cyclezealot

TOday a beagle mix started following us and had to have run after our bike group for at least four miles. Followed us as far as the next city. It was hot, so we all felt like a leasurely ride. We Averaged like 14 mph after completing some hill work . At stop signs he'd be panting something awful. At the first stop sign he tried to lick one of our ankles. So we speeded up to like an 18 mph average. The dog fell behind but still kept up within sight. At a stop light he caught up with us.
Figured if we gave him some water ,somehow it would only encourage him. At least four miles from home. Hope he found his way back. He was not skin and bones so don't think he was homeless. Maybe he just liked cyclists. ? What would you have done . Put him in one of our members rear basket and taken him back to our homes.? Doubted he'd follow us all the way home. We were like 20 miles from our homes. Sort of a different twist from a dog snarrling at our heels. He was cute enough to have taken home, if my wife were not a cat person.

Grasschopper

We cam upon this on a group ride last fall. Farm dog (frisky lab pup) came charging across a field and wanted to play...we slammed to a stop to not hit it and then it was jumping playfully at us and then followed us in the middle of the group. We were telling to to go home etc but it kept coming...at that point we ramped it up pretty good but this lab was fast and kept with us for quite a while...we finally dropped him. I would guess he got home just fine....but really it isn't our issue...owner's issue. IMO 4 mi isn't much for a dog...they will find their way home if they want to go there.

cyclezealot

Oh god. Just watching the TDF. Some pro rider just hit a lab maybe ? Guess we were lucky. Our beagle never got ahead of our group. BOth rider and dog looked ok. Probably happens all the time.Wonder how the pros would have treated the dogs had they been snarling at them. Doubt even a snarling dog could keep up with the TDF on the flats.

tpelle

Dogs are fast. I can't imagine someone on a normal bicycle being able to out-run one. I've had them pace my car at over 45 mph.

We used to have a German Shepherd that would actually bite holes in my wife's car tires WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING! I couldn't figure out why she was having so many flats, and the punctures would be up on the sidewall of the tire, ruining it. This was on an old Crown Victoria station wagon, and the tires were expensive. After the second tire, I asked the guy at the tire shop what could be causing this. He asked if I had a dog, and if he chased the car, and if so, I should try chaining him up. We did so for two weeks, and no flats. Let him loose, and 3 days later - another flat!

I didn't believe it, until I was talking to a friend who was a mechanic for a garbage truck outfit. He said that one of their drivers was on his route, and a car pulled up alongside blowing their horn, and finally pulled in front of the truck and forced him to stop. When he got out, he found a dog, dead of a broken neck, with his teeth embedded in right rear dual tire of the truck! As he drove down the street, the dog was flopping around back there.

Dogs are tough, and bite hard!

cyclezealot

wow. TP. Imagine what those teeth would do to one's ankles. Better start carrying my pepper spray again.

dekindy

A good beagle hunting dog will find their way home. Don't worry about it.

cyclezealot

I'd say the beagle was maybe one year old. Just a little older than a puppy. What worried us. Crossing stop signs and round points, the traffic was not always the best. Maybe we should have turned around and had him chase us back to his home village. ? It would have only added another eight miles to our trip. Put us closer to a metric century.

doctortalk121

xxx

cyclezealot

after some freindly go homes, we did use a stern - go home. to no affect. except for the droopy tongue, guess it enjoyed the exercise. I was surprised a dog could sustain a 16 mph average for four-five miles.

Rex G

Dogs and humans are physically capable of great feats of endurance; in nomadic times, running herd animals to exhaustion, then closing in for the kill.

jcm

Many years ago when wolves were being re-introduced to areas where they had been previously eradicated, one was tracked by radio collar and shown to have loped along at 20mph for 280miles, never stopping except to apparently drink water.

Dogs, especially hounds like beagles, can run seemingly for hours, or even days at a steady, loping pace. The tonque hanging out is just a cooling mechanism. A dog that is truly exhausted will have a deeply heaving rib cage. I doubt that any of us has ever seen that. A quick, staccato breathing pattern is normal for a warmed up dog. They're amazing runners.

Beagles are not known for being particularly obedient. Funny little guys, they are. They tend to follow the nose where it leads, often staying with a scent til something more interesting crosses the olfactory buds. They also like to run with a pack, because that's how they are used in hunting. You provided the best of both stimulae.

ken cummings

Had that problem once. I could have dropped the smallish dog but my riding buddy couldn't. After ten minutes of yelling to no effect I just started pegging the ground near it with rocks to keep its attention while my pal made a getaway. Then I took off leaving it behind.

rando

awwwwww!
that is one strong beagle. I love those little guys. at one time we had five! we are down to two now. I would have carried him back to where I found him if he'd allow it, or take him home and try to find the owner if I could. but then I'm a sucker for stray dogs. it's true, those guys will follow their nose anywhere... and they don't necessarily make their way back home again, either-- unfortuneately....

cyclezealot

as said, he did not look all that old. Being that I did not think him homeless, I was surprised he'd just go off and follow some strangers. Should have ramped our speed up to 20 mph right away. That should have gotten him to go back. It was mostly country and not much traffic about.