Dogs, herd of them...

Dogs and multi-use trails don't mix well. Well, they do when the dog owners are responsible and can control them. I'm not even talking about the fact that we have a County-wide leash law that applies to our trails, and realize that when outdoors, most dog owners will let their pouch run free.

I'm speaking today from the standpoint of a mountain bike rider, a context in which encountering a dog on the loose creates both anxiety and brings a real danger; the encounter is obviously a bit less disconcerting for a hiker or a trail runner. What bother me, of course, is when these same owner do nothing to put their prized possession back on leash or hold them by the collar to restrain them.

Then, you have these “dog-herder” who must either be kennel owners or are making a living dog-sitting in their neighborhood. These people generally have a tough time controlling their “herd” and encountering these mixed groups made of one human ans six dogs is always a challenge.

Now let me get you to the worst-case, but quite frequent situation, encountered by lone bike riders like us: Mountain bikers who let their own dog(s) roam free alongside them without any means of control except for voice commands. I find this behavior both reckless and dangerous.

We're dealing for the most part with single track trails which leave little space for evasive action and if a dogs gets in the way of a bike someone will get hurt and in most cast the cyclist will end up bearing the brunt of the encounter.

This happened twice to us yesterday and I think that kind of reckless behavior should be punished with memorable fines so there's always a choice between the bike OR the dog, not BOTH!