Dogs and MTBs.. what would you have done ?

[wheelnut]

We've got a mini dachshund who has a bit of a thing for bikes (the bike rather than the rider), especially if they suprise her. She'll chase the bike barking. We just have to be aware when we're out with her and tend to pick her up if there's a bike going by.

The dogs and owners in the OP were pretty indefensible though.

[DefTrap]

Oh by the way, I'm absolutely sure that the majority of owners are normal people who take their responsibilities seriously and have taken appropriate actions over training. It's a shame the minority have to spoil it. And the minority is still an awful lot given there are 10million+ dogs in the UK - you only have to look at the number of magic dogshit trees

[gremlin]

On the flip side, and for balance, my dog is an unsociable cunt. That said, if she's left alone she's fine. She ignores other people and other dogs. What pisses me off is the people who seem to think she's sat next to me outside a cafe for them to pet without asking and often with a sudden grabbing of her head. Net result? She growls and, if the warning isn't heeded, will give a little snap in the direction of the unwanted attention. People seem to take offence at this.

Ask me beforehand if she's ok and I'll tell you to leave her alone, as she's an unsociable cunt. I wouldn't come up to you from behind and tussle your hair without asking, so don't do it to my dog.

[Count Steer]

Ugh. I had a new neighbour, marched round with some really big dogs who were snapping and growling all over the place, to introduce herself. Explained very matter of factly that her dogs were 'protective of her' and she wouldn't be held responsible if they bit one of my kids. Scared them shitless just like that, they were afraid to go out the house. Of course there was never any situation because we stayed away from them for all sorts of reasons but what sort of person is so engrossed in themselves that they think that is anything like reasonable?

People like that rely on others being civilised, meek and reasonable. You just have to hope that one day they try it on with the the sort of bloke who says very quietly 'Be responsible? Oh don't worry about responsibility. If your dog bites one of my kids I'll just slit your kids throats'. *slam*

[Taff]

Those puppies were doing exactly what they are bred for, malinois are known as land sharks because this is exactly what they do and this is why many police forces use them.

This fella did everything absolutely right IMO, stopped riding, stood still and tried to put his bike between him and the dogs. Anyone that thinks that one swift boot in the ribs would have sorted it out are very mistaken, that would have upped the ante and he would have been bitten more.

This footage should have deffo gone to the police and dog warden looking for a prosecution. I really hope it did.

[gremlin]

Difficult one. I'm sure the owners didn't set their dogs on the bloke on purpose and talk of kicking shit out of the dogs and/or owners isn't exactly a measured response. If it's the first time the dogs have seen a bloke on a bike come careering past they may well react badly.

Be interesting to see what happened next. If they walked away without a by-your-leave, then that's unacceptable. Maybe they profusely apologised offered to pay for any damaged clothing, etc.

Would that be acceptable to you if they attacked your daughter?

Well, I'm just trying to imagine her on a muddy mountain bike, Prada bag in one hand, stilettos on her feet and false eyelashes blowing in the wind....

Would I be so relaxed? Probably not, but that's why it's a good idea to have people look at incidences like this objectively and get the full picture. For example, I walk my dog in my local woods. It is forbidden to ride bikes in there, but people do. Now the woods are big a place and I believe there's room for everybody and most cyclists slow down and move over. Some don't and come through at reckless speeds, but such is life. I know a bloke with a Border Collie, who chases bikes (the dog, not Gordon, he's about 80 years-old). He brings the dog into the woods and let's him off the lead as he is entitled to, specifically to avoid cyclists and yet there they are. He has had many an argument with the cyclists who use the woods, and maybe he's got right on his side. If Barney was to go for a cyclist in those woods, who is to blame? Where was the cyclist in the video?
Re the dog owners, are those people new dog owners who have had tried to do the decent thing and adopt some dogs which would otherwise be put down? Would it then be reasonable to give them a good shoeing for their misplaced charity? Or the dogs if they've been mistreated and not trained under previous ownership?

A bit of context would be nice, as I don't think it's particularly objective.

[weeksy]

Giving them a shoeing wouldn't have gone well... They're both Senseis and martial arts specialists apparently

http://www.facebook.com/vitalmartialarts

[gremlin]

Giving them a shoeing wouldn't have gone well... They're both Senseis and martial arts specialists apparently

http://www.facebook.com/vitalmartialarts

Sensai Walter? Not exactly got the exoticism of Mr. Miyagi, is it?

[porter_jamie]

The owners are fuckpigs. That was pretty shocking. Hope he wasn't injured. Absolutely not acceptable. No doubt the morons are justifying to themselves why it isn't their fault and victim blaming the cyclist.
I was walking in the fields a while ago and two women were walking their dogs, one of which was at least 1\4 mile from them hassling everyone elses dogs. Then it ran at me snarling. It was a smallish one so I was ready to launch it into the river but lucky for it it noticed me getting ready to free kick it into the next county and it fucked off.
There has been an alsatian reported in the local fbook page attacking several dogs in the local park. Kept escaping from a house. Rich chavs in this case the house sold for a couple of million. Happened day after day until eventually the cops came and took it away. Makes you wonder what these idiots are thinking. Not at lot, by the evidence

[Noggin]

So on the back of all this, how do you approach a friend that has a dog but thinks everyone loves dogs and doesn't keep her on a lead? Mostly it's totally fine as where we are is almost people-less for half the year!

But, She doesn't respond quickly/always to a whistle and rarely to voice. She (the dog) thinks everyone loves her, and she is loveable and so very gentle - the only time I've ever seen her growl was when she was on a lead and we were sat outside a restaurant where the owner was wearing a red shirt. Apparently she's reacted badly to men in red shirts before, but only in the 'growl and run away' sense.

She's a rescue from Croatia or Serbia - no idea of her history but she doesn't deal well with fireworks or thunder, and has been know to take a chicken!! But, despite her rarely being on a lead I've never seen any aggression.

BUT - my issue is more that she does run up to people, both adults and kids. I love dogs and we had dogs when I was a kid, so I'm not scared of them. But I REALLY dislike it when one rushes at me - how on earth would someone that doesn't feel good around dogs feel?


So, how do I tactfully (might be the wrong forum!) suggest that he works a LOT harder on recall? Or at least uses the whistle to call her back quicker when she rushes to people (or even stands by their table, asking nicely for scraps )


I do love the dog, she's a cutie and despite the fairly horrific start in life, she has an amazing and gentle character. So how on earth to do I suggest to my friend that he needs to sort the training/control? (He's lovely too and been really kind to me the lat couple of years, so I certainly don't want to piss him off/upset him!!)

[weeksy]

So on the back of all this, how do you approach a friend that has a dog but thinks everyone loves dogs and doesn't keep her on a lead

not from behind

[Sadlonelygit]

My dog hates cyclists with a passion, that's why she always goes out on the lead.
Yesterday she nipped her 'bestie' at dog training when we were doing dog swaps.
Recall.........in your dreams!
That's the problem with adult rescues, you never know what you're getting.
But those Malinois, nasty fuckers!

[Mussels]

So on the back of all this, how do you approach a friend that has a dog but thinks everyone loves dogs and doesn't keep her on a lead? Mostly it's totally fine as where we are is almost people-less for half the year!

But, She doesn't respond quickly/always to a whistle and rarely to voice. She (the dog) thinks everyone loves her, and she is loveable and so very gentle - the only time I've ever seen her growl was when she was on a lead and we were sat outside a restaurant where the owner was wearing a red shirt. Apparently she's reacted badly to men in red shirts before, but only in the 'growl and run away' sense.

She's a rescue from Croatia or Serbia - no idea of her history but she doesn't deal well with fireworks or thunder, and has been know to take a chicken!! But, despite her rarely being on a lead I've never seen any aggression.

BUT - my issue is more that she does run up to people, both adults and kids. I love dogs and we had dogs when I was a kid, so I'm not scared of them. But I REALLY dislike it when one rushes at me - how on earth would someone that doesn't feel good around dogs feel?


So, how do I tactfully (might be the wrong forum!) suggest that he works a LOT harder on recall? Or at least uses the whistle to call her back quicker when she rushes to people (or even stands by their table, asking nicely for scraps )


I do love the dog, she's a cutie and despite the fairly horrific start in life, she has an amazing and gentle character. So how on earth to do I suggest to my friend that he needs to sort the training/control? (He's lovely too and been really kind to me the lat couple of years, so I certainly don't want to piss him off/upset him!!)

Suggest that one day someone who doesn't understand his dog might hurt her badly thinking they need to defend themselves, if he wants to protect her he must make sure other people don't mistake her as a threat.
I was ready to kill a puppy a few years back when my kids were toddlers, the owner thought 'but she's a puppy' meant I would let her run over and get in their faces. As it was I could pick my kids up out of it's reach, if I couldn't then I would have gone for the dog.

[gremlin]

The owners are fuckpigs.

What exactly makes them 'fuckpigs'?

[Rockburner]

Is it just me - or did the dogs not have collars on? It seemed that half the footage was the owners of the dogs struggling to simply grab hold of them by the scruff. A collar would have made that a lot easier, and reduced the length of time they didn't have them under control.

[Taipan]

Where I used to live one of the neighbours had a border collie. Lovely friendly dog unless you were on 2 wheels of any form! The problem was with the batty old woman who owned it. She just used to let him roam out in the cul-de-sac. Everytime i went out on my bike I'd have to get her to take it in. But when I came home the bastard thing went for me time and time again. Get off the bike and take my crash helmet off and it'd come and great me!

These people are as stupid as she was. If your dogs chase and attack cyclists, then don't let them off the lead or exercise them in a closed field etc. At least train the dogs so they have recall! It needs reporting in case it wasn't a one-off. If that had been a child, the dogs could have bitten it in the face etc. The owners are at fault here, not the dogs.

[gremlin]

dog warden

Do such things exist? I thought they were the preserve of comics, chasing dogs with a string of sausages scampering away from the butcher.

[dern]

That's the problem with adult rescues, you never know what you're getting.

Completely agree with this but I also think that dogs people have had as puppies can surprise you in a nasty way too. They're all different, just like people.

You can try and train a dog to return to you under all circumstances but it won't when it doesn't want to unless you have access to the time and resource police forces use to train their dogs and even then you'd be pushed to get a guarantee.

Our rescues can do (or could, one is getting on) 40mph and they weigh 25-30Kg. They chase literally anything given the opportunity. They have no recall when they see something they want. They're not coming off the lead unless they're in a fully enclosed area with no other dogs and they're not going for a walk without muzzles just in case they do get away from us. I don't understand why all dogs aren't kept like this, I certainly wish the ones that had bitten our were.

[Mr Moofo]

I'm a dog owner ...

But the owners of those should be put down. They will know what kind of dog they are and how the react. The dogs should have been on leads and properly trained. They are owned because they are roughy tough dogs - and make their owners penises look larger down the gym.

If that had been a young kid on a bike the results would have been different.
I trust it has been reported to the police

[MingtheMerciless]

Dog wardens exist (at least in Eastbourne and Wealden). They do take people to court and get dog orders issued etc if the dog/owner is troublesome.

Those dogs in the video are causing alarm in a public place so fall well within the Dangerous Dogs Act which is big fines and custodial sentences. The bloke was trying to do the right thing keeping the bike between the himself and the dogs. Then report to Police and Dog Warden as it could be a kid on a bike next time.

As a Staffie owner I regularly have people cross the road to avoid me and the dogs and I'm so sick of being asked "Is your dog safe?" that my standard reply is "oh he's fine, he was fed a couple of kittens this morning, he won't need anything else till tomorrow".