Something very similar happened to me back in 2019, out on the edge of the Levels near here. The dog - a big lurcher, not easily spooked - just sat at the back door whimpering and wouldn't budge. That alone told me something was off, because she'd go out in any weather normally.
The footsteps thing is what gets me. Whatever I heard that night moved with a kind of deliberate weight, not like a fox or a cat scrambling about. More like something taking its time.
Did you notice if the sound moved in any particular direction, or did it seem to circle? That detail matters more than people realise when you're trying to work out what you're dealing with. And what sort of area are you in - rural, edge of town? Would help to build up a clearer picture of what might be going on.