Be careful out there, ladies!

[DebW]

Tater, so sorry for your injuries. Heal quickly. I had a dog encounter once on a group ride. The dog went after the back wheel of the rider in front of me, and therefore right in front of my front wheel. My only injury was to my expensive wool long underwear under my shorts. We actually knocked on doors and found the dog's owner and asked for compensation for the ripped long underwear, but didn't get it.

[Tater]

Thank-you, ladies, for your suggestions and thoughts! They are appreciated!

Well, I feel much better today. The x-rays were negative, just bumps, bruises and scrapes. Nothing that a little antibiotic ointment, Motrin and an ice pack can't take care of. We get a copy of the police report at the end of the week and will be using that to seek compensation. I agree with Annie and others about getting my bike checked out at the LBS and will be doing so. That, along with the visit to the ER, and the price of a pair of shorts I will be asking for.

What was rather funny, was last night after we got back from the ER and I was sitting with an ice pack on my knee. I looked over at Mr. Tater and said, 'I wonder if I can be back on my bike this weekend.' He rolled his eyes at me. We are having some beautiful weather and since I don't start work until tomorrow, I am just itching to go out for a ride. But I know I need to let things heal, so that is what I am doing. Medicating with a batch of homemade banana nut muffins and hoping they will make me heal faster!

I too, am a dog owner, but he has manners and knows his place in the world. I just wish these other two did as well, I would hate to see what happen to me, happen to one of the smaller kids running around here.

Thanks again, ladies! Ride safe.

[luv'nAustin]

Great attitude! Glad to hear that all will be well and that you are looking forward to your next ride.

[snapdragen]

I too, am a dog owner, but he has manners and knows his place in the world.

So does mine, she's the queen of the world, we are her servants.....

Heal quickly!

[DrBee]

Glad to hear you're not too badly damaged. Chocolate chip cookies always seem to help the healing for me Good luck with the owners - I hope you at least some compensation.

[Aint Doody]

On one of our favorite group rides there's a house with 3 huge and I mean HUGE dogs that run out in the road and are vicious. I've gotten off my bike and tried to use Halt on them, but they appear to know the distance for this stuff. (I'm not clever enough to do the Halt bit while I'm in motion and in the flight mode.) After we've all been chased, I found out who lived in the house and called them to let them know that it's illegal for an aggressive animal to chase bicyclists, walkers, whatever. Her response was that we should call her on the phone before we head out their way. People around here just don't get it--it's illegal. She did say they plan to get a fence--shoot, those big ole dogs will probably clear any fence.

Sooooo--I'm going to call her just about every day! And I told her if her dogs chase me again, I will call the sheriff.

[Duck on Wheels]

Good on you!!!! Call her more than once a day if you can. Make it clear that somebody can be coming by on foot or on a bike any minute every day ... and that if those dogs come out at'em she--will--be--sued! Maybe eventually she'll get the point. We've got nothing against the dogs, but there's no gain for them either from running out and chasing every passing person, bike, car ...

[Tuckervill]

Why don't you just call the Sheriff/animal control right away anyway?

With large dogs capable of real damage, I don't give the owner a second chance. If I see your dog out (even when I'm not riding) I call animal control to pick up the dog. In our town, if they catch your dog three times, you've surrendered it. In all the cases I have called on, this has been a good thing. The people weren't caring for their dogs.

I have a neighbor who lets his two big dogs out every day morning and night to roam the neighborhood, even though he has a fenced yard. I often see other neighbors walking their dogs or jogging stop in front of my house and turn around because those dogs are on alert at the end of the street. It's not fair to those neighbors who obey the law that they can't walk down the street without being accosted by dogs.

I admit I am the neighborhood crank when it comes to loose dogs, under certain circumstances. One is my concern for dogs who are chained and untended most of their lives. If they manage to escape I call animal control. I figure it's better for the dog to be taken away from owners who barely interact with them. Plus, chaining and ignoring a dog is the quickest way to make him mean, and they shouldn't be left to encounter other dogs, just in case.

The other is loose dogs. I'm one of the few home in my neighborhood during the day, and I would feel absolutely compelled to take an irresponsible human's dog to the vet if it were hit by a car, for the animal's sake. I don't want to have to do that, and I want my neighbors to do what's right for their dog and the neighborhood.

By the way, I LOVE dogs. I own two and would have more if my husband could handle it. They live in the house on the furniture and have a doggie door. I found out my Jack Russell was shimmying under the back gate and taking walk-abouts recently and if she had been caught, I would have taken my medicine. Instead, I fixed the gate so I wouldn't have to take it. I don't see why I shouldn't expect my neighbors to obey the law, too.

Karen

[CorsairMac]

On one of our favorite group rides there's a house with 3 huge and I mean HUGE dogs that run out in the road and are vicious. I've gotten off my bike and tried to use Halt on them, but they appear to know the distance for this stuff. (I'm not clever enough to do the Halt bit while I'm in motion and in the flight mode.) After we've all been chased, I found out who lived in the house and called them to let them know that it's illegal for an aggressive animal to chase bicyclists, walkers, whatever. Her response was that we should call her on the phone before we head out their way. People around here just don't get it--it's illegal. She did say they plan to get a fence--shoot, those big ole dogs will probably clear any fence.

Sooooo--I'm going to call her just about every day! And I told her if her dogs chase me again, I will call the sheriff.

or call animal control right before your next ride?...tell them where the dogs are to meet you there so they can see for themselves what is happening. There is nothing that irritates me more than a irresponsible pet owner. I hate to see animals carted off but of those dogs ever really hurt anyone - they could be put to sleep and that's even more cruel.

[Aint Doody]

Well, I've been calling and the dogs have not been out. So maybe she'll get tired of my calls and go ahead with the fence.

However, on our last Sat. ride we were passing a house that had a fence and 2 dachunds in the yard just barking away--no big deal. Just as I was passing, a medium-sized black dog launched himself over the fence! The man behind me went down trying to stop. It was scary. He was okay and the dog hopped right back over his fence. The owner was there. My friend who went down was furious and told her about the legalities of owning a dog who was an aggressive chaser (understandably sprinkling in quite a few explitives!) Anyway, we did call the sheriff on that one. Wow--if a child had been just riding his little bicycle along her road--horrifying.

It sounds like our area is full of wild, menacing dogs! Not so--just dumb, uncaring dog owners.

[Lise]

Sorry to hear about the dog coming over the fence. How scary. Doxies can be obnoxiously loud, but they are seldom aggressive, except in defending their home. But they usually bark, back up, bite if they have to, and back up more.

On a funny note, I have two cats, one (Isaac) who lives to go out and eat grass. He only goes out with me watching him like a hawk, in our little, bitty, fenced in front yard. So one day we're out there, and I see a German Shephard coming down the sidewalk, on a leash, etc. Isaac sees the dog. He starts backing up. Because he's scared? NO! So he will have a runway! As the dog reaches our part of the sidewalk, Isaac takes off, flying over the fence, right at the dog, who backs up in a panic at this 9# tabby cat gone berserk! I get out the gate, grab the cat, say, "I'm Sorry! I'm Sorry!" to the dog owner, who replies, "OH my GAWD! Control your CAT!" Really, pretty funny. Isaac's never done that again, but I do watch him closely. Now he pretty much ignores dogs, and they really ignore him. It's like the fence is a magic barrier.

Good luck with the dogs, and more to the point, their owners. L.

[Aint Doody]

Go, Isaac! I'd have loved to have seen that..........

[Lise]

Picture, if you will, a lean, striped, orange tabby cat flying over a chain link fence, into the face of a panicked, full sized GS dog, who was backing up as fast as he could! Turn up the volume on the hissing, barking, and shrieking (of humans), and you've got it. Hilarious in retrospect.

Tomorrow I'll upload some pix of my baby cats (they're like 14 and 15 years old now...) so you can see Isaac the Attack Cat!