Dollar - 1 Yap Yap Dog - 0

As a cyclist there exists an ad nausem list of concerns to undertake as your ride down the rode. You are on a 20 pound piece of aluminum with tires (or tyres for my British friends) that *may* measure 1.5 inches wide. One can deduce that the smallest thing, a rock for instance, can easily thwart your path of progression. Add into the mix the countless potholes, glass and debris that litter our streets and you can see that a cyclist must never let his or her mind wander.

One can control for most of those variables; however, the two that can't be controlled are vehicles and wild animals. Riding in traffic, especially in town, can be nerve racking. When the streets are busy, the cars are forced to come a bit closer than I would like. You never really get accustomed to a vehicle's side mirror coming within inches of your elbow at 45 mph.

The other is wild animals. Given the early morning departure, often in rural areas, it isn't uncommon to encounter a number of wild animals. I frequently see rabbits, deer, turtles (danger) and of course neurotic squirrels. I will never forget the gaggle of Canadian geese that stopped my progression (for minutes) as they honked all over the biking trail. They were content on not letting me pace.

But cyclists' true fear are dogs....both domestic and wild. When you hear that bark, you start mashing those pedals in an effort to speed away. In the rural areas, a dog will often jump off the porch and make a b-line on your projected path at nearly the same rate of speed. As a cyclist, you have two options. Try to speed up or equip yourself with some form of protection...a water bottle. I have hit a number of dogs before with the water bottle, giving me just enough time to get away safely.

Last night I had another run in with a dog. I was on a very light and casual ride through some of the neighborhoods close to where I live. A couple was walking their dog on the sidewalk when the dog decided he didn't like me approaching. At the last minute, the small dog lunged into the road after me. I feel the dog hit my right leg. I feel my rear wheel bounce over something (presumably the dogs paw). I hear the squeal of the animal. Fortunately, I quickly regained my steering and handling of the bike preventing another catastrophic wreck.

I look back at the dog only to hear the walkers yelling at me. I gladly slammed on my brakes and returned to the walkers to give them a piece of my mind. Nevermind that little Fluffy lunged into the street, into on coming traffic, nearly caused a wreck...it was clearly my fault. I told them that had I wrecked that I would be MORE than happy to let my attorney discuss the details of a settlement. I advised them to keep their dog on a shorter leash and out of the road. Personally, I don't care if the animal is hurt or not. That is of no concern to me. My safety comes well before their dog. I don't think they liked what they heard.

Let's just say Dollar-1; Fluffy-0