Q During a walk near my home, my dog and I followed a signed footpath we hadn’t explored before. As we walked past some reeds bordering a fishing lake, a swan suddenly rushed at my dog as if to attack him. My dog was off-lead, and lunged at the swan, growling and snapping. Luckily, it flew back onto the water and I managed to grab my dog and put him on a lead. A nearby fisherman told me I would have been in ‘big trouble’ if my dog had harmed the swan. Is this true?
I wondered if the swan had a nest in among the reeds. That being the case, is there any obligation to put up warning notices on the footpath?