Sad news. It seems yet again a dog was an issue,
We were out on the Ridge and Valley Way today when we met a herd of young but virtually full grown bullocks that were obstructing the way out of the field we were in. They reacted to our presence in a way that Mrs N, who does not like cows, interpreted as aggressive and I read as curious. They ran towards us to see what we were about which actually freed up the way out of the field. Mrs N was all for legging it but I managed to persuade her to stand her ground. Sure enough they formed a manageable, albeit unfriendly looking, group round us that we could walk through to leave the field without incident. Had we had a dog with us and less experience with stock, I suspect we would have had more of a problem.
If you have a dog with you, it is natural for cows to react to it aggressively and for the owner to want to protect the dog. This can be aggravated if the dog is not used to stock and reacts accordingly. Stock, especially with young, and house dogs are rarely a good mix and once it starts to go wrong, a lead or picking the dog up only serve to make things worse.