Rootgo

First... I'll admit I do not like dogs. Got attacked as a kid and just never got over it.

I'm starting to get into bike riding. Just for the fun of getting out and about.

I'm not brave enough to bike on the street. I'm an old guy and I want to get even older.

I like the bike path in the Sepulveda Dam area. I live close by and being retired I go during the week when there is little usadge. So I can I joy the area and not singularly focused on looking out for faster Riders, skateboarders, slow-moving moms with strollers and so on.

Well last week I heard that the city was putting a bike path in right next to the dog park? Like I said... Not a dog person... So obviously I think it is not a great idea.

On looking on the internet to see if bike paths and dogs are OK.... I found nothing other then attacks by unleashed loose dogs. But I did find this group!

Anyway... Im sure you all have been riding longer then me.

So what do you all think? Is riding your bike along the side of a fog park no big thing?

Am I growling and howling over nothing?
A way thank you all. I'm now going to look over the site some more.

Steve B.

Most dog parks around these parts are fenced in so the dogs cannot escape. The owners typically keep the dogs in control and are observant and attentive of their dogs behavior. I think you have nothing to worry about.

calamarichris

I wouldn't worry about it. I've ridden many thousands of miles over the decades (maybe even a hundred thousand?) and encountered many hundreds of dogs. Even the aggressive ones never get directly in your path, but they tend to approach from the side and pursue, so keep moving. Every domesticated dog understands a firm, confident "NO!"
I've seen a thread or two in here where idiots insist it's okay to carry handguns to "defend themselves" against dogs, but that's imbecilic and I suspect they're just looking for a sick excuse to shoot something.
If they scare you, I recommend visiting a dog park someday with a $5 bag of dog treats. They'll love you, and you'll lose your fear of dogs. A lot cheaper than a firearm.

And for a humorous finale . (Don't let it scare you. It's hugely staged and I've never seen a dog do that.)

skidder

If you're riding around the Sepulveda Dam/Balboa Park area you should be OK. You might encounter dog owners with unleashed dogs in the park, pretty typical. Some of those dogs will come at you, you'd have to decide what to do at that time. I ride regularly on a loca bike path along a river and the dogs there are (mostly) leashed; those 20 ft extension leashes can create issues so watch for them.

One thing I've noticed over the past decades is dog owners have become more defiant over having to keep their dog(s) on a leash. Some see it as some kind of 'right' to allow their dog to run around off leash even if the dog is bothering others and its posted as being prohibited (amazingly a lot of owners who keep their dogs on leash in posted 'leash required' areas also object to off-leash behavior). You've got to watch out for these folks and their dog(s).

john m flores 

In my experience, dogs are protective of their territory and may go after cyclists passing near their territory. But they are much less territorial when away from their home territory and less inclined to view a passing cyclist as a threat to their home. I think you'll be fine cycling by a dog park because the dogs are not on their home turf. Best of luck.

CAT7RDR

I have only once had to dismount and square off with an aggressive Rottweiler using my bike as a barrier. He charged me from his home and would not relent even though I walked backwards an 1/8 mile up the road. He repeatedly charged me and I kept him at bay by thrusting my bike at him. I have no doubt this would have ended badly for the dog as I am not going to be a chew toy. Finally, a motorist in a Prius saw what was happening and pulled up between the dog and myself. She honked her horn until I was able to ride away as the dog appeared puzzled and did not attempt to go around the Prius.

Moral of the story, I started carrying pepper gel in the odd chance I encounter another aggressive canine.

I ride by a fenced dog park on occasion along the SGRT but the dogs pay no mind to cyclists as they are engaged in play.

calamarichris

Ugh. I"m not saying all Rottweiler and Pitbull owners are idiots, but why are all idiots irresistibly drawn to owning such dogs? I've had experiences with that breed and that temperament, but have never had to dismount. I'm glad the Prius owner helped you escape. Ever been inside a dog shelter?--80% pitts and rotts. It's disgusting.
I respect Scotland for recently banning such breeds. Some people are intelligent and responsible enough to manage a dog like that, but many are not.

KJ43

I'm a Rottweiler and Pitbull owner and it sounds like you don't have a clue about what you are talking about.

calamarichris

I'm very sorry if I hurt your feelings. But do you have many tattoos by any chance? Any ...neck tattoos?
I lived with a pitbull enthusiast for 6 years, and back when she had a pitbull, she walked around with a bayonet in her Doc Martens. She wasn't the sharpest needle in the sewing drawer and I've met many, many pitbull owners like her since.
I've also met a few responsible pit and pit-mix owners who were responsible and intelligent (and with well-adjusted, serene pitbulls), but they were less butt-hurt about it and even laughed at the stereotype created by the majority of pitbull owners.

Could you please give me an explanation as to why pitbulls make up the vast majority of abandoned dogs in animal shelters?
I've found and re-homed (and happily restored to their original homes) nearly a dozen lost dogs over the years and while checking at the three shelters in my area, and the vast majority of abandoned dogs I saw in those shelters were pits. Why do you suppose that is?

KJ43

No neck tattoos but plenty on my arms. Glad I could fit neatly in the stereotypes you have built up.

I spent years volunteering at shelters and with Pitbull rescue and education groups. Had plenty of fosters come through our house and worked with plenty of dog and breed experts. You can do your own research on backyard breeding and how it results in dogs ending up in the shelters.

Like I figured, you don't actually have a clue what you are talking about. Not my job to educate idiots so feel free to keep exposing your ignorance to all. Carry on.

calamarichris

Except I knew that you had tattoos. Odd...?
Thank you for being a responsible pitbull enthusiast. I have bad news for you: the pit owners down here who volunteer at education groups. fosters, and rescues in SoCal are in the vast minority. I've done the research about backyard breeding. It makes me sick, but I don't see a solution. I am not your enemy; the people I've described, who buy them for the wrong reasons and who fill up the shelters with unwanted pits are.
I adopted my dog from a rescue, if that buys me any remorse points.
Sorry again if I hurt your feelings, especially because you appear to be in the minority. And thanks for the kind compliments, expressed with such certainty.

Edit: I can't take credit for "building the stereotype". Such people are ubiquitous.

Eric F 

It used to be that if you met a guy with a neck tattoo, you were probably about to be murdered. Now, if you meet a guy with a neck tattoo, he will probably want to read you the poem he wrote about his vegan bicycle.

calamarichris

Also tell you in tedious detail that all pitbulls are sweet dogs, just misunderstood; that Petey from The Little Rascals was a pitbull (he was); and that anyone who categorizes pitbull owners is an "ignorant" "idiot".

[EDIT: Notice KJ43 never refutes nor offers any counterpoints to my arguments, just keeps repeating I don't know what I'm talking about, or refers to me with a childish epithet.]


I've seen too many heavily tattooed wannabe bad$$es strutting around heavily populated areas, yanking on their dog's leash, (status symbols who've clearly been neglected and not been socialized). Their dog is not a loving companion (which is what dogs are for), but a status symbol, like a Harley or the latest TRD-tank. Basically a prosthetic for their owner's flagging masculinity.
And since so little care has been given to them, you can tell they're anxious, and sometimes a little pissed off about their treatment. I don't blame the dog (I feel terrible for them); I blame the walking adam's-apples strutting around with them.

I supposed tattoos serve the same purpose: people too chicken to go out and earn actual scars, but still want to look bad@$$.

CAT7RDR

I have had a Glen of Imaal Terrier for the past 5 years.
He has bitten me 7 times and the last time, two years ago, included an urgent care visit for me.
He was a shelter rescue from the High Desert.

He was semi-feral when I received him and never socialized but highly intelligent and very much a teenager.
He also had a bad limp and I later found out he was likely hit by a vehicle and the bone had healed so it could not be reset.
My boy is about 45 lbs and has the bite force of a German Shepherd. The breed originated in Ireland and developed to hunt and dispatch badgers.
He is a very rugged dog with a 22 inch neck, broad shoulders and short splayed paws.
On walks he wants to chase street sweepers, UPS vans, scooters and of course cyclists. He really wants e-bikers.

He is not trainable to stop chasing because this is who he is as a hunter of vermin.
Thus, I have to have him restrained at all times on a short leash when out of the yard.

With all that said, some dogs require tremendous understanding and patience.
I was being pushed and prodded to put Buddy down before allowing him to mature.
Now, he is a great companion and guard dog.
I will never trust him around around other animals or people on moving objects.

Eric F 

My tattoos represent/celebrate my family - living and passed. It has nothing to do with looking "badass". They are also in places where they aren't seen very often. I also have scars.

I tend to agree about the frequency of crappy owners getting pitbulls (and similar) as an accessory, and the dogs ending up with a bad attitude. However, I know - and have known - many wonderful, loving, and gentle pitbulls, and recognize that problems are owner-related, not breed related. Chihuahuas, however....

EDT: In related news...

calamarichris

He's a handsome d@mn3d fellow. You're one of the good ones.

My boy Fidel (his crew call him Fiddy, but the ladies call him "Fideicious") is about half his size, but he was homeless by the traintracks up in LA for nearly a month. He didn't trust humans at all, and it took them 3 days to trap him. It took nearly a year, but he figured it out pretty quickly. Shadows me around everywhere sans leash, and he just watches bikes (and even kids on skateboards) roll past. I guess after growing up right next to the trains, that tish don't phase him too much.

CAT7RDR

^^^^^^ Perfect basket size for a cruise too!

calamarichris

A man without scars is a sad, sorry animal.

I've met some women who saw their scars as imperfections somehow. Aside from the ordinary C-section or appendectomy mundanities, the ones actually earned in battle or misfortune, to me there is nothing sexier on a woman. Tattoos? Meh, anyone with a couple hundred dollars and poor judgment can get one of those.

calamarichris

Used to do full-on 60-mile rides with my previous dog Nena with the carbon fiber kids drafting me much of the time. A couple times at stoplights, one would pull up and ask me, "That's a nice power-assist bike. Where's the battery?"
"No battery, but thank you."

Sweetest compliment a cyclist and his dog can receive.

Eric F 

No one is telling you to get a tattoo. If you don't like them, don't get one. Your judgmental nonsense about what other folks decide to do with something that doesn't affect you at all is unnecessary.

calamarichris

PMed you an apology and I apologize now. Didn't say I don't like them and didn't judge anyone with a tattoo. Just stating I consider scars better stories written on the body than intentional tattoos that were paid for. I apologize and I hope we're cool.

Homebrew01

Ok Folks. Enough of the "personal/political/ sociological" diversions.

staehpj1

On the original question. I ride past a dog park on a MUP that I use as a connecting path to get from one trail system to another. I have ridden past there scores or morelikely hundreds of times. It seems you are less likely to be chased by or even see an unleashed do there than in other parks because the people using the dog park are going there to use the fenced dog park. Local experience suggests that you are less likely to have a negative encounter there than in other nearby parks that do not have a dog park.

2seven0

"I also have scars."

Chicks dig scars.

urbanknight

There already is a bike path going right by the dog park at White Oak and Victory. Not a problem. The fence is like 6' high and all the dogs stay inside. It's unlikely to encounter a dog on the path there because the people who take their dogs to a dog park are the type who follow the laws and don't unleash their dogs in public.

That path around the basin, however, is a whole other gauntlet. One of the biggest problems I encounter are the people waling their dogs on the path with those 20' retractable leashes. That and other path users with earphones and no sense to look before changing direction. You're smart to go during the less popular hours.