Dogs!

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Sheffield_Tiger

Legendary Member
I've hit one on the road once - it was running off the lead and shot straight out in front of me

Never on a cycle path or similar though - when any animals are around I slow right down, whether they be dogs, cats, ducks or squirrels.
 

Matthames

Über Member
Location
East Sussex
I came pretty close to hitting one with a bike fully loaded with camping gear. Happened on the promenade in Bournemouth. Dog just shot around from behind me and did a sort of left hook manoeuvre forcing me to swerve into the wall. Front pannier unclipped and went straight into my front wheel ripping out a couple of spokes in the process. The two spokes were from the same side, this resulted in the wheel becoming out of true quite a bit. I didn't realise just how out of true it was till a few hundred meters up the promenade when the tyre started herniating. I released the front brakes and wheeled it to the nearest bike shop, where I was able to purchase some spokes and a new tyre. I then set about rebuilding the front wheel in the Swanage ferry car park.
 

Norm

Guest
My fault? That the dog owner can't be bothered to put their dog on the lead when walking along a road? Where there are cars, buses, lorries, etc, as well as cyclists? They don't care enough about their dog to keep it safe, then blame me when it runs in front of me.

I'm not talking about shared paths here, although I'd argue that if your dog can't be trusted to stay close to your side, it should be on a lead at all times when out in public. I only ride on the roads, so any incidents I have with dogs are on the roads.
Can I ask you to re-read my post, specifically looking at the post I was quoting before going off on a rant. :rolleyes:
 

MarcA

Guest
I don't like cycling amongst dogs or horses (and sometimes people) so tend nowdays to avoid shared use paths unless I am cycling with my lad. Tend to have far fewer problems with cars. Never hit a dog though.
 

Mad at urage

New Member
Coincidentally, whilst cycling along the shared path on my route this morning I came across a group of the regular dog-walkers there. As usual I slowed to walking pace as I approached them. One of the dogs (which were all off the lead) wandered over to me as I passed ("Good Morning" - err, me and the owners, not the dog!) just too close to safely continue. I stopped, the owner apologised, the dog sniffed at my ankle and I cycled on. No need or excuse for hitting a dog in a shared path: They, like walkers, runners, kids etc are expected users and should be slowed for.

Just as I trundled off I realised one of the group had said something about "knock over" and "dog". I turned back and approached them again, asking if they had said I'd knocked a dog over! Apparently the remark was about the dog (scarcely larger than my booted foot) might knock me off the bike - so that's all right then (don't want any nasty rumours starting). Of course this was all an opportunity for them to ask where I'd come from, was going and how far I'd cycled this morning ... people generally like cyclists IME and politeness to them (and their dogs) on shared paths, pays off.
 

Angelfishsolo

A Velocipedian
Coincidentally, whilst cycling along the shared path on my route this morning I came across a group of the regular dog-walkers there. As usual I slowed to walking pace as I approached them. One of the dogs (which were all off the lead) wandered over to me as I passed ("Good Morning" - err, me and the owners, not the dog!) just too close to safely continue. I stopped, the owner apologised, the dog sniffed at my ankle and I cycled on. No need or excuse for hitting a dog in a shared path: They, like walkers, runners, kids etc are expected users and should be slowed for.

Just as I trundled off I realised one of the group had said something about "knock over" and "dog". I turned back and approached them again, asking if they had said I'd knocked a dog over! Apparently the remark was about the dog (scarcely larger than my booted foot) might knock me off the bike - so that's all right then (don't want any nasty rumours starting). Of course this was all an opportunity for them to ask where I'd come from, was going and how far I'd cycled this morning ... people generally like cyclists IME and politeness to them (and their dogs) on shared paths, pays off.

I spend so much time stopping and chatting to dog walkers that when I am in a rush I feel guilty for just slowing down and saying hello :smile:
 

Mad at urage

New Member
I spend so much time stopping and chatting to dog walkers that when I am in a rush I feel guilty for just slowing down and saying hello :smile:
:laugh: Yeah, I really must get fit enough to ride up The Big Hill non-stop (it's coming along), so that I can miss out the canal path and go instead via the Second Big Hill :tongue: - that'll make me feel less guilty.
 

Angelfishsolo

A Velocipedian
:laugh: Yeah, I really must get fit enough to ride up The Big Hill non-stop (it's coming along), so that I can miss out the canal path and go instead via the Second Big Hill :tongue: - that'll make me feel less guilty.

I am changing my routes a bit now I am doing some road riding so I see less dog walkers. Tomorrow I am off to Cardiff though and I may well take my usual route. Must remember to leave house an hour earlier than I need to :laugh:
 

twobiker

New Member
Location
South Hams Devon
Around where i live its all lanes and farms, at the moment i am off work for six weeks with a broken arm and gravel rash from shoulder to calf caused by a loose farm dog jumping out of the bushes and into the front wheel of my Sequoia,fist off Farmer wanted a fight, then said it was his road,and now says he does not own a a dog,its not the dogs its the owners who need educating.
 

Little yellow Brompton

A dark destroyer of biscuits!
Location
Bridgend
One thing worse than dogs out of control is what comes out of their rear-ends. Why do some people collect it in bags and then tie them to fences and tree branches (I kid not!) like some scatological christmas ornaments?:angry: .

Why? Because when their turd dispenser dropped it there was a witness, so they had to pretend that they were going to clean up after it. Once witness is out of sight...
 

apollo179

Well-Known Member
However commendable owners that clean up after their dogs are there's something deeply unpleasant about the whole dog business collecting business . Re business - at least cats have the sense of shame to do it furtively.
 
I came pretty close to hitting one with a bike fully loaded with camping gear. Happened on the promenade in Bournemouth. Dog just shot around from behind me and did a sort of left hook manoeuvre forcing me to swerve into the wall. Front pannier unclipped and went straight into my front wheel ripping out a couple of spokes in the process. The two spokes were from the same side, this resulted in the wheel becoming out of true quite a bit. I didn't realise just how out of true it was till a few hundred meters up the promenade when the tyre started herniating. I released the front brakes and wheeled it to the nearest bike shop, where I was able to purchase some spokes and a new tyre. I then set about rebuilding the front wheel in the Swanage ferry car park.

I had a hare do that trick to me as I rode my Claud along the B. road last week we cracking on at about twenty mph.

Now if I had hit him he would be in my belly later.
 

Lucheni

Active Member
Location
Cornwall
In my experience most people control their dogs well on the shared paths that I use. In fact, the two owners that caused me the most offence were a pair of cyclists with 2 German Sheperds. I couldn't overtake them because the dogs were roaming around their owners, one minute running ahead and the next falling back, and when I called out to let them know one of the dogs had stopped for a dump they looked back at me as though I were the one fouling on the pavement.

One thing worse than dogs out of control is what comes out of their rear-ends. Why do some people collect it in bags and then tie them to fences and tree branches (I kid not!) like some scatological christmas ornaments?:angry:

I see those bags of crap pretty often and it baffles me. Are these people really so lazy they can't walk a bit further and use a bin? It's disgusting and I'd love for these people to be caught and fined for both littering and failing to clean up after their dog. A friend and I went to check out a concrete bunker last summer, it dates back to World War 2 and was a control centre for a system of lights designed to make the town appear to be north of it's actual position. The floor is completely lined with bags of crap. People have actually detoured from the coast path to throw it down there.

The local council have been putting up loads of those red dog waste bins in the hopes more people will use them. One was placed quite close to my favourite picnic spot and some... Filthy, awful people have been fishing the bagged muck out and throwing it against trees and walls. I can't imagine how screwed up these people must be. Dogs aren't the issue, I love dogs, but some people are completely beyond understanding.
 

Norm

Guest
On the poo-bags thing, my mutt has one particular place he likes to take a dump near the start of one of our walks. (and I should say that we only see someone else about a third of the time on this particular amble). Anyway, rather than carrying the bag for the whole walk, which rather limits the amount of running and ball chucking that I can do, I do tend to put it somewhere up high (so kids can't reach it) and collect it on the way back past.
 
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