Chasingdog.com

The Chasing Dog web-site was founded based on our love of animals and outdoor exercise.

There are times when the two don't seem to go together very well.  While bicycling, I've been chased by dogs more times than I can count.  On several occasions, I was concerned about the dogs safety on the roads but most of the time I was concerned about being injured in a mishap.

One incident I remember was during a group ride with a road cycle club near Memphis.  A large St. Bernard "pup" ran directly into the side of me (hit my leg) and moved me over about a foot in the pace line but luckily nobody in the group fell.

One afternoon while bicycling near Knoxville, two dogs ran out in front of me.  I was forced to slow down.  While the larger of the two worked it's way around to my calf area, the smaller terrier jumped up and bit my right hand.  It actually didn't bite me, it just jumped and had it's mouth open while I rode into it.  It broke the skin and hurt like hell.  I later talked with a colleague who had been chased by the same dogs while jogging.

A few weeks ago I was riding alone on a county road in Northern Alabama.  Three good sized boxers started chasing me and they definitely had the angle on me.  Luckily the owner saw them pursue me and quickly got them back under control but not before they were nipping at my heals.  If she wasn't around, I would have probably been bitten or wrecked.

But the event that was the real motivation for this project was during a bicycle ride with my wife on a county road north of Cumming, GA.  We were going down a hill with her in my slipstream.  I heard her yell "dog"!  As quickly as I could look back, the dog hit her front wheel and catapulted her head-first into the asphalt.  She was knocked out because of the impact but quickly came to.  Her Giro helmet served it's purpose and was sacrificed that day.  She was scraped, torn, and disoriented.  Her first words........"is the dog alright?"  He was; Hercules (we soon found out his name from the owners) survived with only minor abrasions.  She however got to spend the night in the Hospital and her bike looked like a taco.  Weeks later when I was chased again by the same dog, I finally realized, it's not a dog problem it's a dog owner problem.

I hope you've "enjoyed" our stories and I also hope you'll help by adding your encounters to our web-site.  You'll make it safer to enjoy the outdoors.

chasingdog.com
steve@chasingdog.com