How about those CAT lovers, eh?
Too many close calls 
to count over the years. I finally got chewed by someone's pet while running on baden powell trail in the hyannis area. The owner wouldn't even give me her contact information afterwards. Furthermore, the bloody owner actually took offense that her beloved pet got chased away in response. I'm getting really tired of looking over my shoulder every time a dog crosses my path!
Commercial mutt walkers are using single track trails around hyannis drive and they are setting a bad precedent for the dog owners. People might get the idea its actually OK to walk run a pack of dogs around the northshore trail systems. 
Furthermore, the commercial dog walkers are using the lower seymour conservation reserve. It is not permitted! I encourage anyone to report any sighting commercial groups using the LSCR. Park rangers don't mind hearing about unauthorized commercial use. It would be helpful for getting a degree influence over the licensing of these commercial operators in the District of North Vancouver.
Comments
I hear you, I like your
I hear you, I like your comment about going up to dog walkers and petting the dog owner. Give them a taste of their own medicine "Aww you're so cute for invading my running path." I still cannot believe the owner didn't take any responsibility, that is ubsurd. There are seperate pathes for horses when you go to national parks, there should be for dogs too. What do you think?
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Fred Cornwallace
I run because I can.
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Sorry to hear that about you
Sorry to hear that about you but really this is the problem with unresponsive people taking out their pets without any regard to anyone else around them.
Perhaps they don't care what happens to their pet either. If you had accidently stepped on the pet and had the pet been injured it is obvious which way the pet owner would have gone to make things worse for you.
Not an apology,no acceptance of their fault and no 'citizen' attitude. Is this what we call civilized people !
Police is the best way you could have gone.
Primitive ways of living out here ! Pets attack passsersby and no one takes a notice or cares. Is this the modern world !
reporting to police
I think you should report it. You were injured, it could have been worse depending on terrain or dog. If there had been a contrite owner vowing it would never happen again and how sorry they were .... maybe not. But I think from what you've said, this is just a single incident in a bigger problem. There are a lot of dogs in the Lower Mainland and there needs to be accomodation for this growing population but not at the expense of human well being. Even a friendly dog in close quarters can knock someone over and an unfriendly one can cause severe injuries to adults and worse for children. So there's one dog owner/trail runner vote in favour of calling the police.
I also owe you an apology, I was so choked about the owners behaviour I forgot to say how sorry I was that you were hurt. Sorry!
update
I considered doing this but thought the situation didn't quite warrant their involvement. A letter was sent to the District's animal control office and District council. Trail running is only going to get more popular. By-laws on animal control might be helpful in the future. By approaching the DNV, perhaps they could help to inform dog owners about properly training their animals to avoid these type of incidents.
I had another close call on the Fisherman's trail last Saturday! rolling my i's
Shame on that owner!
I love my dog, too much to take him on a single track trail that's not off leash and is shared with non-dog people. Leashed or not, it's not fair to the dog, it's not fair to the runners, it's not fair to the folks who are really nervous about dogs. I try to stay off the full use trails at UBC for heaven's sake. And to hear that commercial dog walkers are out there on these tracks is totally irresponsible. I'm like Sybille, I constantly stop and talk to dogs (even when I don't need the break) I find it energizing but people need to be responsible, both for humans and dogs
Ouch, Michael. Sorry to hear
Ouch, Michael. Sorry to hear that you got attacked.
I don't really have any advise on how to avoid run ins with dogs. The majority of dog owners are mostly responsible and call their dogs back or leash them when runners approach, but the sheer number of dogs on the trails can be a bit overwhelming. I try to be friendly (especially since I run with an absolute dog lover, who stops for every canine and gives them a pat on the head - learned a lot from her). Still, I had a few close call and tripped over countless dogs and leashes. Lucky for me...I am slow ;-)
Responsible Running
I would strongly suggest that a runner should not get pet-friendly on the trail. This would simply encourage a dog's natural passive-aggressive behavior. Dogs will get the idea it's OK to stand in the middle of the trail instead of allowing the runner passage. Animals and their owners really need to know this is not OK. If your friend regularly pats an animal while running trails, her actions just make more difficult for the rest of us! She should know this as a dog owner.
Many owners don't call their dogs back quickly enough when their animal chases after me. This type of thing shows a casual disregard for other trail users. It is much to late for dealing with pet behavior when your dog has begun to threaten a runner (i.e. full-throttle run with a low growl from 4ft distance) . Kind makes me want to carry pepper spray when that happens.
Sorry Michael I beg to
Sorry Michael I beg to differ. I look for friendly co-existence on the trails and not for confrontation. I know accidents happen (and I am sorry that you got hurt), but in general I don't have issues with dog owners and their dogs. Most go out of their way to accommodate me, as do mountain bikers and hikers. I reciprocate and move over when being passed. Running with my pet friendly friend makes my runs even more enjoyable. I know there are irresponsible dog owners - and other trail users for that matter - but I don't let negativity dominate my run.
If I'd get bitten like you did, I would involve the authorities and move on.
I hope your injury has healed.
Happy Greeters?
You presumably don't disagree with my logic about pet-friendly runners on the trail? Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the social tendencies of canine pets or pet-friendly runners like your friend that surely has good intentions for both people and dogs. However, people are sending the wrong signals by engaging a pet during a trail run. To clarify this point, a DOG that approaches without being invited into your personal space is a HAPPY GREETER. Encouraging a HAPPY GREETER just isn't a good trail etiquette according to what I've read on animal behavour. Those personal recommendations haven't got anything with my preferences for canine companionship.
Maybe people shouldn't run - just walk instead if you seek to get friendly with strange animals. I'm facinated about what the dog's owner might think if you tried to pet THEM instead their dog
. The owner's reaction would surely be worth stopping on a trail run just for some amusement. Try it sometime.
Dogs chase mobile targets, dogs protect their owners and dogs look for human affection. Domesticated dogs are habitated to the presence of humans but often not to trail runners. The dog that bit me was likely protecting its owner. Pepper spray would have probably been useless here. I hope that other runners get something more from this incident than filing a police report. Enough said for now.
opinion poll
Could you draft an opinion poll on the question of dogs running amok on the northshore trails?
Michael, I recommend you
Michael, I recommend you report the incident to the police.
Feel free to ask for comments from site users within this thread.