There are some things people do to dogs that make me seethe. And whether they do these things through ignorance or simply to be malevolent, it matters not to me. It is simply wrong!
Now that summer is virtually here, we are likely to see more of one of my prime hates: seeing people exercise their dogs on leash whilst riding a bicycle. This is so wrong on a number of fronts, from blatant canine abuse to no common sense.
Let’s go back to basics and ask the question “why do people exercise dogs?”. Dogs need both physical as well as mental stimulation to help with their overall health. One of the best ways to stimulate your dog physically is to exercise it by taking it for a walk: a walk properly done is also a great way of stimulating your dog mentally if your dog is allowed to sniff around so he can reacquaint himself with what’s going on in the world through his main sense organ, the nose. The most important word in the last sentence is “walk”, not cycle or drag or restrict.
So why is cycling with a leashed dog so abhorrent?
- Dragging the dog: over the years I have seen a number of examples of dogs being literally dragged along, barely able to run fast enough to keep up, with no attention being paid by the owner as to how the dog is coping. This can be a danger to the dog by causing skeletal problems with its joints and paws (particularly on sidewalks and pavements), its breathing, its heart and through dehydration.
- The call of nature: so what happens if the dog needs to take a bathroom break? Isn’t this one of the reasons dogs need/ like to go outside? Have they not been trained to not go to the bathroom in your house? What is the dog supposed to do, refuse to run, with the danger of it being dragged along the ground, causing physical damage to itself?
- Control over the dog: dogs love to chase moving objects or other dogs. It is part of their prey drive and also a lot of fun for them. With smaller dogs, by having them on leash whilst cycling, you are denying them the opportunity to have fun and be stimulated as their strength is insufficient to affect the direction they are being forced to take. With larger or stronger breeds, if they are distracted by something, I question how much control you have as a cyclist to prevent an accident for yourself and your dog, and potentially for other people in the immediate vicinity.
- Stopping suddenly: if you have to stop suddenly for any reason, what is the likely outcome? Depending how fast you are cycling, your dog will, at best, get a nasty jolt to its neck and, at worst, could end up with either whiplash or a nasty scrap by colliding with your bicycle.
So, I humbly request, get off your bicycle, take your eyes off yourself and think of your dog’s health and well-being. WALK, don’t bike, with your dog.
