crash with dog and busted wrist

[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.