Dan The Man

I am a dog owner and I take offence from this thread

10 Wheels

This is the Fifty Plus Forum.
Come back in 26 years...Hi Dan.

Dan The Man

Hi Fred, I see you're official now. I just clicked on the New Threads, didn't check what forum it is, but there was no stipulation that only 50+ dog owners are idiots.

cranky old dude

16 miles and three dog walkers today....
*Friendly well mannered pets & owners.
*The cold winds are no longer just over the horizon. Brrrrrrrrrr, Gyro was right!!!!

trackhub

Not all dog owners are morons. I think it's one of these classic situations where you hear about the bad dog owners, but little about the good ones. The 'burbs around Boston all have leash laws, and most dog owners abide by them. Most people I see walking their canine friends carry their, uh, "business bags" at the ready.

BluesDawg

I don't have much experience with MUPs. I don't expect everyone to keep their rural dogs penned up or on leash, but I do expect them to train them not to chase cars, bicycles or people. It is not that hard to do. My dogs run free but they know better than to chase or bark at anything in the street. Come into the yard or driveway and it is a different matter.

One group of dog owners I can't understand are the ones who take their dogs to bicycle races, putting the dog and the racers at risk. Do the dog a favor and leave it at home on race day.

bsektzer

My, aren't we a bit overwrought....

-Bert

Old Fat Guy

Recumbent riders are idiots, just to even things out.

Disclaimer, I am over 50 and a dog owner, and see more weaving 'bent riders than dogs on the road. YMMV

cranky old dude

So that was my problem, I was on my road bike!!!

cranky old dude

Thank you! I picked it up used from a local shop just a few years ago during a period when I was missing my old Varsity from '71. This is certainly a step up from the Schwinn yet it still delivers that good old steel feel.

My next little project will be resurecting and setting up my 1994 Schwinn 354's. Yes, that's right, I have a pair of them.....it's a long story to be covered in another thread at another time.

mkane77g

I won't comment on your rant about dog's, we have three Neopolitan Mastif's, very well trained. BTW, like your bike. Educate yourself a bit more about dogs.

Dan Burkhart 

Is it really the responsibility of those of us who chose not to share our homes and lives with critters to educate ourselves about them? Is it not the responsibility of those who do to train and control them?

twobadfish

I think the real idiots are people that are consistently afraid of a dog running with/after them.

Perception:





















Reality:

AzTallRider

Using this logic, I guess you shouldn't try to understand the behavior of children if you don't have them - just keep driving fast when that ball comes into the street.

KillerBeagle

Except in that situation the roles are reversed; the one that might be harmed is the child rather than you.

Maybe I would keep driving fast, or speed up, if a ball comes into the street followed by a child pointing a handgun at me.

Dan Burkhart 

You're making a huge stretch there.

NOS88

I hope you don't really believe this. Having been involved with dog training including working with some police departments and Schutzhund training, I can't support your position here. There are dogs out there that believe they are alpha over all others (human or not) and will take anything other than submission as a challenge to be met head on. Additionally, there are a growing number of people who are purposefully training their dogs to serve as weapons. Are most dogs like this? Thankfully, no. But there are enough of them to give rise to legitimate concern. Over 4 million people in the US are bitten each year. One out of very six bites are serious enough to require medical attention. In 2007, 33 people lost their lives to dog attacks. While I love dogs, and think they enhance my quality of life, I'm under no illusion that they are all cute little puppies being playful.

AzTallRider

My example may be a stretch, so I'll just make my point without one. There are dogs in the world. You are going to interact with them, whether you want to or not. The more you understand their behavior, the more enjoyable that interaction will be. This is true even when your desired interaction is "none", since understanding their behavior will increase the likelihood that you can avoid interaction.

twobadfish

I believe that 95+% of dogs on a MUP, leashed, with an owner that cares enough to get them out on walks, is friendly and only excited to see other people. It's easy for me to discern nervousness/aggression/etc from playfulness/friendliness and I think in all my life and time spent raising, breeding, and training dogs, I've only encountered a small handful of dangerous ones - and they weren't the type that would be out on a walk with their owners on a MUP.

bjjoondo 

It does get a bit overboard, that IF you don't like dogs, (which I don't), your somehow a really horrible person! I'd prefer that OWNERS keep their dogs away from ME, I've got no use to be either LICKED or BIT so just keep them "under control" at ALL TIMES and there won't be any reason for a problem, it's that simple!, (JMHO, YMMV). I've seen MANY unleased dogs on our MUPS, and quite a few "leashed" one's that the owners can't seem to control, unless they damn near strangle them via the leash to keep them from trying to bite me as I pass! I just want to "enjoy" my ride and that to me, means NO interaction with dogs, thanks!

Dan The Man

It does get a bit overboard, that IF you don't like bikes, (which I don't), your somehow a really horrible person! I'd prefer that CYCLISTS keep their bikes away from ME, I've got no use to be checking over my shoulder or jumping at the sound of a bell so just keep them "under control" at ALL TIMES and there won't be any reason for a problem, it's that simple!, (JMHO, YMMV). I've seen MANY fast bicycles on our MUPS, and quite a few "slow" one's that the owners can't seem to control, unless they damn near wrench the handlebars to keep them from hitting me as they pass! I just want to "enjoy" my walk and that to me, means NO interaction with bikes, thanks![/QUOTE]

NOS88

If you're the person who gets attacked by the -5% of dogs that are aggressive, then the statistics don't really mean much. I too have trained, raised, and worked with really reputable breeders. I don't think we're really on different pages when it comes to the overall characteristics of most dogs. I just think it's not in any dog owner's best interest to portray their dogs as you did with the last photo. Frankly, I get annoyed when people think they can just approach one of my dogs without asking first. The other thing I should point out is that one of the MUPs in my area goes through a stretch next to a neighborhood where numerous people have been arrested for being part of a dog fighting ring. These folks have their "fighters" out on the path as a status symbol of sorts. I can never blame someone for being fearful of dogs; I can, however, get quickly upset with owners who don't take dog ownership seriously. Just as a side note. I was once attacked by a pet parrot. The owner said she was gentle and let her fly around the house. After I needed four stitches in my right ear from her "playfulness", my lawyer convinced the owner that maybe flying around when company was in the house, was not the best idea. I offer this side note just as an example that many owners don't really know their pets all that well.

AzTallRider

+1

And I always say "Sure, but why don't you just let him come up to you?" That takes the potential threat of the person's approach out of the picture for the dog. Not a concern with my dog, but it teaches whomever it is, most often a child, how they should handle meeting a dog they don't know.

I understand and agree that any dog out in public should not constitute a threat. People should be able to safely go about their activities. I also understand how some people increase the likelihood they will have a problem, and that, when dogs aren't ever allowed to be off-leash, it becomes really hard to socialize them, and to train them to handle those situations when they are unrestrained (for whatever reason) and encounter people. Bikes are rare and scary for many dogs, and almost all attacks stem from fear.

electrik

People and their dogs...

Honestly, i have only seen a handful of really well behaved dogs, even my own dogs weren't trained enough to run leash-free on the path

Last week i was lunged at by a mastif or some 100lb+ dog on the trail and i shook my head at the lady. Usual excuses about how it's a nice dog that wants to say hello... sure, i bet, but it's a 100lb dog lunging at me and the difference between a nice dog wanting to say hello and one wanting to attack is ****ing nothing at that point when you're on the receiving end. What a **** she was, honestly the ensuing conversation was so passive aggressive due to her embarrassment. Let's hope some kid doesn't get it next. Ticking time bomb.

cyclinfool

Lenny,

After reading all these replies I'll have to say your just an old troll