Son knocked off by loose dog

[Sunny Portrush]

As a dog owner and a cyclist, it annoys me when people walking towards me don`t make any attempt to control their dog but just happily let the animal walk all over the place. I can be quite abrupt at telling them to keep their dog under control.

And on the other hand, iIve told many a cyclist to get a bloody bell as they sprint up behind me and my dog when we are out walking.

 

[Yazzoo]

yes, quiet country single lane with passing places, but a public road none the less

 

[Glow worm]

Trouble is even when dogs are on leads it's often those extendible ones that stretch 20 feet across the whole path/road. I just slow right down or stop if I know there's likely to be a dog about. No bother.

It does seem, and I don't know how best to put this diplomatically, but here goes- (and I'll probably have to hand in my UK citizenship for saying it , but hey ho) there does seem to be a general lack of correlation between owning a dog and basic common sense in public spaces.

 

[mjr]

Sorry but I think the son is also part to blame for riding too close to the verge, but he's only a youngster and will learn. Over the years, I've had many rabbits and foxes and even a few deer leaping from unseen reaches of the verge. Can't really argue that they should be on leads!

 

[400bhp]

yes, quiet country single lane with passing places, but a public road none the less

Well the owners are complete selfish bellends. I bet their nonesensical argument would be that "well the road is very quiet".

Tell that to a cyclist who has a broken collarbone, or the car driver who is pulling their car out of a hedge from avoiding the dog.

 

[400bhp]

Sorry but I think the son is also part to blame for riding too close to the verge, but he's only a youngster and will learn. Over the years, I've had many rabbits and foxes and even a few deer leaping from unseen reaches of the verge. Can't really argue that they should be on leads!

FFS

 

[TreeHuggery]

hope he's ok now.
I'm a dog owner (a responsible one) and would be mortified, if I thought my actions had caused something similar to happen.
Unfortunately myself and Mr Treehuggery have been victims of out of control dogs and the standard response is "he's never done that before" sometimes preceeded with a sorry, but usually not.....

 

[midlife]

Glad your son is OK, the law recognises that accidents happen for a variety of reasons, I think it was Lord Denning that brought it up.

Shaun

 

[Pikey]

Under control, yes, but I don't think strictly from a legal point of view the dog has to be on a lead.

Common sense says the simplest way to control a dog is to have it on a lead, but I suspect there would be an argument that a well-trained dog could be under control without being on a lead.

If you have a dog, or a pack of dogs, you as the owner are the alpha.

If you are going to have a dog, or pack of dogs you need to be able to live up to being that alpha and control the dogs below you, keep them in a canine hierarchy and control them.

It's what owners should morally do, but more so it is what the canine mind craves as it strives to make sense of the human world we have shoved them in.

The owner in the op's case failed miserably, your Dogs should not be loose amongst the local traffic be it pedestrian, car or cycle, end of...

They let their dogs down badly and let the op's son down even worse.

Plus I freaking hate the shiny welly, country file watching, city dweller gun dog brigade.

 

[LocalLad]

Seems to me an unfortunate accident. It doesn't sound like anyone did anything malicious, and nobody was seriously hurt.

You do realise that the legal minimum for an over the handle bars accident is two ice creams, a trip to the cinema and a bag of haribo?

 

[Profpointy]

Dogs should be on a lead in public - (rest Ok and snippsd).

complete rubbish - the "equivalent" to cyclists should pay road tax

 

[Profpointy]

There is an offence of having a dog dangerously out of control.

The clown owner of this dog qualifies.

He is fortunate you didn't make more of a fuss.

https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public/overview

oh ffs - hyperbole or what?

and I have never owned a dog

 

[Profpointy]

oh ffs - hyperbole or what?

and I have never owned a dog

PS neither of my.mini rants were aimed at the OP.nor their unfortunate.son, nor arguing about the owner's reaponsibility- just at the absurd hyperbole of some clear dog haters here

 

[PhilDawson8270]

If you have a dog, or a pack of dogs, you as the owner are the alpha.

If you are going to have a dog, or pack of dogs you need to be able to live up to being that alpha and control the dogs below you, keep them in a canine hierarchy and control them.

It's what owners should morally do, but more so it is what the canine mind craves as it strives to make sense of the human world we have shoved them in.
.

You know most of that is old ideas, and is really out of favour with dog trainers these days.

 

[Big Dave laaa]

Just for the tape I'm not a dog hater, far from it. I have 2 working springer spaniels that go everywhere with me. The point i was hopelessly trying to make is that the onus is on the owner not the dog. A dog must be kept under control at all times. This doesn't just mean not attacking people it also relates to knocking people over and running into the road. The dog in the OPs post was not under control.