Well put PK ripper.

The dog does not have to be on a lead – but must be properly trained and under control if it is not. I know dogs that will chase anything – but a shout of d
“down” and they stop instantly. thats fine

Google chainsuck. was the chain riding up the chainring and jamming on the frame? Thats chainsuck usually caused by a worn out drivetrain

I guess that its like anything else – kick it to make it run away is fine, chasing after it with a big stick is not.

Conti travel contacts are good. They come with tubes. They are guaranteed against punctures. Get a puncture in one and you can return it to the shop and get a new tyre and tube for free.

Mrs TJ has them on her commuter bike. In a 1000 miles of commuting on glass strewn cyclepaths she has had two punctures and both times the tyre and tube where replaced with no hassle.

Highly recommended.

Don – you still miss my point. Of course you have the same rights I do – but your dog does not. A dog has no rights. Only a human has rights. I touch your dog what law would you prosecute under?

Out of control is not clear in law but looking around both the various doggy sites (kennel club and so on) and such things as the access code its pretty clear that a reasonable definition would be that it is either on a lead or comes to heel or drops at command.

I never said I have the right to attack a dog without justification – the justification is if it runs at me and the owner won’t control it and a shout at the dog won’t stop it then I have the right to kick it – as often as need ed to make it run away.

I have no duty to do anything beyond alerting the dog owner to my presence in a reasonable amount of time. As for stopping and getting off the bike – utter piffle.(unless the path is too narrow to pass safely) I have the right to ride my bike without being bothered in anyway by a dog.

Boatman prediction wrong – I earlier posted
“There are two things slightly different. Your dog must not make me afraid – but as you point out that would be subject to a reasonableness test – IE you should take the precautions that are reasonable and I doubt you have to allow for phobias. The dog must also not cause a nuisance.

Don simon reread that. I did not claim that dog owners need to account for phobic people. Infact I agreed with you that it might not be reasonable.

I only stated as is true that I am allowed in law to hurt a dog that runs at me. Several times on this thread I have said that if the dog is under control it is fine – keep it away from me thats fine – let it run at me and I have the right to do whatever I need to to protect myself.

Don’t put words in others mouths.

My position is clear – keep your dog under control as you have a legal responsibility to do so. Let an out of control dog run at me and I have the right to do whatever is needed to protect myself. At no point did I advocate hurting a dog that was not bothering me.

Why do you need to purify water? Scottish stream water is the best you can find – filtered thru bogs.

Midges are also good food for all sorts of beasts – swifts and swallows as well as bats.

Avimore area is good. Plenty do do around there.

Everyone needs to be reasonable. Don’t scare the dog by blatting past closely. Ring your bell ( you do have one don’t you or you are in the wrong)to alert the dog owner you are there giving time to control the dog. You have excised your duty of care if you do so.

Similarly any dog that must be under control – on a lead or heel / drop at command. If it is not under control in this way you are committing an offense – either causing a nuisance ( a very minor offence) or causing fear and alarm – an offense for which you can be jailed and the dog put down ( highly unlikely tho unless it actually bites)

All I want is for the dog owner to control their dog as the law says they must. I don’t want your dog to run at me and that is my right.

I have no way of knowing if the dog is friendly or not.

Cold may have contributed but I doubt it. Usually this sort of injury is caused by repeated strain over periods of time and then at some point it “goes” – but its not the actual incident that caused it, that incident is just the trigger,

I would be looking to your riding position and riding style. Try some gears so you can sit and spin rather than “cranking up a hill”

No midges? Avoid june – sept.

DEl – I do find that AVG seems to slow the puter sometimes – never can work out why and its not consistant.

Have a good look at his terms and conditions and “guarantee” that gives less than your statutory protection.

.ditch norton. you may find it is difficult to remove completely – IIRC a removal tool is needed to correct registry entries. Norton is notorious for slowing down computers

AVG / Ad aware / zone alarm here. No infections in 3 yrs.

I’d go with the octopus porn myself.

Boardin Bob. Good.

One thing I really don’t understand is why some dog owners have dogs that they cannot or have not trained. It would seem to me that all dogs can be trained.

When I pass a dog and its owner if the owner gets the dog under control I always thank them. It all I ask is live and let live. Keep uyour dog away from me and I’ll keep away from your dog.

Let it run at me and the dog will be hurt. Let it bite me and I will have it put down and I will sue you for damages.

Don – I don’t really see your point.

I think this is perfectly clear.

A dog owner has an absolute duty to control their dog. A non dog owner has an absolute right not to be bothered by a dog in any way. That includes your “friendly dog” running up to to them.

The cyclists behaviour must be reasonable. I couldn’t find the bit in the Scottish access code but IIRC it talks about respecting others using the countryside. I think that warning the dog owner of your presence in enough time for them to get their dog under control is reasonable. Don’t go blatting past when you could scare a dog.

There are two things slightly different. Your dog must not make me afraid – but as you point out that would be subject to a reasonableness test – IE you should take the precautions that are reasonable and I doubt you have to allow for phobias. The dog must also not cause a nuisance.

However it is clear that when a dog does not heel or stop on command or is not on a lead when other people are around it is causing a nusance whether or not the person is afraid.

Please note I am not advocating all dogs on a lead at all times – just that all dogs be under control of its owner.

I have an absolute right not to be bothered by your dog in any way – and that includes the dog running up to me.

Causing a nuisance is an offence tho – not just putting people in fear. Again back to the reasonableness test I guess. A dog that comes up to you even playfully when you don’t want that dog to do so is still causing an offense.

Don Simon – wrong I am afraid – if the dog puts me in fear the owner has committed an offense.

Dorset knob – thats fine then. Its the running up to passers by that is wrong. If it sits or heels at command its fine.

Don Simon – of course their can be wrong on all sides. A cyclist has a duty to warn a dog walker than they are there and to give them room to pass – stopping if needed – (narrow path)

A well trained dog I have no problems with. I come up behind a dog walker and ring my bell to let them know I am there – the dog owner makes sure the dog is under control and I go past. No issue. The dog owner allows the dog to run at me -the dog is out of control and the owner is committing an offense.

I suspect that like much in law it all depends on a reasonableness test. In the immortal words ” ‘We must ask ourselves what the man on the Clapham omnibus would think.'” ie if an ordinary person thinks it is reasonable it is.

A dog owner has an absolute duty to control their dog at all times. This means that they should either be on a lead or come to heel / stand still at command. If you don’t do this with your dogs you are committing an offense in law. If your dog runs up to me even to say hello / to play you are committing an offense and the dog could be put down.

Dorset knob – try to understand – your collie that comes up to other people who do not want that dog near them – you are committing an offense. No if but or and, no defense. You dogs could be put down because you are incapable of controlling them.

If you cannot control you dog so it does not bother other people you are unfit to own a dog.

Many dog owners can control their dogs. If you cannot you have badly trained dogs and are unfit to own one.

Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA) 1991

Section 3 applies to all dogs, making it a criminal offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place. This includes instances where there is fear that an injury might occur.
Owners found guilty under either section of the Act could have their dog destroyed, face the possibility of six months in prison and/or a fine not exceeding level 5 (at present up to £5,000).

ï Town Police Clauses Act 1847 (outside London) and Metropolitan Police Act 1839 (London)

These Acts make it an offence to allow an unmuzzled, ferocious dog to be left at large, or for a person to set on or to urge any dog attack, worry or put in fear any person or animal in the street.

ï Dogs Act 1871

Under this Act, a court may, upon complaint that a dog is dangerous and not kept under proper control, order the owner to keep him under proper control or to be destroyed.

A pet owner has various legal responsibilities. These responsibilities apply to whoever is responsible for or in charge of a pet, not just the owner. The pet owner must ensure that:

*
* The animal does not cause harm or create a nuisance
*
* An owner is liable for damage caused by her/his animal

Thne law is quite clear – if your dog behaves in such a way as to cause any nusience you have committed an offense. the dog does not have to bite – merely to put me in fear – no matter whether you think that fear is reasonable or not.

Dorset knob – wrong I am afraid. Legally and morally its the dog owners responsibility to control their dogs. That means stopping their dogs from bothering other folk. I have an absolute right to go about my daily business without being bothered by someones dog.

There is absolutly no need for the non dog owner to have to do anything – to modify their behaviour in any way. Its the dog owners responsibility. Dogs do not have rights, people do.

If you can’t understand that then you are not a fit person to own a dog. Typical selfish dog owner trying to weasel out of thier responsibilities.

Kicking dogs that attack you is perfectly acceptable morally and legally.

I have to say I never use bothies – I much prefer to camp. You never know who else will be at the bothy and they vary so much in how comfy they are – the only thing you save taking is a tent – and a tent is generally warmer than a bothy.

You pays yer money and takes yer choice

Sherry – cool. Nice to hear of a well trained dog. For me its live and let live.

Sherry – does the dog run up to folk? Jump up in their faces? I don’t care if its friendly I don’t want a slobbering mutt in my face. Dogs must be under control and therefore not bothering others.

I have a practika tl1000(???) somewhere – the Lada of the camera world? I once dropped it down a 30 ft cliff – and it still works despite a dented case.

aracer – I really doubt it would be worth the hassle. Just let her suffer waiting for the writ.

C4 – nasty / tricky one. I’d be furious about the chipped tooth tho – a bruised lip is no hassle but a chipped tooth is permanent damage. I think I would have insisted on her name and address and told her I would sue – but then not do a thing but she gets the fear of being sued to keep her a little more aware in future.

C4 – did you ring your bell to alert her?

Rlaph – perhaps not you then – if so my apologies. On a previous discussion about out of control dogs someone that I thought was you described how their dog had run around in a park jumping at people.

Again – if not you apologies.

Grease is grease – if its the right type for the application. I use castrol multipurpose for everything.

Deja vu anyone?

Unfortunatly most dog owners don’t seem to realise that they have a duty to control the mutt. I seem to remember Ralph saying how his dog jumps up at people “just being friendly” One persons friendly dog is anothers dangerous nightmare.

RR – if the dog is a danger then it needs to be put down. What if……………………….

Is it worth it? No great harm done. should have given the dog a good kick tho – not out of revenge but to teach it that biting people comes at a cost of pain.