Not proud of myself. Went totally postal.

SimonAH

Riding along with the mini AH through the central spine park that runs through Cwmbran this afternoon and WHAM ploughed into a couple of off the leash alsations. Both of us over the bars. No real damage (although I think I may have cracked something in my left hand)

I'm a dog owner. I've got two hounds that I love more than cheese.

TOTALLY blew my stack at the Chav owners. Completeley disproportionate. My wife tells me that I threatened to kill their dogs and eat them - after pulling their craniums from their carcases and defecating down the resulting hole..

I'm never like that, EVER, but went into complete monkey zone because my daughter was hurt. Chavs did the fastest 100m nonchalant walk in the history of getting the flack out of there and peeled rubber.

Just spent an hour in the garden re-assessing the person that I am - geniunely I believe that I could have committed murder - over a badly controlled dog!!! Arrgh, am I turning into a monster?Mr Hyde, Mr Hyde, come in, your number is up,

EKE_38BPM

Dogs are stupid and (sometimes) their owners ain't much better.

Hrun

I believe anyone, no matter how controlled has the potential to snap. And seeing your nearest and dearest hurt is the most likely scenario. At least it got no further than verbal and you have a better idea where your limit is.

I assume mini is ok?

davis

Nah, you're just human. Sometimes you don't like how you find that out, or what you're capable of when you do find out. That's all.

I believe just about everybody has the capability to go completely and utterly brain-totally-disengaged-bonkers over something... and your kids getting hurt will do that.

You'll probably be more aware of getting angry in future, but if something gets to you then I really don't think there's too much you can do.

Have a beer and a wee think about it. Take solace in the fact that while it was disproportionate, your reaction was to something you'd genuinely worry about rather than a e.g. a petty inconvenience.

You're not a monster.

P.S: "Peeled rubber"?

prj45

Be v careful in parks, there be dogs running around.

What's more I bet in a fight to the death "allowing dogs off leads in the park" would win over "allowing cyclist to cycle in the park".

SimonAH

Thanks guys - definitely reasessed my thresholds. Mini AH absolutey fine BTW.

Ride free!

CdrJake

I think under the circumstances I would have done the same.

If my child (a hypothetical child that is) had been injured due to someone else lack of control over their anmial, then I would have done the same.

It is always different when your children are involved, you become protective of them if they are hurt and while your reaction may have been a little over the top it is an understandable one.

If it had just been you, somehow I feel you may have reacted in a different manner.

acidstrato

some cwmbran folk will do that to you...

Jay dubbleU

I did once threaten to pull someone's arm off and hit them with the soggy end but that was on a parade ground so probably doesn't count

CdrJake

Jay dubbleU wrote:

I did once threaten to pull someone's arm off and hit them with the soggy end but that was on a parade ground so probably doesn't count

We had a drill instructor like that when I was in training. The man still scares me to this day.

SamWise1972

I'm not even sure that the chavs were in the wrong. To my mind, letting your dogs have a run is one of the main things the park is for, certainly more so than cycling. Walking them on those retractible leads, and letting them spread across the path like a garot is a different matter.

mats

Join the club! most of us at one time or another, depending on the situation, will have went needlessly ape, at least you realise your reaction was over the top and feel uneasy about it. On several occasion while out and about on the bike I have shrugged of incidents knowing full well had the youngest drain on my resources been with me I would have reacted totally differently, we are only human after all....sometimes more than others.

secretsam

Reasonable reaction, I understand you are a dog owner but I don't understand dog ownership...I personally think they're smelly and stupid. But that's my opinion.

What is a more reasonable stance is the irresponsibility of so many owners - the junior SecretSams don't really come into contact with dogs and are therefore a little wary of them (being only 5) so when some huge dribbling mutt runs up barking in their faces, the owner might say "He's only being friendly, he won't hurt you" but that doesn't stop it being scary.

At times like that, if I had a gun I'd use it, frankly.

Keep control of your mutts, people. :evil:

ex-pat scot

At least you have recognised your response was inappropriate, and realise you need to have a think about this.

Have you talked to your mini about it? Did they get some of the sense of the reaction- in which case it might be worth explaining that this is not "normal behaviour" and daddy was very upset about them being at risk.

rjsterry

Hrun wrote:

I believe anyone, no matter how controlled has the potential to snap. And seeing your nearest and dearest hurt is the most likely scenario. At least it got no further than verbal and you have a better idea where your limit is.

I assume mini is ok?

+1 I'm always very suspicious of those who claim they couldn't do anything to hurt another person - we all can, it's just a question of how far we need to be pushed. Hope mini AH wasn't too traumatised by Dad going ballistic as well as coming off the bike.

dhope

SecretSam wrote:

Reasonable reaction, I understand you are a dog owner but I don't understand dog ownership...I personally think they're smelly and stupid. But that's my opinion.

What is a more reasonable stance is the irresponsibility of so many owners - the junior SecretSams don't really come into contact with dogs and are therefore a little wary of them (being only 5) so when some huge dribbling mutt runs up barking in their faces, the owner might say "He's only being friendly, he won't hurt you" but that doesn't stop it being scary.

At times like that, if I had a gun I'd use it, frankly.

Keep control of your mutts, people. :evil:

If the thing is actually barking in their faces then, fair enough, it's scary. If it's just being a dog and it's in a space where you'd expect dogs to be then SSJr may need to MTFU :twisted:

Initial reaction not surprising (naturally protective if chance of little one being injured) but not justified either. Parks are for pets as much as bikes. Dogs off leads are fine and they'll run about. Sounds like neither the rider nor the dog were able to stop safely. Racing incident, move on.

DonDaddyD

SimonAH wrote:

TOTALLY blew my stack at the Chav owners. Completeley disproportionate. My wife tells me that I threatened to kill their dogs and eat them - after pulling their craniums from their carcases and defecating down the resulting hole..

Completely not cool. But a superb way to do it.

I'm never like that, EVER, but went into complete monkey zone because my daughter was hurt.

Just spent an hour in the garden re-assessing the person that I am - geniunely I believe that I could have committed murder - over a badly controlled dog!!! Arrgh, am I turning into a monster?Mr Hyde, Mr Hyde, come in, your number is up,

Don't be too hard on yourselves. You see how dogs can lose it protecting their owner/master. Well you lost it through fear for your daughters saftey and wellbeing and a desire to protect her. It's instinct to want to protect the ones we love most and while you did lose it (most would) you didn't act, which is something.

All you can do is learn, had they been two staffordshire bull terriers and you lost it, there reaction, in kind, could have been worse. Just conciously try to keep your higher brain functions at the forefront next time. You becoming irrational could make the situation worse.

But as I said don't be too hard on yourself with the whole 'dogs as weapons' culture and the general fear of dogs savaging children I don't think anyone can blame you.

Pufftmw

ex-pat scot wrote:

Have you talked to your mini about it? Did they get some of the sense of the reaction- in which case it might be worth explaining that this is not "normal behaviour" and daddy was very upset about them being at risk.

Yes, as above. I know if I do get angry at something (not my daughter) it can freak her out and seeing daddy losing it bigtime can be very very scary for a small one.

Clarion

Seeing your kids hurt or put at risk brings out your fiercest protective instincts. May not be the prettiest, but that's evolution.

Yesterday, someone left-hooked my partner. Fortunately, she avoided it, but my son, riding behind on his fixed, skidded. He shouted in rage, and wanted to chase the errant driver. So did I, but I managed to persuade him to let it go. It's hard to stay reasonable sometimes, but what difference would it make?

As it is, he's learned that the best way to deal with those hurting you is just to walk away and leave it. Sad, difficult, but probably for the best.

Aidy

SimonAH wrote:

TOTALLY blew my stack at the Chav owners. Completeley disproportionate. My wife tells me that I threatened to kill their dogs and eat them - after pulling their craniums from their carcases and defecating down the resulting hole..

Why would you want to eat the dogs after defecating into their carcasses?

Weirdo.

Cafewanda

Nouvelle cuisine, innit?

Banned member Porgy

first off stating that I am aware that the OP has stated their embarrassment, regret etc. of their reaction to this.

BUT - as a former dog owner, and owner of a particularly energetic wippet who needed just to let off steam, living in the city, the park was the ONLY place I was allowed to walk this dog - or rather let her off the lead so she could run around and around the park at high speed. She always came back. She did not have an aggressive bone in her body. She never got into trouble because she could outrun every other dog int he park.

But if some idiot riding a bike without due care and atention ran into her while she was venting steam I'd have probably gone mental!

The OP may want to think about the example he is setting his daughter behaving like this, and in the manner of his unsafe uncontrolled cycling thorugh a public park.

SimonAH

654321 wrote:

The OP may want to think about the example he is setting his daughter behaving like this, and in the manner of his unsafe uncontrolled cycling thorugh a public park.

To be fair we were on the designated cycle path. The are plenty of wide open areas in that park that are ideall for letting dogs run off the lead in a safe manner. And there was no question of lack of due care and attention - I was riding with my six year old daughter which makes me hyper alert. The dogs came hammering in front of the bikes at full speed from dense undergrowth. it was completely impossible to avoid them.

I think what really triggered me was that the owners had no care of concern, not even for their dogs let alone us.

And I'm pretty certain I have cracked something in my left hand - it's agony today,

daccordimark

Get that hand/wrist down to x-ray. You could easily have broken a bone and if you don't get it sorted now it will be much worse in the future.

I'm glad you are both OK apart from the hand. Your reaction was a bit over the top as you tell it but when your kid is hurt all reason goes out the window. Perfectly normal parental reaction I reckon and as you're feeling embarrassed it just goes to show how out of character it was.

Mark.

Banned member Porgy

SimonAH wrote:

654321 wrote:

The OP may want to think about the example he is setting his daughter behaving like this, and in the manner of his unsafe uncontrolled cycling thorugh a public park.

To be fair we were on the designated cycle path. The are plenty of wide open areas in that park that are ideall for letting dogs run off the lead in a safe manner. And there was no question of lack of due care and attention - I was riding with my six year old daughter which makes me hyper alert. The dogs came hammering in front of the bikes at full speed from dense undergrowth. it was completely impossible to avoid them.

I think what really triggered me was that the owners had no care of concern, not even for their dogs let alone us.

And I'm pretty certain I have cracked something in my left hand - it's agony today,

Unfortunately it is what dogs do and there really is nowhere else for dog-owners to go - especially if its a big dog like these were.

I think you may have to just chaolk it up to one of those things - cycling and dog-walking don;t mix.

Stuey01

654321 wrote:

But if some idiot riding a bike without due care and atention ran into her while she was venting steam I'd have probably gone mental!

Dogs < people.

Control your dogs in public.

hmbadger

Stuey01 wrote:

654321 wrote:

But if some idiot riding a bike without due care and atention ran into her while she was venting steam I'd have probably gone mental!

Dogs < people.

Control your dogs in public.

I don't think it's as simple as that.Where it is reasonable for dogs to be off lead then cyclists need to be aware and behave reasonably (not ride too fast for instance). Its a shared facility.

Aidy

On one occasion, I was riding my bike and a dog launched himself at me, dog owner eventually brought him under control - and then proceeded to have a massive go at me for not saying "thanks".

And um, I do normally thank people for letting me pass - but I was a bit busy swerving to avoid the hyperactive dog.

Dog owners are a bit strange.

jds_1981

Big dogs and towns don't mix. Bad enough in the country where irresponsible owners think because no-one is around they don't have to pick up the poop...

will3

hmbadger wrote:

I don't think it's as simple as that.Where it is reasonable for dogs to be off lead then cyclists need to be aware and behave reasonably (not ride too fast for instance). Its a shared facility.

I don't think that near a cycle path is somewhere where it is reasonable for dogs to be off a lead. You wouldn't do that near a road would you?

and fwiw those extendable reel "leads" are not keeping your dog under control.

Herbie The Dog

I always thought it was the dog owner's responsibility to enure that their animal is kept under control at all times? And no I'm not talking about being on a lead at all times.

I'm with the OP...chances are he was paying attention as he was riding with his daughter. It's clear to me that the dogs weren't under control.

And yes...I have a dog.