Dog on the trail...What would you do?

[cbeck]

The biggest problem I have with calling out, "on your left" or "passing on your left" is all people ever seem to hear is "left". No matter how much I ennunciate. Rather than accept the fact that I am referring to their good sense having left, they seem to take the large bike they just noticed behind them, and the word "left", put em together, and decide to move left.



I'm never traveling quick enough on a shared trail to run into them, but it's always fun guessing which way they will go.

[gatorback]

If I am on an open trail and a steep downhill I will use the Gatorleash/brake system to keep my speed under control so it is safe for all trail users. The leash is mostly for stops or speed control from higher speeds so if the speed is low the leash is not used as much. At low speeds I mostly step stop but at higher speeds the leash is key. This week I have done a lot of trail and city skating in Chicago. For the trail the leash is useful if I am going full speed and approach an intersection but other then that on the trail I mostly step stop and/or go slow since it is flat here.

In the city of Chicago you can get lots of speed up and then have a light turn red on you so the leash is fun and good for this since you can stop quickly with lots of control and don't wear out the wheels.

If the dog runs out in front without warning, I will swerve, jump, pickup the dog, and/or some of the other suggestions from the thread.

As a side note, if you are ever chased by a dog that is not on a leash usually yelling "NO!" in a loud "i am your owner" type of voice helps a lot.

-Mark

[Sherab]

Originally Posted by Jessica

I've thought about it before, and I'd like to think I'd do an impressive flying leap over the leash while at the same time doing a 360 or something cool like that. In reality, I would probably end up in the grass, after doing an unintentional acrobatic fall.

I would too, but a 180 would be nicer.

EDIT: I mean, come on, be a show-off and skate backwards while your at it.

[janneman]

mmm since this scenario is set in the northern americo's I guess i'd do similar to John B...

probably call the local chinese to have em start up the BBQ, get the standard US apparel: a COLt .44 and shoot this poor animal to dog's heaven.

i mean; who invented to tear those animals away from russian prairies where they are supposed to be?

ehh for the local scenario; darn, still have not got myself that pepperspray. need to get it.

[Pepper Montana]

Originally Posted by janneman

mmm since this scenario is set in the northern americo's I guess i'd do similar to John B...

probably call the local chinese to have em start up the BBQ, get the standard US apparel: a COLt .44 and shoot this poor animal to dog's heaven.

Well, now that you mention it, we could just pre-emptively smite all the dogs we see. Regardless of where they are on the trail. Who knows? They might decide to cross the trail at some future point in time....


Just kidding! I love dogs!

[greazer]

Translated from inline-skate.nl forum:

Originally Posted by greazer

All this after:
I was the first through the turn and skated the dog completely out of his socks! (dutch expression) The dog thought he could scare me, but when I just kept coming straight at him at 30+km/h it was the dog that got scared and jumped to the side of the road after a "light collision". The dog was so scared it stayed at the side of the road when the groups of skaters passed.
If the owner doesn't make sure his/her dog stays out of the way of a group of skaters rushing past, I will do it myself! That dog will never come near a skater ever again!

[shesk8]

This is really an annoying situation. I am a dog owner, too (I would like to think a very responsible one), and take offence to other dogs owners that are clueless, negligent, or ignore other pathway users. First off check your local ordinance regarding leash laws. Chances are dog leashes are required not to exceed a max of 6'. A 12' or 20' retractable lead is not excluded from laws. If you fell over the dog or leash due to an owner being negligent and irresponsible get their name, or better call a cop and get them sited. If you were unjured, definately call a cop/local authorities. Why enable these types of folks? If you cannot get their name, get the license tag/ number off the dog(as long as the dog is not growling at you). Don't be afraid to rip the dogs tag off the dog if the owner is uncooperative - they wil get it back later, after you file complaint with local authorities. If dog owners are not sited for irresponsible acts they just go about as if it is not their fault or responsibility, and you are left with 6 stitches across your chin that your medical insurance pays for. (this happened to a local skater here recently). Also, let your local parks know this is a problem and encourage them to patrol the area more often. We see the dog catcher coming thru our local park where we skate pretty frequently, forever handing out citations to oblivious dog owners....and, so it goes.

In the age of legal liability, don't be afraid to use the law to reslove issues with dog owners who are causing conflicts/problems in public parks and on public mutli-use pathways. I cannot tell you how many times I have come to a screeching halt due to an off-leash dog. I personally prefer not to katapult myself over it.

You did everything in your power as a skater to allert the owner to control their animal, they were flat out irresponsible in my opinion.

[unalaska]

Jannerman,
Colt .45 might be better, you see the Colt .44 was a single action revolver model that would be tough to carry while skating. However, a Colt .45 lightweight commander would be just the ticket for an unruly canine and is easy to carry while skating. Personnaly I worry more about the occassional bear crossing my trail and for that I usually carry a .357 magnum, if in grizzly teritory I would opt for the .44 mag.
good skating......

[ncspeed]

Never encounted a dog while skating, but since I am a UPS man I have encountered plenty of dogs and I had a dog charge me once and I took my diad board and slammed it across it's head.

But if I where to come across a dog while skating on a path, I would try slowing down enough to where if they did not hear me yell at them, I would still have time to go to the grass or slow down enough where the dog would not see me as a threat.

And if it is a lil bitty dog you can always boot it like a foot ball.

[online inline]

i think shesk8 is headed in the right direction, and i would recommend scrowling up and re=reading her thoughts.

Whenever i encounter an off leash dog on our county trails that is wandering all over, i will usually inform the owner that a) it is a law that all dogs be on a leash withing county parks and trails. If i am really upset, i will often calmly tell them that if i get the least bit hurt as a result of them not obey a) (the leash law), i will sue them, and will resolve this in court.

I think people need to know they are responsible, and if they cause bodily harm, they can get taken to the cleaners. If they think all they have to fear is a small fine, sure , they;ll risk it. If they think they could loose hundreds and even thousands of dollars, wouldn't it be a slightly different story?

I think this is worth getting serious about, as a teammate of mine last year was seriously injured by a dog on a trail that was not on a leash. She was cycling behind her skating husband when the dog cut in front of her bike, she did an end over end, severing two verterbrae, slicing open her ear lobe and causing severe road rash on half her face. It caused her to miss a couple of months of the season, but she is back to normal now, and skated a half marathon yesterday.

You have a right to use your town's trails and roadways and to do so safely, and at safe speeds. If someone causes you bodily harm through their negligence, hold them responsible, and let them know that they will be held responsible. If you have avenues of recourse, don't be afraid to use them, and don't be afraid to let others know you will too.

[wilburdeb]

What about people sitting in lawn chairs (on the trail)? I sometimes skate through a local park (Washington Lake Park, with an advertised bike trail) here in southern New Jersey. When I have complained to the resident rangers (patronage jobs) they tell me there is nothing they can do. When I called the local police, they said the park is the ranger's responsibility.

[rmwaller]

My opinion is that a leash is useless if the owner of the pet doesn't remain alert for people like yourself, or other dogs, runners, etc. As with dog attacks and the like, I think the owner deserves a nice crunch in the ribs from a speedy skater. Seriously though, why hurt yourself? The owner is probably softer that the grass and/or asphalt.

[rmwaller]

'pawdestrians' -- brilliant!

Also like the 'Don't believe everything you think'? Did you come up with that yourself?

[online inline]

Originally Posted by wilburdeb

What about people sitting in lawn chairs (on the trail)? I sometimes skate through a local park (Washington Lake Park, with an advertised bike trail) here in southern New Jersey. When I have complained to the resident rangers (patronage jobs) they tell me there is nothing they can do. When I called the local police, they said the park is the ranger's responsibility.

Take a picture, attach it to a letter to the editor of the town's newspaper, asking which public employee is not doing their job, and how will the taxpayers feel about footing the bill when a lawsuit results from the inevitable injury that their negligence in enforcing the obvious infraction will cause.

[mvirtue]

I almost excercised one of the options today during my evening skate. A guy had two dogs on retractable leads...The dogs were on the other side of the path and he has seated talking to someone!!!

I've discovered something worse than dogs! A seven year old boy on a mini gas powered ATV!!!! Then add in having his 4 yo sister hang off the back!!!!

[LezSk8]

On my trail, the "pawdestrians" are so busy checking out the "pee-mail" they don't give a thought to chasing anyone. What amuses and alarms me it one gal who has 4 or 5 dogs on leashes trying to walk them. More tangles than a plate of pasta. Maybe she's a professional dog-walker?

Ken

[shesk8]

Just last evening witnessed the classic scenario: newbie skater, no helmet...then WHAM!! ....catapulted to the ground by a 5# ball of fur on a 12' retractable lead. Stopped to be sure she was okay, she was startled, but thankfully not injured. the pet owner's repsonse?..."duh-ope, sorry".
some folks ya can't buy 'em a clue.

[online inline]

i am more and more prone to the realization that if you want to train seriously, you seriously need to find a venue capable of doing it on. You just can't get a la-dee-da pedestrian trail to work if you're trying to train like Chad. On the other hand, it may be just what the coach ordered if you;re looking for a break on your recovery day, or are just out to smell the roses.

Hopefully, we each have a few options to choose from, and can select the venue that;s most approporaite for what we plan to work on for that day. I know there's several trails in my area that i simply can't speed skate on for any purpose, there's a few that are good if i want to work on rough terrain, stops and starts, etc,, a couple that are good for flat out speed with just a few pedestrians/cyclcists/joggers at certain times of day/week, and maybe one that is good most anytime. I live in an area that encourages trail development. Also, seek out these trails early morning or during the week tends to minimize the number of Barneys you'll have to deal with. I know a pro team that used to train here did exactly that.

And from an earlier thread: jumping onto the tail of a cyclist just about always works to get them to clear the trail ahead of you. They kind of work like a cow-catcher on the old trains for the purposes of a speed skater.

I know some prefer open roads and that would be ideal if there were some here.

Just a thought. There's only so much you can expect from a pedestrian trail that has not seen many skaters/cyclists, and so you just can't expect everyone to react as you would expect them to.

[Jim White]

Interesting you mention Chad. One of his most, perhaps the most, serious skating injuries was hitting a dog. Of course, the dog's dead. Which also reminds me that the dog of a coach of a very fast indoor team got loose and ran onto the floor during a drill, that dog's also dead.

[speedysktr]

Originally Posted by online inline

..or are just out to smell the roses.

Man, you guys got it made, cheerleaders, roselined trails...

Originally Posted by online inline

Take a picture, attach it to a letter to the editor of the town's newspaper, asking which public employee is not doing their job, and how will the taxpayers feel about footing the bill when a lawsuit results from the inevitable injury that their negligence in enforcing the obvious infraction will cause.

Brilliant.

Our primary trail yields few incidents. If you've got the roads, it will usually be the better venue for serious training. We've only used our trail recently just to get to the roads.

My fav was the time I came upon a camera club, 20-25 people, walking en masse blocking the entire trail. From 50 yards away, I very clearly and forcefully announced that I was coming through. Nothing. My second announcement was a little more terse. I did hear a little sorry trickle out as I navigated through the small path that opened among the large people.

Thank God a stick fighter didn't spring into my path!!!

"No-body expects a Virtue stick whipping!!!"
"Our chief weapon is surprise... yaddah yaddah yaddah"