudmouth, Ficklejade, you would know just why she got her second name. She's a Lakeland terrier, known to be a barky breed, but she is unnecessarily fond of the sound of her own voice. Strangers who dare to have a conversation in the street are told to shut up in no uncertain terms, and if any dog steps out of line she responds with fierce barking and a well-controlled air snap.
It's quite funny to see a 12.5 inch, 12.5lb lakie send a Rhodesian ridgeback or German Shepherd off with a flea in their ear by a few well-chosen barks.
Mind you, I'd have thought a huntaway mix might be a bit of a loudmouth,too. Don't they herd by barking at cattle?