Neighbors and their crazy irresponsibility

[Trek420]

Would giving dogs treats reinforce or encourage the behavior in the future? Maybe they wouldn't be as mean, but still may pose problems. Just wondering.

If done properly, no. Puppy comes up to bike, does a sit or just a sniff, or just is calm ... treat gets popped in the puppy mouth along with praise "good dog".

But we should not have to train other peoples dogs. It's all I can do to train mine My dog is not perfect but she's remarkably calm around cyclists and any person on wheels; skateboards, rollerblades ... she says "whatevah"

[TsPoet]

How is your animal control? I would call them rather than the cops - if they are good. I'm worried about that puppy's welfare and would love to save it!

[Rebekah H]

Thank you guys so much for all of your excellent suggestions. I think I will definitely try the treat route because he's just a little guy who is curious about the bike and doesn't understand yet. I'm still baffled about the two adult men's behavior. My husband is out of town right now for work and when I told him about what happened, I was really, really glad he wasn't home. It amazes me that in such a tiny neighborhood that people would want to be that way. It's a little enclave of a community and there are so few of us that it would seem that we would all go out of our way to be nice to one another.

I'm ashamed to say that at a certain point in the conversation I snapped and yelled back. It wasn't my proudest moment and I really didn't know how to handle being verbally attacked by two middle aged men. It was disconcerting and hurtful. Maybe I'm a wuss?

I'm not sure how the animal control out here operates. I would hate to have to find out. Poor little puppy. I really feel for it. I actually heard the dog yelping when I pulled away. I'm assuming they made good on their "I will whip the dog's a$%" nonsense. It made me a little sick.

The reason I try to stay off the country roads here is because I live in Louisiana. The people in my area look at bicycles like people look at the bearded lady at the carnival. LOL I have seen one bike in the last three years that I have lived here.

[Biciclista]

Rebekah, where do you live?
You might call Animal control and ASK them what they do, they will happily tell you.

oops I see you told us where you live, sorry

[Rebekah H]

Rebekah, where do you live?
You might call Animal control and ASK them what they do, they will happily tell you.

oops I see you told us where you live, sorry

That's a great suggestion. For now, I am going to try the dog treats if necessary and just turn around earlier until my husband comes home and starts riding with me again. I'm all for keeping the peace.

[bmccasland]

Rebekah,
As a former Louisiana resident, I feel your pain (I left the state a 11 months ago). The state is a 3rd world country in many ways. There is an attitude that country dogs have a right to be off leash, even if there is a leash law on the parish books.

Would suggest that you call the cops or animal control. Don't want said pup to get trained that bike riders give treats - then it'll run towards the bike expecting a treat. Too bad the pup has jerks for owners, that won't teach the dog where the property line is, or keep the dog safely inside a fence.

[Rebekah H]

Rebekah,
As a former Louisiana resident, I feel your pain (I left the state a 11 months ago). The state is a 3rd world country in many ways. There is an attitude that country dogs have a right to be off leash, even if there is a leash law on the parish books.

Would suggest that you call the cops or animal control. Don't want said pup to get trained that bike riders give treats - then it'll run towards the bike expecting a treat. Too bad the pup has jerks for owners, that won't teach the dog where the property line is, or keep the dog safely inside a fence.

So you DO understand! LOL I live in Maurepas, about halfway between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. I'm seriously in the boonies as far as biking goes. We have some great roads around my area but they are curvy and people drive like speed demon animals. I'm so new that I really don't feel safe on the highways yet. It's best that I stick to neighborhoods for the time being.

The ride I'm training for is in St. Francisville. I'm so excited! This will be my first real group ride, outside of riding with my husband who is a very experienced cyclist. After only two days of fundraising, I'm halfway to my $500 goal. I might have to raise that sucker!

[beccaB]

Rebekah,
As a former Louisiana resident, I feel your pain (I left the state a 11 months ago). The state is a 3rd world country in many ways. There is an attitude that country dogs have a right to be off leash, even if there is a leash law on the parish books.

Would suggest that you call the cops or animal control. Don't want said pup to get trained that bike riders give treats - then it'll run towards the bike expecting a treat. Too bad the pup has jerks for owners, that won't teach the dog where the property line is, or keep the dog safely inside a fence.

I agree with the fact that giving treats to the dog would teach him that running into the road is acceptable and desirable. If you look at your county governments website there should be a link to animal control, where the animal protection ordinance should be published. In our community a dog that runs out into the road has potential to do harm and cause and accident, and is considered a nuisance. Our laws here are unusually strict due to our county commissioners knee-jerk responses to some very well publicized attacks. A person can be found guilty of a misdemeanor for what Rebekah is talking about. It doesn't even matter if there is an attack or not.

[tytbody]

That's a great suggestion. For now, I am going to try the dog treats if necessary and just turn around earlier until my husband comes home and starts riding with me again. I'm all for keeping the peace.

we can try to keep the peace but as I read today, some people thrive on confusion so you can't see what THEY are doing wrong.

[goldfinch]

Rebekah,
As a former Louisiana resident, I feel your pain (I left the state a 11 months ago). The state is a 3rd world country in many ways. There is an attitude that country dogs have a right to be off leash, even if there is a leash law on the parish books.

Would suggest that you call the cops or animal control. Don't want said pup to get trained that bike riders give treats - then it'll run towards the bike expecting a treat. Too bad the pup has jerks for owners, that won't teach the dog where the property line is, or keep the dog safely inside a fence.

My thoughts on dealing with dogs doesn't have to do with what we should or shouldn't have to do. Of course she shouldn't have to train the dog or train the neighbor. The way I think about it is what will work the best with the least amount of angst. Dogs are very responsive to treats and you can use them to lower their arousal level. A happy dog is not a charging dog, it is loping up to greet you and wait for its treat.

I just think we catch more flies with honey.

Calling the cops or animal control can have its own negative potential consequences.

[marni]

one of the reasons country road riding may be nominal is because of the issue of loose dogs. In the country most dogs have more room to run, aren't required to be on a leash as often or as much as in the burbs, and are generally present to guard the house, and land whether or not the gate is closed so....

Out around where I ride there are several places where the dogs always run at me, so far none have tried to bite or get real close, I continue to ride at a steady rate while telling the in a loud firm voice, no and go home. They usually pull of when I reach the edge of their territory. But you can never tell. My sister was stepping down to consult a cue sheet when a dog owner brought his german shepherd out of the house across the street. The dog didn't bark, ust ran up, hit her twice, bruising her badly and breaking the skin once. The owner made no attempt to call the dog back or apologize ust turned and walked into the yard. Fortunately the guide got the local police and they went back to the house to check on the dogs rabies status, which fortunately was up to date, and at that point got a "I was so surprised and embarrased that I just headed back into the house so the dog would follow me" aplogy.

I love dogs, but they are ust like people, good and bad, and as good and bad as their owners make them or let them be.

[PamNY]

If you decide to use treats, I would toss them, so the treat is a good distance from the bike.

You can start with short tosses, then lengthen them.

I don't know if using treats is a good idea, but given what you've said about the poor dog's owners, it might solve the problem.