Dogs....

As a cyclist I have had my share of encounters with Fido... Also, being put in a compromised position can be scary, jarring and other words I'm not going to use my thesaurus for.. I did a little research. It looks like most states have statewide leash laws. Of course, a lot of time people in "smaller, quaint" areas do not abide by this law let alone many others... Here was what some of the research said... If a dog is approaching. It is best to get off the bike and not engage him in a chase. It is better just to let him run by your side instead of him potentially hurting you. I for one, have not done this.. I think I can always out run a dog. Really, I guess that has been the scared part of me. Of course, being clipped into the bike and not being able to dismount could really cause some serious problems.. I have actually thought about caring dog bones, just in case. There is a part of me that wonders if I might be attracting unwanted attention if I do that. So, the mind continues to roll over the scenarios... I did read something that made sense. If the dogs are approaching grasp your squirt bottle and squirt the dog with whatever is in your squirt bottle. Also, carrying a really sharp horn and squeezing it when a dog gets close should scare him. I think the best one I read was to dismount your bike and use it as a weapon. This actually made the most sense to me. However, being able to remember this at the heart pumping moment is another thing... Happy Monday ;0