Chased by a dog? Apologies!

herb71
herb71 Posts: 253
edited February 2014 in Road general
Apologies to the cyclist that got chased into Swinford around lunchtime yesterday by a scruffy brown terrier :oops:

I am normally the first to criticise dog owners who don't keep them under control, don't pick up etc. I was out in the fields yesterday, well away from the road and my terrier, who normally has excellent recall on the whistle spotted a cyclist on the other side of the hedge about 200 yards away and took off in hot pursuit. It was a bit of a Fenton moment!

Sorry!
«1

Comments

  • Jesus Christ!
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    amazing .... a (kinda) responsible dog owner
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    Good karma!
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    We have a West highland terrier and they are determined beasties. A jogger went past and I called ours over to me to wait until the jogger was gone. The dog then decided to chase the jogger now she had given her a 100m head start. My mid life crisis body then had to sprint after dog and jogger and I couldn't speak when I caught them both up.

    Dogs are not robots and sometimes do odd things no matter how well you train them.
  • herb71
    herb71 Posts: 253
    Kajjal wrote:
    We have a West highland terrier and they are determined beasties. A jogger went past and I called ours over to me to wait until the jogger was gone. The dog then decided to chase the jogger now she had given her a 100m head start. My mid life crisis body then had to sprint after dog and jogger and I couldn't speak when I caught them both up.

    Dogs are not robots and sometimes do odd things no matter how well you train them.

    I had the same, sprinting across the field in wellies and waterproofs. He has never shown any interest in cyclists before but something about this poor fellow obviously triggered his desire to chase something. It can't have been nice, even though the dog is only small, they can be just as frightening, and you never know the dogs intentions.

    There are some Strava segments coming out of the village, perhaps the adrenaline helped him on the next section?
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    Terriers I don't mind. It's the big ones that scare me. What I don't want to do is run one over. A brown stripe down the middle of your darling pet is not a good career option for me. Particularly as many dog owners seem to to treat them like children...
  • I agree with Mikey, hitting a dog on a bike is more than likely to get your pet killed.

    As the law says keep them on a lead in pedestrian zones, land where livestock is present and public places.
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • as I rode along a path which is part of the National Cycle Network, a guy who was in sight for about 200 yards waited until I was feet away from him before swinging his dog (on its lead) around and right under my front wheel. I just managed to avoid it but couldn't help giggling when he said "Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You'
  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    A couple of years ago while riding up a short but steep incline, an idiot with a dog waited at the side of the road until I was almost level with him before letting his Border Collie run out almost under the wheels. Had to brake and come to a virtual stop and all he could do was grin like an inbred dumbass while I struggled to get momentum going again.
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    I like the ones that you approach with owner on one side and dog on the other and you realise at the last second that they are connected by one of those telescopic lead things...
  • BrandonA
    BrandonA Posts: 553
    as I rode along a path which is part of the National Cycle Network, a guy who was in sight for about 200 yards waited until I was feet away from him before swinging his dog (on its lead) around and right under my front wheel. I just managed to avoid it but couldn't help giggling when he said "Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You'

    The National Cycle Network and dogs don't mix well near me.

    I often see:
    - Dogs on leads with the owner one side of the path and the dog the other - with the lead crossing the path
    - When there dog is off the leash and the owner sees you they call their dog even if they are opposite sides of the path and therefore the dog runs towards its owner and crosses your path
    - They stop in the middle of the path to talk to other dog users

    In both situations the owners are oblivious to their behaviour when you question it. Logic is a human trait I rank very highly, these people seem to have none.
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    I had a discussion with a group who were having a conversation in the middle of the path. I was berated because of my terrifying approach speed. Pointing out that my garmin said I was doing the equivalent of walking pace had absolutely no effect and besides that I should have had a bell cos it says so on that sign down there...
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,216
    BrandonA wrote:
    as I rode along a path which is part of the National Cycle Network, a guy who was in sight for about 200 yards waited until I was feet away from him before swinging his dog (on its lead) around and right under my front wheel. I just managed to avoid it but couldn't help giggling when he said "Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You'

    The National Cycle Network and dogs don't mix well near me.

    I often see:
    - Dogs on leads with the owner one side of the path and the dog the other - with the lead crossing the path
    - When there dog is off the leash and the owner sees you they call their dog even if they are opposite sides of the path and therefore the dog runs towards its owner and crosses your path
    - They stop in the middle of the path to talk to other dog users

    In both situations the owners are oblivious to their behaviour when you question it. Logic is a human trait I rank very highly, these people seem to have none.

    Yep, there's a woman I see every time I ride to work. She walks the dog off the lead and leaves it roaming about 50m behind her then panics when she sees a bike - it's a cycleway so they shouldn't be a surprise - and tries to get it back on the lead. The last time I rode it she seemed to forget, I slowed right down to go past but the dog decided to run at me. Fortunately I accelerated enough that instead of going under my front wheel it bounced off my foot / crank and didn't get hurt. Hopefully it has learnt for next time although I'm half expecting the owner to have a rant at me for riding too fast (I was going at little more than walking pace before I had to try to sprint away). 100kg of combined bike, rider and accessories is unlikely to leave a schnauzer in the best of health!
  • My dog is the equivalent of a guided heat seeking missile when she sees new people to play with! Which is exactly why she doesn't get off the lead with me, unless I'm pretty damn sure that there's nobody about. She just loves to meet all new humans. And no amount of whistling, shouting, screaming, stomping or otherwise brings her back. Its like tunnel vision! Problem is, she's a big lump and doesn't realise it. Funnily enough people don't like it when they see a large white husky type looking dog pounding towards them at full pelt with the mouth open and tongue out...

    But worry not. She stays on the lead and leaves no mess. y'all are safe!
  • Many years ago I was riding along on a 100cc motorbike when a small terrier came running out the grass and sunk it's teeth into my front tyre. This resulted in me being sent flying over the handlebars and landing on the back of my head and left shoulder many metres further along the road.

    Miraculously the dog ran away apparently unharmed whilst I got carted off to have a checkup and my two broken wrists dealt with. Still to this day makes me nervous and slow down when I see a dog anywhere near a road.
  • rayjay
    rayjay Posts: 1,384
    I shot a panda.
  • diy
    diy Posts: 6,473
    If you find a dog owner who's not in control and doesn't see that there is anything wrong then remind them of their responsibilities under the dangerous dogs act.. You can see owners who are responsible and occasionally have a problem and you can see those that take no responsibility.

    I hate border collies their teeth are really sharp and they seem very bitey.

    I've found plod take out of control dogs really seriously - I was shocked at the levels they went to track the owner down of the dog that went for me.
  • rayjay wrote:
    I shot a panda.

    It would have died anyway.
  • Unfortunately local governments and cycling charities etc spend a lot of money on providing nice off road cycling routes, but they are made useless by the sheer number of dog walkers. From observation at least half of them will be off the lead - on what is basically a road. I have no expectation of doing road type speeds on these paths, however a little more than walking pace would be nice too.
  • mudsucker
    mudsucker Posts: 730
    edited February 2014
    The thing I don't like about dogs is their unpredictability. Are you bounding over to say hello or are you wishing to rip my face off? Hard to tell.
    Bikes are OK, I guess... :-)

    2008 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp.
    2013 Trek 1.2
    1982 Holdsworth Elan.
  • mudsucker wrote:
    The thing I don't like about dogs is the unpredictability. Are you bounding over to say hello or are you wishing to rip my face off? Hard to tell.

    At the same time the owner is shouting at you "Don't worry , he won't hurt you". Well thanks, but that's not the point, I don't want a dog jumping on me full stop.
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    I love the look of shock and amazement when they are walking their dog on a cycle path and a cyclist turns up...like you've just beamed down from planet zog
  • rayjay
    rayjay Posts: 1,384
    Anyone been attacked by a Teksta ?
  • Fit a set of these wheels - clears the path nicely :mrgreen:

    300px-The_charge_of_the_Persian_scythed_chariots_at_the_battle_of_Gaugamela_by_Andre_Castaigne_%281898-1899%29.jpg

    PS If your over 85kg don't get those four spoke factory built ones in the pic get handbuilts.
  • rayjay
    rayjay Posts: 1,384
    Fit a set of these wheels - clears the path nicely :mrgreen:

    300px-The_charge_of_the_Persian_scythed_chariots_at_the_battle_of_Gaugamela_by_Andre_Castaigne_%281898-1899%29.jpg

    PS If your over 85kg don't get those four spoke factory built ones in the pic get handbuilts.

    Good point about weight limit, a friend of mine who weighs 86kg tried a set of these on his brand new Cervelo RCA and died
  • Am I missing the point here? I'm assuming the person was on a mountain bike, as he was in a field, so in my book, he/she's fair game!

    Go on Rover!!!!!!!!

    :-)
    Scott CR1 Pro (Build in progress!!)
    Giant Defy 3
  • herb71
    herb71 Posts: 253
    Am I missing the point here? I'm assuming the person was on a mountain bike, as he was in a field, so in my book, he/she's fair game!

    Go on Rover!!!!!!!!

    :-)

    No its worse than that...the guy on the bike was a roadie, minding his own business on a quiet country road. We were in a field a couple hundred yards from the road, Rover spotted him through the hedge and took off.
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    Watch out for pitchforks and burning torches tonight...
  • TheHound
    TheHound Posts: 284
    Herb71 wrote:
    Am I missing the point here? I'm assuming the person was on a mountain bike, as he was in a field, so in my book, he/she's fair game!

    Go on Rover!!!!!!!!

    :-)

    No its worse than that...the guy on the bike was a roadie, minding his own business on a quiet country road. We were in a field a couple hundred yards from the road, Rover spotted him through the hedge and took off.

    Same thing happened to me last summer. Except it wasn't a little terrier, it was a rather ferocious looking dobermann called Buster (I know that as it's what the owner was shouting). Could of outsprint Cav in those few moments.
    Bianchi Intenso Athena
    Handbuilt Wheels by dcrwheels.co.uk
    Fizik Cyrano R3 Handlebars
    Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio Flow saddle
    Deda Superleggero seatpost
  • Hey Eddie! You cumin?

    http://youtu.be/p8uP-dxllKQ
    Bald is Beautiful