For the love of cycling.......



I ride the trail, no loose dogs. I ride the roads, can't say I have ever seen a loose dog or chase. I ride late at night around an industrial center, I have seen a rabbit and a coyote but they didn't chase me. Ride up mountain roads, seen about 50 coyote but never chased me. Just chilling on the side of the road.

Kind of looks like this around where we live. Never been chased by anything other than a runner! :D

BTW, back in 05 'ish, we had an indoor dog. I let him out to take a leak in the front yard. Animal control happened to be driving by. They stopped and cited me for having the dog IN A FENCED YARD but not having the gate closed and secured. Didn't matter he was out there for 2 minutes. I gave him a hard time and he threatened to call the cops.

So I think it's a big money maker with people who actually have something to take. Probably why you don't see many dogs around here.

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I was climbing a steep grade once in Calif, when I was approaching this house with the owner doing some gardening in the front yard, his dog, some mutt, took off after me and was trying to bite the back of my leg. This was back in the day before mini pumps, so I grabbed my frame pump, a nice solid Zefal HP pump and smashed the dogs nose as hard as I could, that dog went screaming away, the owner bellowed out "hey you hit my dog" I yelled back that the next time that dog comes after me I'll kill it, keep it in your yard! I noticed as I was trying to get the pump back onto the frame there was blood on the end of it. The owner never responded back to my comment.

Mini pumps don't make very good dog weapons, fortunately on my touring bike I will be using a newer version of that Zefal frame pump, so I can beat off a dog if I have to...ok, no weird thoughts please! LOL!!!
 
Dogs were a problem when I was a boy delivering papers on my bicycle. Then my mother gave me vinegar to put in my squirt gun and that ended the problem.

Now, many years later, mots of the dogs I encounter are on a leash. But I do occasionally encounter a squirrel that can't make up its mind whether to continue into my path or reverse direction back to the curb. I've never hit one but my cycling friends who have say it's as bad as riding over a pine cone. Ouch!
 
I actually did encounter a loose dog on the bike trail. Some dude was riding with his little girl and a loose running dog. I had my video running when the dog took off after Gina as I had let her go ahead for the video. Luckily didn't bit her but had her screaming which set me off. I saw the guy coming up then start shouting at his dog for chasing Gina but did nothing to control the dog. So as I am approaching the dog charges me head on.

I unclip, time it perfectly and right as the dog meets my front wheel, I kick him square in the forehead with my bike shoe. He went off yelping then the owner, big thick guy starts shouting at me threatening to beat my ass.

I told him that he better be careful because I am more ****** then he is because I am ****** about my wife and he a little mut. So you want to get nasty about it?

I was down the way about 20 yards, he started toward me. I lay down my bike and make my way toward him. I guess he thought using his heavy NY accent would scare me off. So I get close to the guy and he starts walking the other direction. OK, that's what I thought. So he starts calling 911 saying some big green monster (same jersey in my avatar :D) attacked his dog.

Oh really? I shouted,"be sure to tell them your dog is not on a leash and chased my wife on the bike trail!".

I just got on my bike and took off after I saw the guy was actually a little beotch in a big body! :D:p:D