December 08, 2011
I loved the video of you and Rush biking. Do you have any suggestions for keeping our runs/rides safe?
Full Question:
Welcome home, Jeff! I can't believe how much he sounds like Ed.Loved the video of you and Rush biking. My large dog has a high prey drive, but he does great biking. Just in case, I use a Walky Dog attachment so he can't pull me over.
But as much as my dog loves running with the bike, I come close to quitting every day. We live in the city, and I've lost count of how many times unleashed dogs have come after us. I hear this from other bikers and joggers all the time. It's always a different dog/place. I keep my eyes peeled on the environment, but I swear sometimes they pop up out of nowhere.
It even happened at a state park, when an unleashed dog-aggressive dog came after us, and it wasn't pretty. Thankfully, my dog was not injured, but the other owner's hand was scraped by a tooth. He said my dog did it, and we were the ones penalized. The owner himself said his dog was dog-aggressive, and he didn't have him leashed, "but I had his collar on."
Do you have any suggestions for keeping our run/rides safe? I'm trying to keep both hands on the handlebars, but I need to keep my dog safe.
Thanks.
Cindy's Answer:
What you describe is why I went to the trike, riding on a 2 wheeled bike while controlling my dog and fending off strange dogs was just too dangerous.
I carry a telescoping ski pole with me, bungeed to the back of my bike seat. Whenever I see a dog off leash I immediately stop and have Rush sit next to me and then I get my ski pole out.
If the owners can’t get control of their dogs when I'm biking with Rush, then I am not above using it to protect both of us from harassment or injury. I bike on a state trail where there is a leash law, but only about 50% of the people with dogs comply with the rules. It aggravates me to no end. I called the park ranger a couple of weeks ago and told him how dangerous this is and he didn't really seem all that interested in hearing about it.
Ed thinks I should carry bear spray but I'm not sure I could use it without spraying myself and Rush in the process.
I've started to take photos of these dogs and owners with my phone!
At least for me, on the trail I know where the dogs are going to be located. I know how stressful it is rounding a bend to find a loose and out of control dog barreling at us. I can't imagine riding in the city and dealing with the unknown day after day.
Ed has also written an article about what to do if you are attacked by a stray or loose dog.
I'm sorry I'm not more help, hopefully you'll find some useful info in the article.
Cindy Rhodes
I carry a telescoping ski pole with me, bungeed to the back of my bike seat. Whenever I see a dog off leash I immediately stop and have Rush sit next to me and then I get my ski pole out.
If the owners can’t get control of their dogs when I'm biking with Rush, then I am not above using it to protect both of us from harassment or injury. I bike on a state trail where there is a leash law, but only about 50% of the people with dogs comply with the rules. It aggravates me to no end. I called the park ranger a couple of weeks ago and told him how dangerous this is and he didn't really seem all that interested in hearing about it.
Ed thinks I should carry bear spray but I'm not sure I could use it without spraying myself and Rush in the process.
I've started to take photos of these dogs and owners with my phone!
At least for me, on the trail I know where the dogs are going to be located. I know how stressful it is rounding a bend to find a loose and out of control dog barreling at us. I can't imagine riding in the city and dealing with the unknown day after day.
Ed has also written an article about what to do if you are attacked by a stray or loose dog.
I'm sorry I'm not more help, hopefully you'll find some useful info in the article.
Cindy Rhodes
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