crash with dog and busted wrist

[hipmama]

hey, havent posted in a while, been outside playing all summer. had a crash yesterday, with my own dog. fractured my right wrist and am looking at surgery, plate, screws, and an early end to my cycling season. thought i'd catch some good "that happened to me too" stories here, hopefully with happy endings...

[Tri Girl]

OUCH!:eek: Hope you heal soon!

[Aquila]

I hope your pup is okay, and that you heal quickly! Sorry about the crash.

[hipmama]

yes, should ad, pup is fine. I was training him to run with me- he's already trained as a co-runner, was evolving to bike running with him- had his leash under my hand so i could let go fast, but he dashed after something and pretty much pulled the bike out from under me at about 16-18 mph.

[OakLeaf]

Ow!! :eek:

Heal up quick!

[Kris]

Ouch! I'm sorry you had such a crash.
I ride with my dog. I use a device called a Walkydog. It holds him away from the bike, and there's a spring inside so he can't pull me. We've been using it for 4 years now, with no crashes.

Kris

[Biciclista]

owch. sorry you got hurt, get well soon.

[hipmama]

Walkydog, check. sounds like what we need(ed)

[bmccasland]

Ouch. :eek: Hope your wrist heals quickly. Glad pup is OK

[NbyNW]

Yeowch!

hipmama, hope the surgery and healing go beautifully.

Kris -- any learning curve with the Walkydog? I'd been thinking about trying one of those out, but my rott-shep mix sometimes tries to herd me (when we're just walking), which has led to me tripping over him a few times, so I've been hesitating.

[GulfCoastAmy]

Wow (and ow!). Glad you're ok! Here's to a speedy recovery!

[Selkie]

Sorry to hear about your mishap. Thank goodness the accident wasn't worse and your dog is ok. You were going pretty darn fast and were extremely lucky. I hope you weren't on a MUT.

I mean no offense, but I really don't think it's safe to ride with a dog attached to you or to your bike. This is my opinion. I'm an experienced dog owner and know that even a well trained dog has its "moments."

All that said, I believe that Elk has successfully trained one or more of her dogs to trot while she rides slowly.

[hipmama]

Oh, I agree, it wasn't smart! I just really had it in my head I wanted to try and I can be stubborn to the point of stupid. fine example here. funny cause i am careful when cycling to the point of annoyance- see what happened when i let my guard down? sorry for lack of proper caps, typing with left pointer finger...

[SpinSpinSugar]

It can be quite safe - I ride with 3 dogs attatched to the bike. Yes.. that's 3 dogs ... 2 - 65lb pitbulls and 1- 25lb poodle. Have been doing so for 2+ years using the exPETdition bike leash for dogs. It has a large L-shaped bar attatched to the seat post with a spring on the end. If the dogs pull - even suddenly, the spring acts like a canti-lever and pushes more weight down on the back tire making it more stable. I've never once been pulled over by them... - wrapped around a sign post [unhurt]- yes.. lol.... crashed no.

I used to hold the leash in my hand, until one of the dogs stopped all of a sudden to poop. I went flying over the backwards handlebars
and crashed quite conveniently next to the offending smelly pile - poop bags blowing around the road... :rolleyes:

Sorry to hear about your accident. I applaud you for understanding your dog's exersice needs. Here's to a speedy recovery! ;):D

Get better soon!

SpinSpinSugar

P.S. It's the rollerbladers and their dogs that you have to watch out for!

[hipmama]

good suggestions. I'd love to ride with him with the right and safest set up, he is an active black lab happiest on the move. however, if we don't get this down, we hike, swim, snowshow, and he runs with my partner regularly, so he'll still be busy out there. now i'm just waiting for the plate to get put in my hand, heal, and get back on the bike.

[Kris]

The learning curve on the Walkydog was easy. The first time I put Bob on it, we went up the block and back. I added a couple of blocks to the ride each day, up to about 4 miles. The vet said to start slowly, because Bob was young, and the directions cautioned against to much riding on pavement until the dog's pads toughen up. I am always extremely cautious, and I ride on quiet streets or the MUP, preferable at unpopular hours. We have had two minor spills. One broke the Walkydog, nothing else, no injuries. I ordered another one the same day. Both were the result of bad judgement on my part. We've been riding for four years now. Sometimes I attach our Cocker Spaniel to Bob and we tour the neighborhood at a slower pace. Bob's pace is pretty slow by cyclists' standards, but we have fun. I was 55 pounds heavier and returning to cycling after many years when we started, and his pace was a challenge for me then. I did it for him, but it has been great for me too.

Bob is a Blue Heeler, and he needs a lot of exercise. He needed even more when he was a crazy "teenager". My knees hurt too much to walk him far. We went to the dog park when we could, and he went to day care twice a week, but it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. He barked at us. He tried to herd us. He let us know every way he could that he was not happy. When I found the Walkydog, we were on the verge of returning him to the shelter. Since then, he's learned to fetch, so we have a bad weather and busy day alternative.

Bob weighs in at about 40 pounds. He cannot pull me over. He has tried his best to chase squirrels and other dogs without success. After a couple of years, he mostly quit trying. I feel much, much safer riding with him on the kind of rides we do than I do in any kind of traffic. If safety is the major concern, I suspect we all need to take up something else. For me, the benefits clearly outweigh any risk. The other device mentioned here, with the cantilever using the dog's weight against him, might be better for bigger dogs, but for us the Walkydog is fine.

[arielmoon]

((((hipmama)))))

[hipmama]

looks like surgery is monday.
i had my hopes up because a friend invited me to do a club ride with him next sat- he has a tandem with an upright in the back, where captain rides, and a hands free recumbent front ride/stoker. however, i'm just going to still have a gauze cover at that point and no hard cast to protect, so I'm going to pass.