I hate

Also a bit skint and bitter. They'll never be as bad as all the fking Chelsea tractors driving Poppy to private school.

Oh yes. Took me about three years to complete it, only to find that the rearsets are waaaay too short and high, the seat is too thin and low and it’s ridiculously uncomfortable to ride. It sounds glorious though, and rides like it’s on rails.

Harleys tho, Jesus. I rode a custom one some years ago and I was like riding an industrial dildo. Don’t get them at all.

Mark Cavendish. That 'scouse' accent and the hugging everyone after he wins as if his life depends on it.

Another big dog off lead snarling and snapping.at me through a gate I needed to pass through whilst owner says it's OK he's fine. No it is not fine as your dog is not under control, he was told.

All dog owners to be stapled to their hounds is in the manifesto now too.

Wonder what it is that causes dogs to react you like this? I mean, is it just bad luck that it keeps happening to you?

He's pretty tall, and smells of bacon.

My kind of man

My daily wash:

(not really)

Apparently dogs react to caps being worn? I wear a cap. They smell fear (or bacon wash) too maybe? When I'm with dogs I know I can feel anxious around them and I guess they sense this so strange dogs do too?

I'm often running when it happens, so can startle them maybe - although I do stop & walk if 1) I see dog off lead, 2) see dog owners with dogless lead.

3 of the last 4 problem occasions I've been stopped/walking before the dog has noticed me... 2 got angry, one got over friendly, - none were pleasant experiences.

It's also worth noting it is a low % of the dogs I encounter that are problematic as there're so many I pass on my travels around here & most are on leads, have good recall, or are focused on something else when we pass by.

Know you’re not “victim blaming” here, but it’s not bad luck @rhb has these encounters with these dogs, owners not controlling their dogs, apologising after the fact are the ones who are the cause of this.
I don’t like dogs (had a bad experience as a child) but I’ve come to terms with it and I don’t actively dislike them, but now I’ve got a small child being out in parks is my weekends, and seeing owners apologising after their dog has come charging up to my son and me, or has started barking whilst on the lead, and then been told that it’s a lovely dog, won’t do anything, its just excited, infuriates me.
I was also extra cautious when running across open land out west, which was used as prime dog walking site, because you’d have dogs off leads getting spooked by me running, which led to me slowing and walking past them so as not to excite them..

user 131005 posting “still available? “ on every bike posted in classifieds in the last year.

Frame sizes from 54 to 61cm

when I first read this it was just the first question, I totally assumed you were joking...

No, it's a genuine question but I realise it might come across that I'm victim blaming which certainly isn't my intention.

I'm somebody who spends hours a day outside in London parks and who socialises with countless runners and triathletes who rarely have bad experiences with dogs. I was just curious to know if @rhb had a theory on why he seems to get the brunt of these irresponsible dog owners.

Our dog, Otto, has chased joggers on a couple of occasions but 99.9999% of the time doesn't even notice them. We have a theory why Otto reacted to just those two joggers..
.just wondered if @rhb had a similar theory.

For Otto, he seems to interpret very capable and fast runners with high knees as inviting him to play with them. He never notices plodders and joggers....only competent club runners and only in some circumstances.

Otto seems also to have a fear reaction to people wearing hoods at night for example. As a dog owner I have to take responsibility and compensate for this.

At no point did I intend to imply that rhb brings this on himself. Anybody should be able to go for a run without being approached or attacked by a dog. A dog owner should not allow it to happen. End of story.

For what it's worth I don't even let Otto approach children who are family members let alone random kids in the park. What you describe is the height of irresponsible dog ownership and it should boil any parent's piss. A dog is a dog. You can't say for a certain that a dog is "fine".

Also, I might be misreading how often this happens to @rhb. Just seem to remember from the running thread that this happens fairly often.

capable and fast .... competent club runners

You're mistaking me for someone else!

I notice dogs. I wear a cap. I smell. I imagine all 3 contribute.

Sorry mate, total fail on my part.

I really feel for people who get unwanted attention from dogs. Too many dog owners just assume that everybody is a dog lover and that their apex predator is in fact totally incapable of harm.

Sorry mate, total fail on my part.

Not at all, sounds like you manage your dog well. I wish I knew why they react to me, and wish I could enjoy being around them as I did when younger, so my daughter could see they're OK too.

Too many ropey experiences for that now though I think.

owners not controlling their dogs, apologising after the fact are the ones who are the cause of this

Yes, often this.

Perfect example of a dipshit dog owner this weekend. Their pup was on a training lead and really enjoying splashing around in the river while their owner, half distracted by light conversation stood on the shore. The dog saw new people close and ran out of the water to say hello - but not to the people to which the owner was chatting but some random strangers passing nearby, and in sight, had the owner been paying attention. The puppy is making a nuisance of itself around the feet of these people but the owner does nothing to reign-in the lead, no she’d rather give the odd weak command to the dog mixed in with the rest of her chit-chat, which, not surprisingly the dog ignored - or more likely, didn’t recognise. Not surprising either was the fur-shake-river-water-shower the strangers were next treated to.
How much of an selfish, inconsiderate airhead do you have to be to not realise that was totally predictable and bang out of order from start to finish?

The sweet chestnut trees in my garden are in full flower so it smells my under-bed sports sock of my early teens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4p0uw42cdo

Commercial radio. Specifically the request shows/hours. Either they are falsifying callers and just playing the same old shit that's on their rotation, or the callers are fuckwits who just want their name on the air or are too stupid to realise that if they just wait 5 seconds they'll probably hear the same song they've just requested, twice.

My idea of hell, just don't do it to yourself

"Turn it on and off again"

Either they are falsifying callers and just playing the same old shit that's on their rotation,

Playing rotation plus recording select callers who request what is next on the rotation. That is how it used to work back in my day.