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this is an interesting thread, but only really attracting people for and people against and no middle ground.
this thread has made me pay more attention to what i do when i meet a dog on a trail. i stop and move over so the owner can pass as i figure that it’s easier for me on my own to move than for the owner. and i thank the dog owners who do the same for me.
my real irritation is calling dogs trail dogs. that is too “lifestyle” for me too cope with.
but i have a question. why do dogs engender so much love and devotion from people who like dogs? and slightly less genuine question, why do dog people hate cats? is it because they can’t be trained?
a lot of my friends are dog owners. i just see a too big/small slobbery animal messing up their house and needing care.
i would like a pet pig, though
That's an interesting and considered post LAT.
Where to begin? For starters what you're doing is correct vis a vis dogs/owners. I'm also a dog walker and I encounter lots of cyclists of all types and flavours. I appreciate the ones who let me know they're there and always get out of the way. A bit of courtesy goes a long way. After all, most dedicated bike trails share land/space with walkers, there's always the potential for unintended interaction.
Why dogs? For me they are companions, friends, associates. We have a mutual bond of need. They provide me with love, affection and unquestioning loyalty. Not to mention (sometimes forced on my part) exercise and protection (very much doubt you'll get a "bikes nicked from garage" thread from me). Exercise from walks means fresh air and open spaces too, plus it's sociable as you get to meet and talk to lots of other dog owners. Most importantly though, they're mates. It's friendship (albeit with a hierarchy). My dog knows me, knows when I'm happy, sad, stressed etc. She's always there, a friend to bounce about with, a source of comfort when I need it.
We of course provide them with a home, a pack, food and drink, health care love and affection. It's a mutually beneficial and rewarding relationship based on partnership.
Breed dependent to an extent, they are intelligent and have distinct personalities. My dog has a vocabulary in excess of 100 words, and that's without ever really trying. She is part of the family and it's not an exaggeration to say the house feels a bit empty when she's not there.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
As for Trailhound, for me its just a term for any dog that enjoys cycling (mine whines when I go out on the bike without her, but not when I leave the house on foot. Draw your own conclusions). Its not a lifestyle accessory, any more than taking her for a walk is. It's just something we both enjoy doing.
Ps - pigs are meant to be great pets. Intelligent, social, loyal; like dogs they'll form bonds with their owners. However, if you think dogs are messy and smelly, you've got something off the scale when it comes to pigs..
As Vincent so memorably put it "Pigs sleep and root in sh1t. That's a filthy animal. I ain't eat nothin' that ain't got enough sense enough to disregard its own faeces." Though we'll ignore the 'eat' bit
When I’m out on the bike, I’m way, way more leery of families with young kids than I am with dogs. Dogs tend to have good situational awareness, kids are clueless.
That may be true but I have never been chased by a child jumping up at me and barking so it is currently 5-0 to dogs on that one so far.
Pigs are very clean and will only sleep in their own faeces if kept in too cramped quarters. They are particular animals a decent sized sty will have a defecating corner. They do urinate in floor mounted water troughs though as it's a survival thing, hence nipple drinkers or wall mounted cup drinkers.
thanks for the reply. i’m a bit concerned that i now feel like a miserable sod who’s incapable of love!
i wasn’t trying to start another argument /winky
I like dogs and cats. A pot bellied pig would be an awesome addition to the household. It would be even better if you could peal bacon off it a la Simpsons Garden of Eden episode.
That may be true but I have never been chased by a child jumping up at me and barking so it is currently 5-0 to dogs on that one so far.
Fair enough, kids don't really do the barking thing i guess. I do wonder about people getting chased so much. As an adult its never happened to me, and I ride on an almost daily basis in environments with lots of dogs. Furthermore I don't recall ever seeing anyone else being chased by a dog, ever. Maybe it's like a Keystone cops episode and every time I turn a corner the chase has just dashed down a side road or is happening behind me!
In fairness, I've just recalled an incident from when I was about 7 and a dog bit my hand as I cycled past (I think). That said, I also got beaten up and punched a few times at school and I'd take a dog bite over that.
I get chased by dogs on a semi regular basis when on my bike, probably a least once a fortnight, last time was Monday morning while riding through a park, the owner kept blowing a whistle but it didn't stop the dog running 100 yards to bark and snarl at my back wheel.
I find border collies and border collie crosses are the worst for it.
I find border collies and border collie crosses are the worst for it.
We bring it on ourselves.
I do wonder about people getting chased so much. As an adult its never happened to me, and I ride on an almost daily basis in environments with lots of dogs.
Either you are very special or I am 🙂
When I say it has happened 5 times that is over a long period. For example the last time was in 2019 so no chasing at all in 2020. I have the attitude that the dog is playing and have never been harmed by one but it is still not a great experience and for some would be enough to put them off cycling I would think. The dog is always being shouted at by the owner to come back but the dog is simply not trained or not listening and I don't think the "they are only playing" line really excuses letting a poorly trained dog off the lead (and I know all about poorly trained dogs as I have two of them!)
On public routes (bridleways etc), everyone should follow the first rule. In trail centres a well behaved dog close to its owner = no problem, but I’ve enough to concentrate on already without my attention being diverted to looking out for someone else’s dog.
Which is why if you are not feeling threatened it might be better to stop and tell the owner that they need to up their game rather than potentially lead the dog into trouble.
The only time I’ve been seriously bitten (i.e. broke the flesh on my shin, rather than a little nibble) I stopped and asked for the owners details, then reported it to the police who took it seriously. The owners admitted that they’d struggled to control it and agreed to hand it over. It’s now a police dog.
No issue with a well trained trail dog.
That said how many out of control dogs at trail centres do people actually come across that it's worth starting a thread about? Some people on here are makjng out its a genuine problem, yet in all my time going to trail centres I've met maybe 2 out of control dogs. And when that happened I just pulled over for 20 seconds so as to not run it over ...cost to me, absolutely nothing.
I've come across far more young children getting in the way at trail centres than dogs. But again, I'm not in a race so pulling over for 30 seconds so I don't run the little scamps over isnt a hardship as some prople aPpear to make out it would be.