MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
What the **** is up with spaniels? Is it just me that seems to be riding a bloody spaniel magnet, or are they all born mental or what?
Riding down the towpath last night, encountered a woman with a spaniel. Off the lead, naturally, and doing that twitchy spaniel zig-zag thing that they do. They're like goldfish with ADD, "ooh, this is new! Ooh, what's that? Gosh, a blade of grass! Someone else's poo! What's this?! Never been here before!"
I slowed right down and covered the brakes, the woman saw me and stepped back off the path, completely ignoring her pet cretin which had its nose buried in something, probably a bag of dog eggs conveniently left by a previous dog owner or some such. Right as I was passing at about walking pace, the ****ing thing shot right under my front wheel.
Buried the brakes and stopped the bike dead, as close to touching the four-legged sh1tting machine as makes no odds, literally a couple of milimetres off its stomach. Woman looks at me all surprised and goes "oh, sorry." That's fine love, you'll be the one with a nice big vet's bill if you keep that up.
I do try to be nice to the muggles for the sake of keeping up appearances and not being "another one of those bike menaces," so I idly thought about giving a cheery "oh, it's alright." Then I realised that what I was going to say if I opened my mouth was an involuntary "that's what leads are for you stupid cow" so I bit my tongue and rode off quietly fuming to myself instead.
And... breathe.
Mad as a box of frogs.
Ace dogs
Not good near bikes though
The Drop off half way down San Marino is called the "Spaniel" as it is precisely the height of 1 metric spaniel.
I agree they are mental, but with that lots of fun.
Cougar i note you "Buried the brakes and stopped the bike dead" whilst you were riding at walking pace, that must have been extreme at that pace. Are you ok?
Why cant all just live and let live, you knew there is a spaniel ahead, you adjusted your speed and you got past unkilled by the "the four-legged sh1tting machine" No major issues for anyone get over it and ride where there are less folks with dogs around.
Simples
the joys of shared trails. I had a collie going loopy at me last night on a trail, not a problem though its what I've come to expect from shared routes.
The trails are there for everyone, yes it is frustrating but unless its a bike only trail then too bad really.
I agree with you about the spaniel though, crazy dogs! Still bloody love um though 🙂
[i]Why cant all just live and let live[/i]
Would love to, but d'you know? A lot of dog owners just seem to be in a little world of their own...
Nick, same can be said for many cyclist!!
I once almost garrotted a dog who's owner had it on one of they stupid extendible leads. Dog one side of path, owner the other. Saw me coming, made no attempt to reel the dog in, I didn't actually see the lead until the last second, and was going too fast to stop. Lead got caught up in my bike, and I dragged the dog about 10 yards, poor little thing. Idiot owner knew it was his fault, and apologised, but why not just think a bit first? Fortunately the dog wasn't too badly injured, and I spent a few minutes comforting it with his owner. I'm not a 'dog person', but I do generally like dogs, and will try my best to avoid them/slow down/stop if I encounter them. It's annoying sometimes, but as Mantastic says, live and let live and all that.
Some of the owners however, I would cheerfully mow down.
that must have been extreme at that pace. Are you ok?
Oh get back under your bridge. It's a poor day when I can't have an unqualified rant on an internet forum. It's not just for porn you know.
Elfinsafety - you should have kept pedalling a la that episode of League of Gentlemen when somebody ties their dog up to a bike. Next shot the bike is going along towing a stump of meat.
Eek. IIRC KKK types have killed victims in that way using a pick-up truck.
I've been tempted to swoop my foot down, Polo style, and punt the little ferret shit out of the way but i don't want to get my shoe all bloody.
"It's a poor day when I can't have an unqualified rant on an internet forum"
Simple, dont rant if you dont expect a response.
Am now safely under my bridge
Where do you ride - us spaniel owners could arrange to be at points along the route, with our 'loonies'?
TBH My son reckons ours is like the dog in 'Up' - Squirrel! and he's totally forgotten what he was doing last.
I tell people to run into my dog (not a spaniel) if she gets in the way.
Best way to teach her to get out of the way.
It's how I taught her to be a traildog, see.
Haven't encountered anyone quite as miserable as Cougar on my outings though.
The trails are there for everyone
Exactly. The way I see it is that since the trails are for everybody the right thing for riders to do is slow down, make eye contact if possible, leave plenty of space and be aware of children/dogs/iPeds etc doing unpredictable things. In turn the right thing for people with animals to do is to keep them under some sort of control. I rarely see dog owners holding up their end.
The point I was trying to make, for the benefit of the hard of thinking, wasn't "zomg I'm so l33t, all non-cyclists are scum." Nor was it "all cyclists are perfect." All I was trying to say was, on a shared use track, life would be a lot easier if people had a bit more awareness outside of their own little bubble. And yes, I know that applies to both demographics, though that wasn't really the thrust of the OP.
Two groups of people, riders and dog-walkers, I'm making a concession to them by slowing down and riding defensively; is it too much to ask for the same in return, for people with dogs to get the erratic little buggers under some semblance of control for the five seconds it takes to pass each other?
I tell people to run into my dog (not a spaniel) if she gets in the way.
Did it occur to you that in doing so they may be injured? Not to worry as long as its an education for your dog 🙄
Haven't encountered anyone quite as miserable as Cougar on my outings though.
Then maybe you need to get out more, I think that as with many dog lovers no matter if fido ripped your arm off, caused a catastrophic pile up injuring 10 riders that had saluted, slowed and genuflected as they passed an out of control animal in a public place they would still be seen as guilty of not showing consideration.
I think thats the problem, not Cougars comments.
Had a spaniel/bike interface at Swiely last month.
Locked up front wheel so pushed it allong rather than running it over.