Just looking for somewhere to vent

I commute on the C2C most
I commute on the C2C most days, and I’ve renamed it the Canine2Canine because of the numbers of dogs being walked. I also have a dog and do walk him on shared paths (most around here are shared). I always keep him on a lead. I always keep an eye out for other dogs, and people on bikes, and wind his lead back in as soon as I see anyone on a bike, and have never had a close call

Most owners are great and keep the dogs on leads, but a surprising number are just left off the lead by the owners or on the long leads, which is really selfish and irresponsible, especially so when it’s busy. It’s bad for the others sharing, and it’s bad for the dog. I’ve had a few near misses and I am very careful as I do not want a faceplant as a result of a dog.

I reckon most of the bile and hate spouters on that thread fall into the selfish bastard category of dog owners that don’t give a thought about anyone or anything else.

Flying Scot wrote:
Those

Flying Scot wrote:

Those stretchy leads are rather antisocial too.

A dog walker with one of these bungee leads gave me all kinds of abuse on one of the rare occasions I made use of a shared path up by Johnstone regardless of the fact that I had slowed down to walking pace. Something about my preventing his dog being walked without hindrance and scaring the creature with the ringing of my bell. I told him that the Highway Code recommended dogs be on a short lead when on footpaths and shared use paths and asked why he wasn’t complying. He wasn’t too happy with that one.

The story infers the guy rode
The story infers the guy rode over dog by choice – who he hell does that ? You’d probably go over the bars.

Dogs are a total menace on paths, and I don’t blame the dogs, but the owners, seen plenty kids come off bikes trying to avoid dogs that head for their front wheel.

Those stretchy leads are rather antisocial too.

paulrbarnard wrote:
I’ve had

paulrbarnard wrote:

I’ve had to stop many times on shared use paths due to dogs turning under my wheel at the last moment. Trouble is they literally follow their nose. As they hear the bike behind them they turn their head to look and presto turn right into your path. I kind of expect it now and anticipate it happening. If it’s a pup then I really don’t mind stopping to say hello as they are always excitable little things.

That’s what I mean, exactly. I’ve come to expect them to do precisely the opposite of what I would like them to do, and ride accordingly.

I’ve had to stop many times
I’ve had to stop many times on shared use paths due to dogs turning under my wheel at the last moment. Trouble is they literally follow their nose. As they hear the bike behind them they turn their head to look and presto turn right into your path. I kind of expect it now and anticipate it happening. If it’s a pup then I really don’t mind stopping to say hello as they are always excitable little things.

Oh god, that is one of the
Oh god, that is one of the most depressing reads I have had for a while.

For a start… its unbelievable that everyone took one persons completely biased version of events, not only at face value, but most decided to add extra malice and evil to the motives of the grey haired cyclist.

Then just add all the usual ‘hate’ justifications and you have a beautifully dark and depressing read.

I particularly liked the lady that wrote something like… ‘ok, its not fair to paint all cyclists with the same brush, some will have morales, however this mans actions show that most don’t’

All we know, and hell, all the woman knows is that a cyclist hit a dog. Everything else is pure conjecture.

The chap may have been mortified.

The key take away for me, is that actually there is a massive issue with the perception of cyclists in this country that needs to be seriously looked at.

The other point is that yet again, we are shown that dual access paths simply do not work. Some cyclists are indeed dicks that ride inappropriately, many, many more are simply people commuting on a path that pedestrians will be primarily utilising for leisure purposes… that is always a recipe for disaster.

Anyone moaning about a cyclists reluctance to wait and slow to the leisurable speed of pedestrians in these circumstances only needs to think about their own feelings when they come across a cyclist on a road in their car…

Yes the actions of this
Yes the actions of this cyclist were disgusting weather the dog was hit deliberately, or by accident and not stopping to check, and I am not for one second saying this person shouldn’t have his bollox removed, for giving the rest of us a bad name if nothing else.

But, I have a feeling the dog may not have been under control, I have to agree with ‘him up north’ dog walkers are a bit of a bug bear of mine too, I have grown up on a farm and we have always had working dog, they’re perfectly behaved, with the possible exception of the new pup, but shes not 6 month old yet, so why can other people not get there dog at least mildly under control.

If you read the post the original poster comments; “a group from the ymca where coming in a different direction and they all slowed down and stopped for the pup.” If the dog was under control no one would have had to stop for the thing.