On my way in to work today...

[JTsGS650]

I had just left the house and had gone maybe 2.5 miles. I was driving down the street at approximately 30 mph, no one in front of me or behind me. When all of a sudden this little dog explodes from the bushes on the left side of the road barking and making a bee-line directly at me! Startled the hell out of me. Well, the poor little guy didn't get very close. He ran right in front of a full size Toyota pickup truck. This happened right next to me. I can still see the little dogs body being flung in the air... So I stop at the stoplight down the road and decide to turn around and see if I could help.

Before I even got there there were two cruisers with their lights on (right down the st from the police station), along with the young couple in the pickup who hit the dog. The little guy was breathing but he wasn't moving. The cops placed the dog on a blanket and were preparing to transport him to the nearest veternarian, maybe 5-10 mins away. The dog did have tags with a phone # on them so they were also preaparing to contact the owner. You could tell that the couple in the truck felt pretty bad and they mentioned that they were dog owners. I felt bad for that poor little dog too. Why the hell do dogs chase bikes anyway?

 

[t3rmin]

I was just discussing this with some friends last night. It's a darn shame on several levels. Almost hit a similarly suicidal young deer last night.

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

That totally sucks. Hope the pup comes through OK.

I have to say that my biggest concern while riding is "random animals", domestic or wild. They're the most unpredictable thing on the road and when they come from "covered" areas of the side of the road at full speed there's just no time to react. It's rather amazing that there aren't more incidents of this nature.

Maybe we should start educating the wildlife as to the dangers of roads and motor vehicle traffic. :-s

 

[spyug]

That is a horrible thing and hopefully the poor mutt comes through. Dogs can't help chasing things that move, it is their instinct. When they charge we have to outsmart them. Keep your speed constant until they are about 10 feet out and then goose it. Resist the urge to kick out as you may unsettle the bike and dump or worse run into the oncoming lane. If worst comes to worst run over the poor little bugger. Better to kill him than yourself. Hard for me to say as I'm a dog lover.

Try and keep them safe but think of yourself first.

Cheers,
Spyug.

 

[earlfor]

I hate running over anything! I had a squirrel this afternoon that made me use everything I knew to avoid hitting him. We both continued on, but I think I have more grey hair then he does now.

E.

 

[schinae]

I hate running over anything! I had a squirrel this afternoon that made me use everything I knew to avoid hitting him. We both continued on, but I think I have more grey hair then he does now.

E.

I smoked a possum the other night, and almost s*** my pants. Never saw the little guy, it was raining, and next thing I know the front wheel hits something that was definately alive and furry. I instinctively corrected before I even realized what had happened. On my way back into town in the car, I could clearly see him dead in the road... makes me really think about tracking down a HID ballast from the junkyard to retrofit onto my gs, as I never saw him partially due to the crappy headlight (Im spolied as I ALWAYS upgrade all my vehicles to the best possible lighting available, but havent done the gs since its 1. tagged historic, and 2. dont know how well the electrical system will keep up with upgraded lighting)

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