I was riding with an older friend one evening to a point where we had to cross a large 4 lane devided highway with a high speed limit. Across the road we could see a fella out for a run with a large dog in tow. We crossed the first lanes and just as I cleared the second lane I hear a sickining loud thud. I just knew my friend had been hit! I turned around just in time to see the dog spinning in the road, run across the median and nearly be hit again and crash back in the median. Thankfully it wasn't my friend. I asked the runner "is that your dog?",and he replied "no". He kept on with his run and we with our ride. Armadillos, coyotes, deer, racoons, opossums, dogs, cats, and other asorted animals are hit every day around here. In our state there is a leash law, and we are even allowed to use deadly force against a dog if nessary. Take it from someone who HAS been bitten while cycling, that ain't a bad option! I have also ran over a few smaller dogs while cycling and one not so small dog. Didn't stop to see if they where OK either!