Man Bites Dog

Barking and chasing are terrifying. When this yappy dog followed me, I was not immune. I picked up and kicked harder. There's no telling what a dog would do if he catches the mailman, and I'm not staying to find out. He put on a chase of a five or six houses along a busy street. This resilience confirmed my good choice to ride harder.

This morning I passed the opposite direction. This means that the dog had to cross into traffic to give chase. And he did. The poor thing chased me from across several lanes of busy morning traffic. Like a child, he realized in the middle of the road that he was actually IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. He retreated towards his house, and I was relieved. 

And then I heard the sound of small dog impacting a blue sedan and then yelping. The small dog scurried away from the stopped vehicle and towards a house.

I went back to check on my foe. Beer bottles, a broken dresser, and an empty/open dog crate on the porch. No car. I called out for the owner or the dog. The response was from a much larger dog chained up in the back. 

I quickly left and called Animal Protection Services to check on the welfare of the dog. I'm trying not to feel guilty, but it was an awful encounter. 

Off the Chain

On my way to work I pass this house with a very large Doberman Pinscher chained to the roof. This dog scares me. I guess by chaining him to the roof, the owners are doing him the favor of keeping him from getting tangled around a tree. Each day I pass this dog I put up a little prayer for that rope. I also wince as the rope grabs him back at the perimeter.

My typical defense from a dog is a stern "GET OFF THE COUCH" command. Typically, this works well. Most dogs know this one. I don't know if this dog has been allowed inside his house. He didn't know the command. Still, there's a couch on the porch. I thought he might get it.

Anyways, I'm riding the SevenStarsSecondSundaySpin and we go down my route. This is so fun, guys! I'm looking around at these great people on bikes, and I think they should always be with me on this road. Super fun to have buddies on a ride. We get to the part with the dog, and I tell them about my fear, my prayer, and my wince. We all chuckle. We travel on safely.

Of course, they didn't all come meet me and ride home with me from work the next day. I'm cruising down on this beautiful day when I get close. I start tensing up and prepping my routine of prayer and wince. Except this day, when I get to the wince part... the dog breaks the chain.

No, for serious. He breaks the *&^%* chain. The dog is now chasing me down the street. I'm instantly sprinting, thankful for the downhill slope. Holy Moly. Only Magnum knows this fear.

I've learned since telling this story a couple of times about something called Unchain Your Dog. http://www.unchaindogs.net/ Please protect your dog. Help other people care for their dogs. Nobody's trying to be mad. We're all just trying to get to work or home from work.

I also put together a little treat bag that I can rip off my handlebars and throw at him for next time. I'm relieved but also sad to report that I haven't seen him since that day.