astphard

Well, I'm looking to get into bike riding and have been reading the archived posts on various bikes that I'm interested in buying. My old bike drowned in Katrina, but it hadn't been ridden for awile. I'm planning on biking through the historic neighborhoods, up by the lake and in the parks, and perhaps on some of the trails in the state parks.

I'm also testing myself out to see how interested I become in bike-riding because it may effect what type of dog I get this summer. If I love biking then I may go for a big dog who can get worn out by running beside me (I can tell you already I'll be more of a cruiser than a racer). Anyway, looking forward to reading all of your helpful comments!

East Hill

Hello astphard, we always enjoy seeing a new member who knows how to use that search function . Don't hesitate to ask questions if you can't find it with a search though!

I've never heard of anyone using Bike Forums as a dog research venue though--that's a very interesting angle!

Welcome to BF!

East Hill

astphard

Thanks, East Hill. Making me feel welcome already!

East Hill

Any time! I like to say hi to people, and the more people we can get to post, the stronger the cycling community becomes, you know?

Now, back to this dog research. What kind of dogs are you currently looking at? We get a lot of questions about "What kind of bike...", but not "What kind of dog...".

I can tell you that you probably not want anything like a Malamute, Samoyed, Siberian Huskie. Those dogs are bred to keep running...

Kids? Fenced yard? Apartment dweller?

East Hill

astphard

Well, I'm looking at several options (I'll post more when I have more time). I definitely am NOT looking into any of the hound breeds since if they catch sight or smell of something they find interesting, they will take off in a flash. If they're actually tied to a leash to my bike, down I go, and if not, I have to chase them through hill and vale not to lose sight of them! The herding dogs seem a bit more likely as they tend to stay close to their owner without running off.

Depending on how much I bike, though, and the frequency is really going to determine what I do. If I don't do it daily then but still bike often, I'll probably get a small dog that can fit in a basket on the front of my bike and go with me (a medium dog probably can't run along the bike very well, though at the moment I'm remarkably slow so maybe that wouldn't be a problem...) If I'm riding daily, however, I'd like a larger dog. I've heard of some people going biking with their dogs and having it go really well, while others think it's a horrible idea. Any thoughts? Anyway, I'll post more later.

And to answer your questions, I have a small fenced yard, live in something similar to a townhouse (it's a double for anyone who knows New Orleans), and have no kids.

East Hill

Actually, you might want to look into a greyhound. Seriously. I think you may want to ask opinions of the folks down in Foo, but greyhounds are pretty cool dogs, and there are a lot of them that can be adopted. Check with the folks in Foo.

Just sayin'.

East Hill

AndrewP

I have seen a device that attaches the dog to the rear rack of the bike, so the steering isnt affected if the dog pulls to the side. When I was a child, our black lab went everywhere with us (no leash) when we were out on our bikes.