It was raining but Bass and I went along the canal path anyway. The path was deserted.
Then the rain stopped.
Within seconds every dog in the town appeared, and every cyclist too!
The cyclists are a complete pest. The come up from behind totally silently and wizz past unexpectedly. You have to watch out for them constantly. I have taught Bass to stop walking when I yell”Wait!” so the cyclists can go past safely.
Yesterday, two of us were standing chatting on the path with our dogs doing social networking, when suddenly, Bass ran across the path in an invitation to play.
There was a scrunching of brakes and a yelp from the cyclist who came upon us without warning and nearly went over the handlebars in an effort to avoid the dog.
The two of us, total strangers, yelled in unison “Use your BELL!”
The cyclist uttered no apology, but mounted his machine and rode off into the distance,
to terrorise someone else….
Whats wrong with you people? Why can’t you just tring your damn bells?
The Last Furlong 
Apr 28, 2019 at 10:42
O’Connor met his first Bike on The Blavet Footpath last week. He nearly died of fright and ran hell for leather back to the car, which was some distance away, and cowered behind the boot.
I was impressed by the fact that he knew which car was ours.
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Apr 28, 2019 at 18:21
Good boy!
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Apr 28, 2019 at 13:20
Congrats on training Bass to “wait”!
Now the only thing left is teaching the idiot silent whizzers on wheels to not be silent. I have good hearing, but hell, how I hate these silent wheelers! Not a snowflake’s chance in hell to hear them in time.
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Apr 28, 2019 at 18:23
I agree. I’m going to wear a sandwich board that says “ring bell!”
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Apr 29, 2019 at 12:21
I,m an elderly cyclist and i go out everyday about 12 miles…anyway your comments about cyclists got me annoyed, during the past week ive been subjected to several dog attacks, cairn terrier, two dogs i dont know the breed, golden retriever,and about 20 minutes ago two farm dogs, i would add i,m cycling down the main road, most dog owners think that with their extending leads they have their dogs under control they havent…the only positive is i get a shot of adrenaline and cycle faster!!!!!
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Apr 29, 2019 at 13:13
You should stop and get the owners details. Such behaviour is illegal in the UK. If a dog aggressively approaches a walker, the same applies. That should not happen to you. It’s a shame.
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Apr 29, 2019 at 13:23
Elizabeth i dont really care, they havent managed to get their teeth in me yet! I was just giving you the cyclists side of things!
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Apr 29, 2019 at 13:29
The cyclists side of things is that they are in a world of their own, enjoying the ride. They are unaware of the impact they have. Most need better manners. I’m sorry dogs are attacking you. That’s not right. There has to be a reason.
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Apr 29, 2019 at 12:44
I agree about the illusion of control with extension leads. Much better is control by voice like Elizabeth describes. But it won’t help to have a perfectly controllable dog if cyclicst keep coming from behind with silent wheels and giving no warning. It’s all a question of putting oneself in the other one’s shoes – dog owners need to keep their dogs under control, cyclist need to give warning when coming from behind. Simple. Or obviously not. Stating the obvious annoyment both sides suffer won’t change anything.
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Apr 29, 2019 at 12:47
I,m on the main road, not the pavement
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Apr 29, 2019 at 13:16
Another point about control, is you cannot adjust an extension lead if you are not aware of any danger. Cyclists are not aware of how silent they are.
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Apr 29, 2019 at 12:49
I ride on the main road..i get attacked from the pavement,
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Apr 29, 2019 at 13:24
I find some cyclists are brilliant. They call out “Five coming through”, or “We are coming through”, which stops the enormous surprise of their sudden, silent arrival. – even on a main road. You need to be aware of the fright you give . And given the warning, dog walkers could restrain the length of the leads the dogs are on. Try it. Tell us what happens, and whether things improve for you.
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