i was walking my two dogs Sunday before last and was jumped by pitbulls roaming the neighborhood. A passing Dominos delivery driver pretty much saved the lives of both my dogs. I got him to role down his window and literally threw one of my dogs through it, then when the other one got separated for a min she literally jumped through the open window too. I jumped in and paid the driver $20 to take me home, the pits chased the car for maybe a block.
I have a pistol and was thinking about carrying it but that means every time i take my dogs for a walk i have to get it out of the safe and put it back in the safe. I have kids so can't just hang a holster with the leashes. Too much hassle and I know i'll eventually stop taking it with me. What i ended up doing was getting bear spray that can attach to the leashes. Now I can't forget to take protection with me when taking the dogs out because it's physically attached to the leash.
Open carry is legal in both states. But I want nothing to do with owning/carrying guns. And haven't ever felt the need - most dogs give up chase once you pass their property. And I've only had a dog get my back tire once, and never flesh (though it does happen).
> But I want nothing to do with owning/carrying guns.
I said "when in Rome" to signal distaste at the idea, for whatever that's worth. On the other hand, if bicycling leftists armed themselves and started blasting away every car and dog that made them feel threatened, it might move the needle on gun rights in a way that right-wing shooters fail to.
And, I've had several dogs escape their fences. They aren't just noisy.
I can't say cyclists are my best friends either. Just had two buzz me with with few mm to spare while walking to work. Yes, I was on the footpath, cyclists are not allowed to ride on footpaths here, there was a bicycle path right next to the footpath.
If I was a dog that would be even more disturbing - a huge fast monkey trying to kill you (and your owner) while you peacefully walk.
Pepper spray, knife etc are illegal here. I carry air horn for quick deployment, and petards (very small explosives). Saved my ass twice! Once I was surrounded by pack of four large dogs!
It is mostly South Europe, not wilderness but more like 10 km from nearest village of 2000 people. Injuring dog is a serious offense here ($20k fine, perhaps jail). I am also foreigner, not local citizen...
Lots of stray dogs around here in south of Spain. Also when I used to be a 12y old cycling in rural france that was pretty much the same, I was always prepared for a sprint whenever I would reach a farm.
In a sense it probably made me stronger but I can't say I build a friendship and a mutual sense of confidence with dogs.
But many bad behaviours are pretty easy to train out of most dogs (eg barking at passer-bys). Dogs are easy to train. Too many lazy owners blame their "nature" or "that's just how they are" as if they can't do anything.
My dogs bark at people on bike/motorcycles/scooters. I think they code as a big animal to them. Once we get up close and it's clear that it's a person on a machine they stop barking.
As a counter point to hunting, my dog seems to be afraid of almost anything on wheels. Even a skateboard without rider is a hard nope, and will send her tail tucked behind me.
She's a 90 lbs Mastiff/St Bernard/Lab cross. It's not like she's worried about being crushed or eaten. She could probably eat me.
Or maybe she doesn't realize she's big. I don't know.
Instincts? Wolves hunt animals much larger than themselves for a living, they run after, nibble their ankles and wait for them to make a mistake and then they go in.
The cyclist hate is really demoralizing sometimes. Like, I'm out here trying to enjoy life and be healthy and people think it's funny to joke about murdering me.
I have no hate towards them, what I said what tongue in cheeck. After relying on two wheels (motorbike mainly) for about 10 years, I get the cyclists viewpoint. It's certainly not cool to joke about murdering anyone, cyclist or not.
It's just that ... they do tend to flaunt the rules here in Brussels. It's partly clear why (losing momentum on a bicycle sucks) but also extremely stupid to throw yourself (and your two kids on the back) in front of 2000KG of metal moving at speed, expect that metal so accommodate you (something no sane motorbiker will do) and if not start screaming and punching the metal.
I get annoyed at cyclists who ride irresponsibly too - I also live in a place where people HATE cyclists beyond any and all reason, and in general I think we're all being failed by our infrastructure first and foremost.
You didn't joke about killing cyclists, but that's where the culture is where I'm from, so I'm touchy about it.
I've long believed that riding a bike should require a license and that cycling laws need to be part of getting licenses for both the cyclist and drivers. Part of the problem is, most people don't actually know the laws for operating a bicycle, including most cyclists. I know this is an unpopular opinion.
It's exactly that. The problems that exist with cyclists and people riding steps does not exist with people riding motorbikes for which you need a license.
I love that attitude - we have a safety issue, so let's victim blame and ignore the infrastructure issues, poorly trained HEAVY MACHINERY OPERATORS, safety-hostile vehicle design, and generally enormous subsidies for using cars everywhere.
It also leads to restrictions on walking "for safety". For instance, note attempts in Ireland to make it illegal to walk at night without high visibility gear.
Cars ruined cycling. The only way to avoid cars is to use a car yourself. The problem is then you need to do pointless supplementary exercise lest you become an incapable blob like they are. Driving to the gym it is then.
Maybe this is just me, but combining exercise with commute has never been practical for me. I still cycle to work, but I don't do it for exercise, only because it happens to be the fastest method in my present circumstances.
But still using it as an example, on my way to work I take the easiest, least hilly route to avoid any sweating as possible. On the way back, I take the most downhill route possible because I still want to wear the same pieces of clothing (say, a jacket) without having to wash it daily. In short, I don't go all out. Result - I don't lose weight at all nor has my physical fitness improved much.
Versus if I engaged in "pointless supplementary exercise", I do go all out, and after 30 minutes I'm all drenched in sweat.
My present circumstances don't allow it, but I imagine if I could drive the same distance to work, I would save about 30-60 minutes which I could in theory use to engage in an all-out workout.
