Advice for dog walkers

[snapper_37]

Why should I tolerate being forced to slow to a crawl or a stop when going about my business simply because these ignorant people cannot control their dumb animals?

Surely you have no choice but to slow down/stop if you are coming up behind peds/dog walkers? How should folks know you are there unless you expect them to have 360 deg vision and/or able to hear a pin drop from 100 metres.

Such was the experience I had walking my dog (on a lead) Sat night. 2 youngsters on MTBs came screeching to a halt behind us, on a narrow canal path, and were obviously very pissed off that I hadn't a) heard them coming sooner, got the dog out of their path to avoid them having to stop and *shudder* go single file and c) fainted in desire for their Apollo full-sussers.

I agree with OTR, you obviously don't like dogs and as such, can't be arsed to see the other side of the coin. There's inconsiderate tossers in all walks of life, those with dogs AND those with bikes.

 

[mickle]

Dogs are allowed to be off the lead in parks and open spaces. Quite right too. But I'm talking about a shared use cycle path. Cycle path. Featuring cyclists. And since it is, by definition, a cycle path why should cyclists not travel at cycling speeds. I slow down for others, of course I do, but this isn't an open space it's a narrow strip of tarmac which threads through the countryside. Why shouldn't I expect the common courtesy of someone getting their animal out of my way before I get to it? Would you let your dog wander in front of a bus?

 

[snapper_37]

It's a cycle track. The clue is in the name.

You've gone from shared path to cycle track to cycle path. Which one is it? More to the point, why does the slightly dubious definition have anything to do with who has the more right to act like an obnoxious twat.

 

[mickle]

Surely you have no choice but to slow down/stop if you are coming up behind peds/dog walkers? How should folks know you are there unless you expect them to have 360 deg vision and/or able to hear a pin drop from 100 metres.

Such was the experience I had walking my dog (on a lead) Sat night. 2 youngsters on MTBs came screeching to a halt behind us, on a narrow canal path, and were obviously very pissed off that I hadn't a) heard them coming sooner, got the dog out of their path to avoid them having to stop and *shudder* go single file and c) fainted in desire for their Apollo full-sussers.

I agree with OTR, you obviously don't like dogs and as such, can't be arsed to see the other side of the coin. There's inconsiderate tossers in all walks of life, those with dogs AND those with bikes.

I am not anti-dog, I have no feelings for dogs one way or an other. That doesn't make me a dog hater. Though I will admit to wondering why people get so attached to animals and get so tetchy at the slightest criticism. I'm criticising dog owners who cannot keep their dogs under control, calm down, I'm sure you don't fall into this group.

 

[sparkyman]

Advice for cyclists cycling through parks:

1. It's not a race track.

2. When you see people walking whether with their dogs or children or both, SLOW DOWN.

3. You DON'T have right of way.

4. Don't shout "get that f*cking dog out of the f*cking way" as you are hurtling down the footpath at breakneck speed, if you don't like riding past dogs then don't cycle through the park.

5. Remember, dogs and todlers are unpredictable, don't be p*ssed off because they are stopping you from speeding along the footpath and don't expect them to get out of the way for YOU.

6. You ARE NOT the center of the world.

Well said...

 

[Crackle]

Is it shared use or is it a cycle path or is it one of those with the ped path next to the cycle path? I thought we were talking about unsegregated shared use paths but it seems we're not.

If not, I probably wouldn't excercise my dog on such a path and if I used it would keep him on a lead. I also have more sympathy with your point of view.

While we're on the subject, can we put all power walker-talkers on a lead too, especially middle class, coffee morning, 3 abreast, shrill one's, they're far more annoying than dog walkers.

 

[snapper_37]

I am not anti-dog, I have no feelings for dogs one way or an other. That doesn't make me a dog hater. Though I will admit to wondering why people get so attached to animals and get so tetchy at the slightest criticism. I'm criticising dog owners who cannot keep their dogs under control, calm down, I'm sure you don't fall into this group.

I am calm. In fact, I'm one of the first to rant about irresponsible dog owners, particularly the non-picker-uppers and those who haven't got a scooby how to control and handle them. I will include in that a certain lady who didn't know why her bitch was bleeding from 'it's bits' and wondered why every dog in the park was clambering to get to it.

Mickle, I'm also sure that you don't fall into the group of cyclists who think they own any track or path going, which was my critisism based on recent experience.

 

[GrasB]

I agree with mickle here, not so much as a cyclist but as a pedestrian I don't enjoy...
... trying not to trip over a dog running around under your feet
... stepping over excrement left in the middle of the pavement
... having the person who's dog is causing you difficulties just ignoring the fact it's irritating people
& as a cyclist having to almost mount the pavement on the other side of the road to avoid a dog that wants to 'catch you' & is on an unlocked extendible collar (causing the car behind you to come to a complete stop as the owner is on one side of the road & the dog is on another).

In these cases it's mostly the owner that's the problem by not controlling or cleaning up after their dog properly. Many, if not almost all, owners are sensible but there are enough people out there who don't control their pet to give dog owners a bad reputation.

 

[snapper_37]

In these cases it's mostly the owner that's the problem by not controlling or cleaning up after their dog properly. Many, if not almost all, owners are sensible but there are enough people out there who don't control their pet to give dog owners a bad reputation.

Which nobody in this thread is disputing. Us good dog owners hate to be painted with the same brush as the bad. Bit like how sensible cyclists hate to be branded inconsiderate, RLJing, pavement-riding idiots, I imagine.

 

[rich p]

I love the dog threads; they get more feisty than Greedo's soft porn ones!

 

[Crackle]

Oi! Some of us are bristling indignantly, take your bucket of cold water elsewhere.

 

[darkstar]

I just can't stand dogs, especially when you visit someone's home, smelling of dogs... They should not be allowed off a lead in public places, unless they have passed some sort of test which proves they can be controlled by their owner. I hate going outside only to be bounded upon by some random idiots mut. Just my opinion though

 

[gutbucket]

Dog Attack

A few years ago my wife was attacked whilst cycling with me by a v large alsation. I stepped in, was myself attacked, bitten & escaped by jumping in the Thames. Whole case went to court (ever tried to identify a dog?). The owner sidestepped the charge by saying his partner was in fact the real owner. Result...she got a fine (£30 pm never paid), he got off & the dog went home with them. The said dog was had been starved, tied to a stake in the garden & took 4 police handlers to collect. Beware. Dogs are unpredictable and dangerous. In this case the law was indeed an ass. All happened in Chertsey, Surrey.

 

[661-Pete]

OT, but a 'doggy' story. Last Sunday, we were walking on top of Wolstonbury Hill, a man with a dog passed us. Hmmmm.... looks a bit like a pit bull, thinks I, but probably a Staffie. No matter. Middle-aged and healthy looking dog AFAICT - certainly not grey-muzzled. Well, this bloke pauses a bit higher up, ties his dog to a post, and sets to jogging about a 400-yard circuit round a dell on the hillside. Returning to Staffy, unties it and continues on his walk.

Odd, we think. Don't dogs like running as much as humans? And don't dogs need exercise? Why does he deprive it of that bit of extra work-out? Or is it that Staffies don't run? Or maybe it was a pitbull, and he was worried about it getting a bit excited...

Anyway, we though this was strange.

 

[on the road]

A few years ago my wife was attacked whilst cycling with me by a v large alsation. I stepped in, was myself attacked, bitten & escaped by jumping in the Thames. Whole case went to court (ever tried to identify a dog?). The owner sidestepped the charge by saying his partner was in fact the real owner. Result...she got a fine (£30 pm never paid), he got off & the dog went home with them. The said dog was had been starved, tied to a stake in the garden & took 4 police handlers to collect. Beware. Dogs are unpredictable and dangerous. In this case the law was indeed an ass. All happened in Chertsey, Surrey.

Then the law obviously failed you, if a dog bites someone then it has to be put down by law.