What do you think?? (dog and bike related)

[Crankin]

Oy. I have spent most of today responding to emails, both nasty and sympathetic that were sent to me in response to an email I sent to my neighborhood association list serve. Yesterday, as I was riding my little Jamis Coda to an appointment, trying to be a good citizen, and not using my car, I got chased by a loose dog on my street. It belongs to my neighbor, but I sent a complaint to the list, because this has happened before, but when owners were present. It wasn't the same dog, but I have had a couple of run ins with dog walkers who wouldn't get their dogs while they were chatting and I was trying to climb the 10% grade hill being chased by their dogs!
I found out that there is no leash law in Concord, but dogs aren't supposed to be running loose; in other words, it's OK to walk your dog without a leash, but not have them run off and chase people when you are not there. This doesn't make sense to me. One woman said I was rude and condescending, which I was not. I put it in terms of a safety issue and asked owners to please leash their dogs while walking on the hill.
Am I off base? I admit to not being an animal lover, but this woman really didn't understand that being chased by a dog, barking and baring its teeth is not a pleasant situation.

[maillotpois]

You are not alone in your frustration.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...hlight=leashes

[alpinerabbit]

Too bad people have no manners on listservs. Could you talk to the specific dog owner? Face to face helps... if you can do it calmly...

[Tuckervill]

Surely the law states that the dog must be under voice control if not on a leash? If they're not coming back when the owner calls, they're not under voice control, eh?

Don't let the flamers get you down. If your words could have been considered condescending to someone, admit it, apologize, and then keep the discussion on the issue at hand. That's the only way you will get your point across. Don't let them pick your post apart without addressing the central issue.

Karen

[Tuckervill]

Hey, I looked it up!

Section 2. No owner of a dog shall permit such dog:
::snip::
to chase a vehicle on any way open to the public travel;

They've broken the law by allowing them to chase you, on a vehicle, a bicycle, so you're totally right and they're totally wrong. Next time, call the law.

Karen

[maillotpois]

And I love my dogs. (Even though the smaller one looks a bit hung over in my avatar picture... )

[coyote]

I got chased 3 times in one week on my own block. I usually only got chased once or twice a week. I had talked to one of the owners a couple of times. But after that week, I started calling Animal Control. I've called them 4 times. That was over 2 months ago. I haven't been chased since then.

It really is about your own safety. A dog chasing you can cause you to react in a way that is not predictable to a person driving a car (aka you could get hit).

It is too bad that your nieghbors are upset. I wonder how they would feel if their precious pooch got hit by a car while chasing you? Or I wonder if they would enjoy the increase in home owners insurance if the dog actually does bite you?

As you can probably tell, dogs running loose is a pet peeve of mine
Sorry about the rant.

[sundial]

Crankin, I cycle out where there are no leash laws. I can't tell you how many times I've been chased by dogs. I've learned to claim my space when a dog comes after me, meaning I don't make eye contact and I act like the dog is nothing but a peanut. On rare occasions I've squirted the dog with water and that usually suffices.

As for your dilemma, I would first chat with the dog owner and let them know that it's not good for the dog to chase you out in the road and that it may get hit by a car. If the owner snubs you, then contact authorities and file a complaint. The animal control officer may need to be contacted and they may issue a warning for allowing the dog to be an endangerment to the public--particularly if the dog nips you while you are cycling.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

[Crankin]

Ha! I had not remembered that thread. I just forwarded it to the b**** who wrote me the nasty email. I said I want her to understand how real the fear is and to realize that most of the posters were dog owners themselves!

Thanks,

Robyn

[ttaylor508]

I am a dog lover and think it is irresponsible for those owners to put you and their pooch at risk. The dog is doing what dogs do.

Send her one of these video clips. It doesn't necessarily show a dog chasing a bike, but it does show how dangerous it is to let your dog run loose when any vehicle is present!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGfao3g26p0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuDzZLzlUVg

[Crankin]

I assumed the law read something like what you excerpted. Believe me, next time, I will call the police. In fact, the president of the association told me to. The dog that chased me yesterday is not usually loose, but since it brought back memories of what had happened before, I am glad it is clarified. These people don't get it. I didn't directly speak to my neighbor because she is somewhat strange and I really don't like interacting with her.
I didn't get off my bike, but I was about to put the bike between myself and the dog. I was trying to remember all that had been suggested here. Yelling "Go home" did nothing but inflame the situation. I totally forgot about the water bottle thing.
Thanks for all of your replies.

[rij73]

Crankin, you are right, dog owner is wrong. End of story.

FWIW, I am a devoted doggie person and consider my dog as much of my responsibility as a child would be. That means not leaving him outside unsupervised!

[elk]

The Nerve! We have some neighbors whose dogs badly attacked another dog (who was walking quietly on leash....) and generally kept escaping and running down other dogs, bikers etc.

I was at a neighborhood event and the woman told me--everyone on my street knows I am a trainer with 4 dogs---that a guy on a bicycle KICKED her dog, and she was outraged. She expected me to sympathize...but I said "If he chased me on wheels or on foot, I'd kick him too."

There are responsible dog owners and out to lunch dog owners...you have a case of the 2nd and have every right to be as rude and condescending as you like as long as her dog is making your passage on a public thoroughfare dangerous.

[meakulpa]

As a biker and a dog owner and lover, I sympathize. I get frustrated by dog owners who don't properly care for their pets and keep them from hurting others. Even the best of dogs can get excited and go after someone on a bike or in a car, even innocently. Here is some info on the laws regarding dogs and bikes- but the gist is that pet owners are responsible for their pets.

[Trek420]

Send her one of these video clips. It doesn't necessarily show a dog chasing a bike, but it does show how dangerous it is to let your dog run loose when any vehicle is present!

Or this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sgZC...eature=related

Unleashed dogs get loose and get hit by cars

They may form a "pack" with other dogs and get into trouble

They may wander and eat something that makes them ill ... such as a huge vat of chocolate pudding dogs can't eat chocolate yet somehow they survive and don't seem to miss it.

They may get attacked by wildlife, coyotes, pumas ...

They may get "dognapped", or simply lost and most lost dogs are not chipped and they don't get back home ....

Leash law or not I think an unleashed dog is an unloved dog. My mutt is always on a leash if outside the home.