We’re riding southbound on the recently opened section of the Empire State Trail, just south of Hopewell Junction, and are approaching a dog walker totally face-sucked by her phone in the middle of the path:
Mary has been dinging her bike bell for the last few seconds and finally manages to break through:
The dog walker leans against the fence while pulling on the leash as hard as she can, as if she knows the dog poses a threat:
Which it does:
The leash is too long for close-quarters work:
Nice teeth, doggie:
Surely, the dog just wants to lick me to death:
Tell me again how well-trained this dog is:
Seven seconds after the first picture:
The dog also lunged at the pair of bicyclists following us, so perhaps this is how she makes sure it get its exercise during the walk.
The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning 
I like dogs, but shitty dog owners deserve their own circle in hell. Protip: If you can’t keep your dog under control on a shared trail, keep it the [redacted] off the freaking trail!
My thoughts exactly. I like animals in general and understand that their behavior is typically only from instinct unless they have been conditioned by their owners. These people who have to bring their dog or pet of any kind everywhere including into stores for no good reason (emotional support animal my eye) needs to come to an end. They’re asking for trouble and sometimes looking for it. As in, “go ahead just say something about my dog”. Pets need to be left at home where they are safe unless they are out for a walk.
Ugh: hope you aren’t left too jangled by this. Don’t think anything short of a rail-grinding car track sprayer would slow that dog down.
I’ve given up on dog owners, or pretty much anyone on the trail, being able to hear my bell/yelling — airpods seem to block everything and it seems everyone uses them. This might not work for your TourEasy’s brisk pace, but I now have a tiny bell (from a Lindt chocolate bunny, would you believe) on my handlebars. Normal riding makes it tinkle and it’s almost inaudible to humans. But most dogs hear it from ~50 yards away, and most dog owners will stop and look if their dog stops and turns. One particularly timid/aggressive dog now knows I’m coming and gets out the way on her own.
I wonder if feeding an ultrasonic warble through a low power amp into a little speaker would
shake the hair offrepel a dog at close range, without bothering humans at all.I did talk myself down from going full frontal crop duster with a kilo of AliExpress parvovirus …
And oh how I wish you hadn’t. The only nice dog is a dead dog.
Upload a video to YouTube and the dog will wear a muzzle next time. I know what I’m talking about…
“Ensitreffit vai vanhoja kamuja?” (A first date or old friends?)
Alas I was in a hurry… ;-)
On one of my paper routes in the 1950s I carried a squirt gun full of vinegar. The dogs barked louder than ever, but from a greater distance.
Long long ago, I Velcro-ed a small squeeze bottle of ammonia to the handlebars: it required targeting accurate to the nearest time zone. Only one dog ever came back for a second sample …
As foretold by the prophesy:
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Snow_Crash/RMd3GpIFxcUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=liquid+knuckles&pg=PA312&printsec=frontcover
I pretty much read the covers off that book …
Be it so moved, seconded, and passed as read: the squeeze bottle shall be labeled
Liquid Knuckles.Thanks for the reminder!