Back on the Road

Hit the road yesterday for a three hour ride with Bob Wooding of MVC and he thankfully took it easy on me. We rode over to his backyard on a few roads that I usually do not make it out to. The weather turned nice as the sun came out and temps hit the low 40's. I have neglected my road bike since fall so it was nice to get out on it and know what three hours felt like on the road again.

I did have a dog run out from a house to the road to say hello to me and Bob during the ride. At first he seemed to be friendly and ran up beside me in a way that looked liked he was just interested in us and wanted to say hello. He did not bark or seem aggressive, but then he ran up beside me and bit me. Usually aggressive dogs go for you ankles on the bike and you can just kick them away and you pedal by. This dog though was a great dane and bit me up on my hip. As I realized he had hold of my tights I realized a kick wasn't going to help, so I sped up the pace a little and rode away from him. I was more shocked that he bit me because I thought he looked friendly than the fact that I had been bitten by an unknown dog. I love dogs and usually can tell when they just want to say hello and be friendly vs. aggressive behavior that indicates they want to do you harm, but I may need to rethink my feelings on the subject as I thought he was going to be friendly.

If I ever have dogs be aggressive with me I feel no sympathy for the dog or owner and call animal control. Especially after I got back to Staunton and found out that he slightly broke skin on my leg though three layers of fabric. And DAMN! I have a hole in a pair of shorts, insulated tights, and a pair of thin tights that was not there before. I called and had animal control head out to where the incident was and to talk to the owner of the dog. i would expect the same if my dogs ever got agressive with someone, but they are sweet lovable creatures.

I also learned from the county animal control that here in Augusta County any citizen can go to the animal control office and report animals that are loose if you have the exact address and location and they will be ticketed based on your complaint. An animal control officer does not have to see the animal loose or aggressive. They only need your complaint to write a ticket. Good info for future animal harassment while out on the road.