{"id":2069489,"date":"2026-07-30T16:34:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T13:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2069489"},"modified":"2026-07-30T16:34:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T13:34:00","slug":"opinion-i-like-dogs-but-i-dont-want-to-bike-with-your-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2069489","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: I like dogs, but I don\u2019t want to bike with your dog"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\"A<\/a>
Photo: Singletracks reader PAriderUSAshreder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Any opinions expressed in this article belong to the author alone and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Singletracks.com.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an uncomfortable situation I\u2019ve been in more than once: I get invited on a group ride. Other than one or two friends, the rest of the group are acquaintances at best. I get to the trailhead, start getting ready, get introduced to those I don\u2019t know, and then that one guy pulls up.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, I hope you guys don\u2019t mind, but I brought my dog,\u201d Sam or Dylan or whatever his name was says. Not really an ask, but more of an acknowledgment that the dog is coming, hopefully nobody minds.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Well, sir, actually, I do mind. Simply put, I don\u2019t want to ride with your dog.<\/p>\n

Dogs are everywhere here\u2026<\/h2>\n

While this may not be directly related to mountain biking, I feel it\u2019s important groundwork for my argument, so please bear with me.<\/p>\n

I live in Bend, Oregon, and dogs are everywhere here. Now, before you tell me to live somewhere else, please understand that I don\u2019t hate dogs. I like dogs. In fact, I used to have a dog.<\/p>\n

Lenny was my guy. He is a Foxhound who now lives a very happy life in Boise, Idaho. Lenny came to live with us after wandering the open fields of eastern Oregon in 2016. My son was born a year later, and the two became fast friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>
Lenny was a good friend, especially when my son was sick, Lenny wouldn\u2019t leave his side.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And then my daughter came along. We don\u2019t know why, but she was terrified of all animals, especially \u201cmove-y\u201d dogs. Since it was disheartening to watch a toddler have legitimate anxiety, we were able to re-home Lenny with some friends.<\/p>\n

Rough estimates say that up to 60% of households in Bend own a dog. What that means is that I live in a place where dogs are often in my business. And that\u2019s okay, again, I don\u2019t hate dogs. But it also means they are up in my (now-age-six) daughter\u2019s business.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

A few weeks ago, we went to one of the popular local trailheads. My daughter has taken an interest in \u201cdirt trail riding,\u201d which I absolutely want to encourage. I got out, opened her door so she could climb out, and got to work getting the bikes and gear ready. Suddenly, she let out a blood-curdling scream and burst into tears. Someone\u2019s off-leash dog came to greet my daughter, trapping her between the car and the bike rack.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a>
Welcomed trail friends for a day. Photo: Singletracks reader mongwolf.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry, he\u2019s friendly!\u201d<\/h2>\n

There are two responses we commonly get when someone\u2019s off-leash dog runs up to my daughter, like what happened at the trailhead. The first, and correct response, is that the person recognizes the terror in my daughter\u2019s voice and apologetically runs up to get their dog.<\/p>\n

The other response, which we surprisingly get more often than you\u2019d think, is for the person to remain where they are, making no attempt to get their dog. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, he\u2019s a friendly dog!\u201d is typically what they shout.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And, frankly, my daughter doesn\u2019t care. She\u2019s getting better and even petted her first dog two years ago. But having a dog, friendly or not, run up on her unexpectedly is a major setback.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After this incident at the trailhead, our day was over. My daughter, suddenly realizing there were multiple dogs at the trailhead, was worried that another would \u201cget her\u201d on her bike.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I mean, all dogs are friendly, right? At least, everyone thinks their dog is friendly. Let\u2019s be honest, we\u2019re very partial to our dogs. Lenny was absolutely the best dog and could do no wrong. In fact, you probably think your dog is the same; the \u201cgoodest boy,\u201d as it were. And, surely, the \u201cgoodest boy\u201d is going to listen to your every word and command, right?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wrong! I\u2019ve been in enough situations, both on and off the bike, where someone\u2019s dog does something unexpected. The person is, of course, absolutely puzzled, responding to their dog\u2019s behavior, saying, \u201cI swear they\u2019ve never done that before.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Or that they are usually really well behaved. Or that they usually always stay behind them. Or that they usually always listen to their commands.<\/p>\n

Usually. \u201cUsually\u201d is a word I hear thrown around a lot when it comes to their dog\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Photo: Travis Reill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Riding with your dog<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m already anticipating the comments. \u201cWell, my dog actually<\/em> responds to voice recall.\u201d I get it, you have a great dog. I\u2019ll pet your dog at the trailhead post-ride while we chat and have a beer. You\u2019ll leave thinking, \u201cWow, that guy really likes dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless, I still don\u2019t want to ride with your dog.<\/p>\n

Simply put, I\u2019ve been in too many of those \u201cusually\u201d experiences. I\u2019ve been on a group ride with a dog that got into a fight with another dog. I\u2019ve been on a group ride with a dog that ran off, and we spent 45 minutes calling for it. I\u2019ve been on a group ride with a dog and had that dog cut directly in front of me on fast sections of trail. Fortunately, I didn\u2019t crash.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At least, not that time.<\/p>\n

A couple of years ago, I was invited on a ride with a few of my buddies. When they picked me up from my house (nice friends, I know), one of them told me they had also invited their neighbor.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The neighbor, with dog in tow, met us at the trailhead. About a mile into the ride, the neighbor\u2019s free-range dog ran up beside me, causing me to swerve and have a fairly significant pedal strike. The pedal strike lobbed me forward over the bars, with dirt, rocks, and sagebrush to break my fall.<\/p>\n

Strangely enough, that particular dog usually<\/em> didn\u2019t run up alongside people like that\u2026<\/p>\n

Listen, I\u2019m not advocating for keeping your dog chained up at home. I\u2019m not even saying that they should be on a leash, despite the high probability of leash laws in the area you\u2019re riding. I do know that there are well-trained dogs that do well on rides, and I\u2019ve even ridden with one.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But that is sort of the point, isn\u2019t it? One of them<\/em>. It seems that most other dogs fall into the \u201cusually\u201d category. Do you want to bring your dog with you on your ride? Great; do so solo. A dog at home is much different than a dog in the woods. Freedom to run and explore. Squirrels and deer. I mean, how do you expect them to respond to your commands?<\/p>\n

Then add in five or six extra people, and it is a recipe for disaster. Plus, it isn\u2019t only the riders who could potentially be hurt, but your dog as well. In my situation, where a dog caused me to crash, I fortunately didn\u2019t land on the dog. It wouldn\u2019t have gone so well for the dog if I had.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

So, for group rides, let\u2019s keep it humans and bikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!–<\/p>\n

\n

Related articles<\/h4>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/div>\n

\t\t\t\tjQuery(function() {
\n\t\t\t\t\tpostpayloads._50cb7ebecb1e302da383b4a1a10236fb = {“ids”:”701492,616060,585942,616427″,”posts_per_page”:null,”offset”:0,”style”:”4up”};
\n\t\t\t\t\tpostcounter._50cb7ebecb1e302da383b4a1a10236fb = {start: 0, step: 0, end: 0};
\n\t\t\t\t});<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Two<\/a><\/p>\n
Community<\/a><\/div>\n
Bikejor is a race that pairs dogs with riders on MTBs<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/a><\/p>\n
Community<\/a><\/div>\n
Do You Ever Take Your Dog Mountain Biking?<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/a><\/p>\n
Community<\/a><\/div>\n
From Pup to Trail Dog: How we Prepared our Singletrack Sender<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/a><\/p>\n
Community<\/a><\/div>\n
Don’t Worry, He’s Friendly<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo: Singletracks reader PAriderUSAshreder Any opinions expressed in this article belong to the author alone and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Singletracks.com. Here\u2019s an uncomfortable situation I\u2019ve been in more than once: I get invited on a group ride. Other than one or two friends, the rest of the group are acquaintances at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,274],"class_list":["post-2069489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-singletracks-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2069489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2069489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2069489\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2069489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2069489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2069489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}