I have an Astralian Cattle Dog... a herder to his very last tail hair. It's instinctive and no matter what I do (short of buying one of those remote control shock collars ) he will herd. Fortunately he's a 'heeler', meaning he does his herding from the rear, nipping at the 'heels' of whatever he thinks he needs direct.

He has an obsession with bike tires... he's not interested in the riders, he just wants to stop those black round things that are ignoring his yipping demands. Plus, he discovered they're rubber and now believes they are the coolest chew toy going.

When I'm out with him on an off-lead run or playgroup, I keep my eyes peeled for cyclists. I snag him by his collar or leash him up until the cyclist is well out of site. However, I have missed a couple, and Quidditch being true to form has run a speeding trail biker down and stopped 'em cold... he actually grabs the back tire (while its moving) and chomps it. Then his job is done and he says hi to the rider.

Yes, I always pay for the tire... and have given a couple of cyclists rides home when they were way out of walking distance.

All have been very understanding... even amused. Thank goodness.

On another doggie subject: heres a link to a velonews article by Tyler Hamilton about his buddy, Tugboat. It's a 'kleenx required' read...

http://www.velonews.com/diaries/ride...es/6639.0.html