“The others are just guests”: farmers appealing to day trippers and dog owners to stay away from meadows

Created: 04/23/2022, 21:06

By: Sebastian Grauvogl

Appeal to the common sense of dog owners and day trippers: (from left) Johanna Ecker-Schotte (Chairman of the Tegernseer Valley Animal Welfare Association), Josef Bichler (BBV local chairman Gmund), district farmer Marlene Hupfauer, Manuela Dazudmaier (local farmer Gmund) with her dog Schorschi and veterinarian Katharina Zehetmaier.

In the background there is a willow on the Oedberg.

© Steffen Gerber

Farmers in the Miesbach region are appealing to stay away from meadows so that the grass can later grow as green fodder.

District – Manuela Zehndmaier prefers a conversation at eye level.

That's why she doesn't immediately identify herself as a farmer when she talks to other dog owners about their misconduct.

For example, that they shouldn't let their dog run out into the pasture, shouldn't dispose of their poo bags by the wayside and shouldn't throw sticks in the meadow.

But even if she has her Schorschi on a leash with her, that doesn't always increase understanding on the other side.

"Half of the people ask me what that concerns me." Quite a lot, Zehnedmaier replies, before she then reveals that the meadow on Oedberg in Ostin and thus in the immediate vicinity of the leisure center there belongs to her farm.

Anyone who now thinks that the unreasonable masters or mistresses are now giving in is wrong.

Instead, a provocative counter-question often follows: "Where does your dog poop?"

The Gmund local farmer is not alone in this annoyance.

And that is not just limited to dogs and their legacies, but also to rubbish that has been carelessly left behind.

Especially now in the spring, when those seeking relaxation are drawn back into nature in droves, the points of friction between day-trippers or vacationers and agriculture would increase massively, reports district farmer Marlene Hupfauer.

Ironically, this is the time when the grass should grow as undisturbed as possible later as green fodder.

District of Miesbach: Farmers with an appeal not to enter meadows

The traditional key date is Georgi Day this Saturday (April 23).

When they were at school, every child would have known that after this date you were no longer allowed to enter the fields and meadows, Hupfauer recalls.

"You didn't have to be a particularly good student to remember this tiny rule." Nowadays, it has largely disappeared from the collective memory.

Incidentally, this does not only apply to the "bad townsfolk" who are often given the buck.

"First of all, people aren't angry, they're just unenlightened," emphasizes Hupfauer.

And secondly, many locals do not know about the consequences of their behavior.

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It is all the more important for the district farmer, together with the representatives of the Bavarian Farmers' Association (BBV), to raise people's awareness.

For the fact that unfenced meadows also serve as green fodder for cattle.

And as a retreat for young animals – including wild animals and birds.

They should not be startled, nor should their food source be littered.

The Miesbach veterinarian Katharina Zehetmaier explains why dog ​​feces in particular can be a great danger.

"Dogs can harbor various pathogens in their intestines and excrete them in their faeces," she explains.

If the germs get into the stomach of the ruminant, they could cause more or less serious illnesses or lead to a reduction in the quality of the milk and meat.

In the case of salmonella, this ultimately means that transmission to humans cannot be ruled out.

District of Miesbach: Guests are very welcome - but rules should be observed

“Agriculture works in and with nature.

The others are just guests,” emphasizes Gmund’s local chairman, Josef Bichler.

Guests are welcome, but should also know how to behave.

The farmers have summarized the most important rules in an “excursion etiquette”: stay on the path, leash dogs, take rubbish with you, do not touch or feed grazing animals, keep wild animals to sleep, stay away from birds.

The Tegernseer Tal animal protection association has its own flyer in its portfolio: "Holiday with a dog" is the name of the brochure, explains chairwoman Johanna Ecker-Schotte.

The new edition, which will then also be explicitly aimed at locals, is to follow this autumn.

Ecker-Schotte is particularly annoyed by two things when it comes to the behavior of some dog owners: They would not recognize the farmers' meadows as someone else's property and would gladly consider the dog tax they paid as a license.

An absurdity, finds Ecker-Schotte: "The dog tax does not release you from responsibility."

Zehndmaier also continues to focus on clarification.

For example, when she goes to dog school with her Schorschi.

Something she recommends to every dog ​​owner.

"If the dog follows when you call him back, a lot is gained." For humans and animals alike.

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