One of my birthday gifts this year was a dog bike leash. I LOVE it. What a great way to exercise Paris at a pace that will actually tire her out. For the most part she pulls me...and when I say me I mean me, my bike and the bike trailer with Lucienne and Audree in it. Sometimes I have to break going uphill. It's great!
However, she still loves a good squirrel chase. Dogs we can get by without too much hassle and cats, as long as they're not moving and a fair bit away are fine but oh, how she loves squirrels. And I'm pretty sure there are more squirrels that live here than people. I've found that as long as I see them first or about the same time as her I can get her attention and counter balance her pulling sideways on the bike.
The other day I was coming back from the girls school and a squirrel got too close. She gave a huge tug and snap went the bike leash. What I don't understand is that the attachment itself is a very sturdy, strong metal contraption and the leash is a thick rope. However, the pieces that attach the dog to the rope and the rope to the attachment are flimsy little plastic bits. As I was assembling it I thought how silly it seemed and wondered if it would really hold. Well, that day I got my answer. The flimsy piece of plastic didn't just break once that day, but twice. Almost like she realized that if she gave just the right tug she could be set free and get that squirrel.
The first time was luckily in a quiet neighbourhood after I had dropped the girls off at school. I had to get off my bike and football tackle her as she came running by. The second was at a busier intersection with nowhere really to leave the bike with the girls in the trailer (no sidewalks, we were riding on the road), plus the crazy-dog-running-into-the-road factor. A car saw Paris break free and graciously stopped and offered to stay with the girls while I chased my crazy dog. My only luck this time was that we were at the end of the 5 km bike ride and Paris was a little bit tired. I didn't have to chase far and I didn't have to tackle her.
Needless to say at home I fashioned a more sturdy attachment and it seems to be holding much better. And trust me, she's tried.
So tonight Mom and Erica were coming for a visit. I thought it would be smart to take the dog out for a quick ride to get some pent up energy out before Murphy and Georgia came for a visit. Rene discovered a lovely little trail not too far from the house that goes through some treed areas in behind some houses. It's a nice change from biking on the road and sidewalks all the time. And the bonus, I have never seen a squirrel back in there.
However, today we encountered a cat. It was hiding in the bushes and neither of us saw it until we rode right by it. I would have just continued riding but Paris had a different idea...she decided to jump on it. One of those living-in-the-moment decisions that dogs seem to live their lives by. However, being attached to a bike means that she took me and the bike with her. I have never heard such a drawn-out painful yelp/howl than this afternoon. We were a tangled mess of person, dog and bike (no cat, it ran). When I finally was able to get up from under the bike and unhook Paris from the bike I was scared to look at her. She slowly got up but hung one of her front paws in front of her at an angle that made it look like it was broken in two.
I've watched enough Dog Whispers to know that I shouldn't make a big deal out of it. I gave her a quick once over to make sure there wasn't any bleeding then walked away, silently panicking. Thoughts running in my head: how much is this vet bill going to cost? How am I going to get home? Stupid cat.
I walked a bit to see if anyone was in their yards that I could borrow a phone from then walked back to Paris to take a better assessment. The fact that she was still sitting in one spot with her paw lifted was not a good sign. I touched her paw to see if she would cringe and she didn't. As I walked away again, wondering if I could carry her back to the road, she slowly stood up and walked toward me keeping her hurt leg up. Rene's co-worker lives just at the entrance to the path so I thought if I could get her to walk there I could call Rene to come pick us up. As we walked she gingerly put her paw down and gradually put more weight on it as we went. By the time we got to a phone she limping. I knew it hurt though because a squirrel ran through the yard and she merely glimpsed at it.
Rene rescued us and thankfully she seemed fine as she bounded around the livingroom chasing Murphy and Georgia. I can see at least 4 bald spots on her leg from where it must have got caught in the chain and yanked the fur out.
The real test on how I handled the situation (from a dog's point of view) will be how she reacts to me attaching her to the bike again. And I'll probably be a bit nervous the first few bikes too. Even though I wasn't hurt I'd rather not be pulled off again.
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