Darting dogs

[mstone]

@jabberwocky 103648 wrote:

Every owner exclaimed one of two things after. “He’s never done that before!” (this is why you are required to leash your dog and keep it under control) or “sorry, he doesn’t like bikes” (uh, why are you walking it on the most heavily trafficked bike path in northern virginia then?).

My favorite is “he’s just being friendly”, as though that matters if he manages to connect with the person he’s lunging at.

[PotomacCyclist]

Sometimes the dogs do attack, as they did in 2012 in Arlington.

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/07/arlington-pit-bull-attack-leaves-man-seriously-injured-77878.html

[jabberwocky]

@PotomacCyclist 103663 wrote:

Sometimes the dogs do attack, as they did in 2012 in Arlington.

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/07/arlington-pit-bull-attack-leaves-man-seriously-injured-77878.html

I was attacked by a dog (my uncles german sheppard) when I was 10. 50 stitches in my head. If my dad hadn’t been there to kick it off me I may not have survived. The dog had never attacked anybody in its life. I can still remember the sound my dads kicks made as he repeatedly tried to punt it off me and the noises it made as it chewed on my head.

Oddly enough, I like dogs just fine. I grew up with them. I’m definitely wary of uncontrolled dogs, especially ones I don’t know. I have zero compunction about giving a dog a solid kick if it lunges towards me or acts aggressive while I’m on the bike.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dasgeh 103655 wrote:

As the mother of a 2-year-old who rides a strider bike and has been bitten by a dog, you need to get a bigger fence. Or chain. Or something. It’s your responsibility to ensure your dog doesn’t get out of your control.

Gee, I’d never thought of that…I just figured that “dogs will be dogs” and let him run around without a thought to what might happen. :rolleyes:

Key words are “capable” and “a tendency to want to”. I can assure you that I am just as, and likely more, capable of keeping my dog under control as most parents are of their two year-olds.

[dasgeh]

@TwoWheelsDC 103667 wrote:

Key words are “capable” and “a tendency to want to”. I can assure you that I am just as, and likely more, capable of keeping my dog under control as most parents are of their two year-olds.

The fact that you know both that your dog can jump your fence, and your dog has a tendency to chase, leads me to believe that whatever you are capable of doing, you have not, in fact, ensured that your dog is under control. It’s not funny. Dogs are not humans.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dasgeh 103670 wrote:

The fact that you know both that your dog can jump your fence, and your dog has a tendency to chase, leads me to believe that whatever you are capable of doing, you have not, in fact, ensured that your dog is under control. It’s not funny. Dogs are not humans.

First of all, your condescending finger-wagging is unnecessary and misplaced. But let’s modify your statement just a bit for the sake of argument…

@dasgeh 103670 wrote:

The fact that you know both that your child can get away from you, and your child has a tendency to run after shiny balloons, leads me to believe that whatever you are capable of doing, you have not, in fact, ensured that your child is under control.

By your logic, any parent that loses control of their kids is irresponsible. I mean, I can live with that logic as a dog owner if you can as a parent…but if you think control is guaranteed, you’re going to be the world’s most frustrated parent. Shit happens, many times despite our most sincere efforts to ensure that it doesn’t. My dog has jumped the fence…to chase the neighbors cat. So now I either supervise him while he’s outside or put him on a chain in the yard. He also has never chased or bitten a human…yes, he’d like to chase skateboarders and elliptigo-ers when we’re out on the trail, but I keep him on this thing called a leash and it has never been a problem. If, over the next 10 years, you can honestly say that your child has never gotten away from you, hurt another human, or caused some sort of accident that damaged property, then I will absolutely concede that your condescending finger-wagging was well-placed.

[baiskeli]

And just to top this thread off, I spotted a glaring dangling participle.

[peterw_diy]

@TwoWheelsDC 103682 wrote:

By your logic, any parent that …

I really hope you’re done.

[rcannon100]

Between my dogs and my kids, I’ll put the tall fence around the kids and take the dogs with me to the beach or the coffee shop any time.

Two Points to TwoWheelDC for helping wayward dogs find their way home. If you can read a dog, and tell the difference between an attack dog, a guard dog, or a goofy dog – you are a good menche for helping it find its way home. TwoWheelDC is right; most dogs in these parts are gonna be useless couch potatoes. But if you dont know whether its aggressive, you dont know – and its best to leave that dog alone.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@peterw_diy 103686 wrote:

I really hope you’re done.

Defending myself against accusations of being a bad dog owner by people who don’t know me or my dog (sound familiar, parents?)? Why yes, yes I am.

[dasgeh]

@TwoWheelsDC 103682 wrote:

By your logic, any parent that loses control of their kids is irresponsible. I mean, I can live with that logic as a dog owner if you can as a parent…but if you think control is guaranteed, you’re going to be the world’s most frustrated parent. Shit happens, many times despite our most sincere efforts to ensure that it doesn’t. My dog has jumped the fence…to chase the neighbors cat. So now I either supervise him while he’s outside or put him on a chain in the yard. He also has never chased or bitten a human…yes, he’d like to chase skateboarders and elliptigo-ers when we’re out on the trail, but I keep him on this thing called a leash and it has never been a problem. If, over the next 10 years, you can honestly say that your child has never gotten away from you, hurt another human, or caused some sort of accident that damaged property, then I will absolutely concede that your condescending finger-wagging was well-placed.

Clearly, your dog has jumped your fence. If your dog does so and causes injury to injures a person, you should bear the entire responsibility for that injury because you know that you need either a bigger fence or a chain. This isn’t about finger-wagging. This is about irresponsible animal ownership, which you seem to be saying is just fine, because you, what, treat the dog you own like parents treat toddlers? Or because your dog has yet to injure someone?

Again, dogs are not humans. Dog owners have a higher responsibility for dogs’ actions than parents do for children’s.

[rcannon100]

@dasgeh 103689 wrote:

Again, dogs are not humans. Dog owners have a higher responsibility for dogs’ actions than parents do for children’s.

Um…. no. That isnt anywhere near true. My responsibility for my kids and their actions far exceeds that of my dogs. I have spent the last 20 years being responsible for children and my dogs. And while I will not begin to go into what the last 20 years has entailed, for the dogs it pretty much has involved bowls of food, walks, and pooper-scooping. My highest responsibility has been raising my boys.

[ronwalf]

@dasgeh 103689 wrote:

Clearly, your dog has jumped your fence. If your dog does so and causes injury to injures a person, you should bear the entire responsibility for that injury because you know that you need either a bigger fence or a chain.

Did you read what you quoted?

[peterw_diy]

@TwoWheelsDC 103688 wrote:

Defending myself against accusations of being a bad dog owner by people who don’t know me or my dog (sound familiar, parents?)? Why yes, yes I am.

Hallelujah.

[Terpfan]

@Orestes Munn 103466 wrote:

Not relevant to anything, but my daughter befriended a pack of semi-domesticated “pot cake” dogs on the poor Caribbean island where she lived last year. Those dogs loved her, but gave me and mom the whim-whams.

You’re wise to be worried. I was once chased by a pack of random pack dogs (formerly domesticated–this was in a disaster zone). At first they were just strolling along and I didn’t notice them. Next thing I knew, I must have turned into the image of roadkill to the pack of hungry dogs. Even the smallest dog seemed rabid. I raced them to my call and literally was swinging a tool I had as I closed the door to keep them from getting to me. I’m pretty sure I connected with one.

I’m not afraid of dogs at all. Had one growing up. Many family members have them. But formerly domesticated dogs turned strays that are hungry–that makes me fearful.

As for the broad topic here, I outrun them and/or hope they catch up to another distraction. It’s like the old saying with the hungry bear–I’ve only got to run faster than the other guy. Enter pedaling hard knowing there is a jogger coming by at some point soon. What they do, well, ha, that I have no idea.

[Author]

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