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... is the cry of badly trained dog owners across the land.
Well I don't like ****s with badly trained dogs who knock me off my bike, but here we are.
Twice in 2 weeks I've been bundled into by a massive, off the lead, dog. Both times the owners felt that "he doesn't like bikes" was an adequate excuse.
On both occasions me suggesting some training for both dog and owners was met with bad grace. ****s.
Had that before. Bitten by a collie at Mugdock with the rationale that he doesn't like bikes. My suggestion that perhaps he shouldn't be off the lead in a woods that's very popular with people in bikes was met with a blank stare
I think STW needs to open another forum for complaining about dogs. Maybe a sub-branded magazine like the Charged or GritCX. Stories about sausages in lawns would be very popular.
I’ve even had “he doesn’t like people with gloves on”! amongst many other such statements 😡
Been done to death on here in the past. However I don't think badly trained dogs (and owners) are ever going to go away anytime soon.
Wait for the dog loving folk on here to make one or more of the following statements:
1. You must have been at fault as they've owned a dog or been mountain biking for years and it's never happened to them.
2. It's not the dogs fault but the owners.
3. Everyone should love or at tolerate other people's dogs and if they don't then you're weird.
4. The dog was just playing so what's wrong with you?
5. If you go out on your bike in the country side then you should expect to see dogs and you must adjust your behavior as not to annoy or attract the dogs attention.
None of the above comments actually help when you've just had a dog chase you or knock you off your bike or has actually bitten you.
If it helps my dog is indifferent to bikes.
Clearly wasn't a 'trail dog', that's the issue.
How does it feel about your iPad? 🙂
2. It’s not the dogs fault but the owners.
That one is true though. Rest are just shit excuses. I had to clamber a tree once because someone’s Doberman “Doesn’t like beards or hats” I think I replied “I don’t like stupid ****s who don’t socialise or train their dogs but yet here we are”
No issues with well behaved dogs, or owners of said dogs. It's the owners of the buggers that chase or bark or growl or even bite you that I dislike.
Not the dog's fault it hasn't been trained properly.
Give the dog a good kick. If the owners will not teach them then that teaches the dog that attacking cyclists hurts
Or report to the police and have the dog put down,.
Its completely unacceptable
could be a robins face next time
Can I blunt and say that if your preferred method of dealing with this problem is to come on STW and complain about dog owners instead of reporting the attack to the police, you are part of the problem?
Smaller dogs respond well to a cleated foot in the face. I imagine the owners probably would too, but haven’t tried.
Recently I've had "if we'd known there would be bikes, we'd have had him on a lead".
...this was on part of the NCN...
@Aidy - we had almost the same yesterday.
"You shouldn't be riding here. Lots of dog walkers use this path."
On NCN, right next to the sign for it.
If it helps my dog is indifferent to bikes.
Same for mine. I have tried to get them interested in my hobby but they are not having it.
I usually find a steely glare and a vaguely aggressive 'just get hold of it please mate' works and if I'm in a bad mood I'll throw in some swearing as well rhymes with ducking. The older I get the less tolerant I become.
How does it feel about your iPad?
He likes to watch YouTube videos of cyclists falling off.
Bark, bark, snarl. "he's autistic". I sh!t you not 🙄
Got to ask the question based on A summary of other threads:
How to these dogs stand a chance against overweight 100kg weekend warriors on 20kg ebikes? 😂😂
There are actually laws about not having a dog under control in a public place. If a dog were to knock you off your bike, the Police might be interested. Getting the owners details or pics may make them realise its a serious issue.
the Police might be interested. Getting the owners details or pics may make them realise its a serious issue
Lovely idea, but in practice?
999, what service?
Police please, a naughty dog has knocked me off my bike.
....?
Also, what owner would willingly give you their details or let you take a photo 😆 if they don't care about their dog attacking you they're not going to give a toss are they?
The highlight of the one a couple of weeks ago was being called a C You Next Tuesday by the elderly lady owner of the dog.
I had the temerity to ask for her details as my rear mech got bent when her fur-baby knocked me off.
After dropping the C bomb on me I may have squirted her in the face with my water bottle. Didn't help the situation, but made me feel better 😉
Laws.... Too many and not enough police and courts to deal with the breakers of said laws.
When I chat with one my Polish colleagues about things like this, he's amused that I have any faith in the police and legal system. Same goes for politicians. I'm now beginning to think the same way.
Wonder if they do a bar mount 🤔
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bite-Back-Non-Toxic-Deterrent-50ml/dp/B075LPJ8PP
I did meet a dog owner indignant that they were being sued by a cyclist for knocking the cyclist off and injuring him
UN less the dog is "dangerously out of control" as defined in the dangerous dogs act then it would be a civil claim for damages. A dog owner is liable for damages caused and has no real defense.
How would they stop you taking a picture and you just follow them home / to their car if you want to identify the owner
A dog dangerously pout of control as defined in the act is a criminal matter and dog owners have been prosecuted and dogs put down under the act
I love dogs. They're one of my favourite animals. I grew up in a household that always had a big retriever type; high energy, high maintenance. I don't believe in bad dogs, only bad owners.
However, the three times that someone else's dog has gone for me or a mate while out riding, that dog has always come off worse. An SPD cleat to the snout is a fair deterrent for any mutt. The owner usually gets the message too. If they don't, they can come and chase us.
For the record, two times it was a Collie and the third a rat toy terrier.
UN less the dog is “dangerously out of control” as defined in the dangerous dogs act then it would be a civil claim for damages
Hate to break it to you. All dogs have to be kept under control at all times.
https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public
I know that - but there is a big difference between " dangerously out of control" as in the dangerous drugs act which is a criminal offense and that is is what you have linked to. Note the word "dangerously" in the bit you linked to
Keeping your dog under control is a different issue and has different definitions in case law and is different in England and wales compared to Scotland and would not usually be a criminal offense if it is not under proper control but not "dangerous" as defined in the dangerous dogs act
would not usually be a criminal offense
Except it is. A dog doesn’t have to bite anyone to be out of control. Dogs should also have a collar and a tag too plus the chip as well.
Also, what owner would willingly give you their details or let you take a photo
Fortunately the law has thought of that and legally the dog has to have the contact details of its owner on its collar. Just grab the tag with the arm that fido does not have his teeth sunk in to.
I am ashamed to say my dog loves folding ebikes. If a family member leaves the house on foot or by car or a normal bike he is not particularly interested.
But If he knows one of our family has left the house on a folding ebike he forgets he is a sofa dwelling cavapoo and will attempt to follow the scent at speed and hunt the ebike down like some sort of demented fox hound. He will do this 30 minutes after the ebike has left, when everybody else has forgotten.
Poah - you are conflating two different things. Yes the dog should be under control at all times
There is the dangerous dogs act which narrowly defines a dog that is "dangerously out of control" and is a criminal offense and the dog can be put down
there is also various case law around "keeping your dog under control" which is a different definition and usually not a criminal offense and does not lead to the dog being put down but means the owner is liable in civil court for damage caused and also gives for example farmers the right to shoot a dog if in is not under control around livestock
Additionally in Scotland there are two different definitions - "under control" and " under close control" which are obligated on the owner under different circumstances.
I thought it was offence if a dog gave you reasonable belief you were in danger?
You can ask a dog owner for their details to pass on to the Police on the non emergency number. You can photograph pretty much anything or anyone you like in a public space, and if it's in connection with a potential criminal offence then public interest overrides any supposed right to privacy.
If the owner gets arsey about any of that then you are looking at increasingly severe criminal offences and a 999 call.
I thought it was offence if a dog gave you reasonable belief you were in danger?
Yes - thats one of the definitions under the dangerous dogs act for a dog that is "dangerously out of control"
Does highway code rule 56 not infer a criminal offence if breached. I.e dogs must be on short leads when on a road or path used by cyclists.
Does highway code rule 56 not infer a criminal offence if breached.
No, it’s not a legal requirement.
Does highway code rule 56 not infer a criminal offence if breached
Highway code isn't statute it's just a guide. Specifc bits are covered by some legislation eg speed limits.
This is why most prosecutions come under the generic 'careless' or 'dangerous' driving clauses (of The Road Traffic Act 1988). There's even furious cycling IIRC somewhere in the legislation EDIT: ‘wanton or furious cycling’ which is a criminal offence under section 35 of the Offences Against the Persons Act 1861 (as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1948 s1(2))
I was once chased through a large park by a yappy little dog that clearly didn’t like bikes. I kept going, and going, and going. All the while the dog kept chasing me. I always wondered if the dog made it back to its owner or was kept on a lead after that!
There is the dangerous dogs act which narrowly defines a dog that is “dangerously out of control” and is a criminal offense and the dog can be put down
It's only a criminal offense in America.
I once saw a runner run into a dog and knock it over.
No excuse for a disobedient mutt but Mugdock park is 99% dog walkers, I'm thinking the point of bicycles is to get a bit further than the public park.
I was once chased through a large park by a yappy little dog that clearly didn’t like bikes. I kept going, and going, and going. All the while the dog kept chasing me
Quite often the issue.
Usually stopping is all it takes to make a dog stop chasing.
That's what I've always done. Yet to be bitten*
Would be interesting to know how many dog owning cyclists versus non-dog owning cyclists get bitten/chased.
I think a little understanding of animal behaviour can help often. Not always, but often.
*gets leg taken off tomorrow by an angry [s]Chiewow-waa[/s] Labrador.
It’s only a criminal offense in America.
The Dangerous Dogs Act is UK legislation
Highway code isn’t statute it’s just a guide. Specifc bits are covered by some legislation eg speed limits.
I realise that. Failure to comply with the dogs bit could for example potentially be prosecuted as reckless conduct under Scots law? Other laws are available.
Isn't the highway code similar to an Approved code of practice in health and safety law? I.e. an acop is not the law but it provides a benchmark for the standard that must be met to comply with the law so you do not have to have your dog on a lead as per rule 56 but if you do not, would need to prove that you had put measures in place which achieved the same thing.
The point is largely of academic interest as the highway code and rules for dogs are never enforced.
My dog just plods along beside me, and has good recall when needed, but I've lost count of the number of times mountain bikers have approached too fast and gone too close to him
A bit of basic courtesy in the other direction goes a long way to avoid an accident
Shouldn't need saying but I've experienced it many times
the number of times mountain bikers have approached too fast and gone too close to him
A bit of basic courtesy in the other direction goes a long way to avoid an accident
But that's not what I was describing in my original post. I always slow for dumb animals - dogs, horses, cows, dog owners, etc.
In fact, in both recent cases the dogs saw me a way off and ran at me. I stopped in the first case, and was nearly stationary in the second.
The first one I got the bike between me and the dog pretty quickly as it was going for my legs.
But hey, your dog's fine, so must be the cyclists fault in every case?
It’s only a criminal offense in America.
The Dangerous Dogs Act is UK legislation
It's definitely an offense in America 😉😆🇺🇸