Did I Pass?

I rode with B, one of my two partners for the adventure race, for the first time yesterday. I was really nervous to the point of nausea, but I swallowed hard, held my chin up, and headed over to his house. We then went to a nearby park where he rides most of the time. I've never ridden there myself, so not only was this scary because I was riding with him but because I didn't know the trails at all.

The trail seemed a lot easier than I'm used to riding at first. It was wide and had few hills or curves. Then we got to the part with all the rocks and a small tree lying across the path. B gave me some pointers on getting over trees, but we both walked our bikes over this one since we were at a stop already. He recommended we also walk down the slope covered in loose rock as well. From there, we went up and down, over rocks, and around trees. I managed to make most of the loop without dragging him down too terribly. He had to wait for me some, but that's to be expected.

I learned I'm not accelerating enough before hills, and that I shouldn't worry about shifting so much. I know a better posture for getting up the hills and not to stand until the absolute last minute. Once you stand, there's no going back; you either fall over or stop. Sitting back in the seat will cause that stop. Standing is a sign of tired legs. No wonder I've been doing it so much.

After riding that trail, we drove over to another one where we saw a dog on the hillside. The dog came running down to me, hooched the back of my leg with it's muddy muzzle, and then ran to the other side of the gravel lot. It looked lost. After at least fifteen minutes of trying to coax the dog close enough to look at its tags (we even offered her a Powerbar), B finally got close enough to pet her and look at her collar. We called the home number and got an answering machine. B said he'd take the dog home with him, since he lived closer, so we left his number and proceeded to call the Humane Society. She had an HS tag on too, so we thought maybe they would have a work number where the owner could be reached. After giving all the information for the lost dog report, the owner pulled up.

I can understand dogs getting away. It happens. Kaya's bolted out the front door through a forest of legs on a few occasions. Most dogs get away once in a while. It's hard to know when the latch on the leash is going to break, or the dog is going to make a run for that pigeon when you're least expecting it. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those cases.

This was a case of yet another person purposely allowing her dog to roam off-leash. She told us how the dog was "acting funny" lately and not listening. She explained how she told the dog that they were going to be out an hour and that was all, but she guessed that just wasn't enough for the dog. She said she was going to get the neighbor's dog, because her dog always comes back to play with the neighbor's dog. I wonder if she lets that dog off-leash too. She thanked us countless times, and we both kept silent as she explained and re-explained the situation. We didn't tell her it was ok, but we didn't tell her it wasn't either. I doubt it would have mattered. Maybe it's best we let our silence speak what we couldn't. Maybe that will bring guilt rather than defensiveness that our words surely would have brought.

And now for a word from a doggie in the know�

I like running around off leash as much as the next dog. Heck, I like it more than any dog if you ask me, but what do I know? I'm a dog. What I do know is as much as we dogs like running off leash, we have to do it in a safe area. That doesn't mean the big park full of woods and cyclists and skaters and ticks and fleas (I feel itchy all of a sudden) and lots of good, good smells and deer (oh yes! deer!) and other dogs who might not be so friendly. Dog parks are nice for running free (if the rules allow). Fenced in yards are nice for running free. Big open parks with miles and miles of wooded area and roads are not nice for running free. I should know. I was a stray.

I hate to say it, but sometimes we dogs don't always know what's best. When we want something, we just want it, and that's all there is to it. We don't think consequences. We're dogs. We don't need to be bothered with silly consequences. That's why we get people. People get to worry about those things, so we can lead our dogs' lives--lick ourselves, eat regularly, chew things, sleep all day. We didn't decide to become domestic for nothing. It's not a whole lot of fun to hunt for your food, fight off attackers and watch for cars. We get you to do those things for us, and once we get you, we depend on you. That means you look for the cars, you fight off our attackers, and you provide the food. Leave us to our own devices, and we're going to act like the spoiled, irresponsible beasts we are. So help us out, and use a leash. We really hate to get lost, and we're not all Incredible Journey material either. Get the idea? Leash, good.

I need a nap now. That ranting wears me out!