A lot of what LR said is true but he/she needs to either (a) let their feelings be known or (b) find another group of people to ride with if they feel so strongly about it that they need to write a column for a popular website....
Since I started riding on the NS about 15 years ago, I've typically ridden with friends who have had dogs so just got used to the dynamic, and, in reality, a small group ride with a single dog is a lot better than a large group ride without a dog as, whichever way you look at it, the more humans or animals involved, the more opportunity for something to go wrong.
My friends dog had a very bad herding instinct and would constantly run back and forth between riders in the group but we all laughed about it and just carried on as normal but we'd leave his dog at home when we know the ride was "more serious" (eg remote, more technical or if we were on a fast "fitness" ride). Easy!
I've now got my own trail dog and generally ride solo, at less busy times and less popular trails though that's more difficult to do in COVID times when more people are out and travel is restricted.
Even if riding solo, I don't always bring him along if I'm riding flow trails (too fast for him) or if they involve a lot of mandatory wood work (I had an interesting experience when my dog decided to run up a steep ladder on Boundary just as I was riding down it).
May 27, 2021, 12:31 p.m. - SixZeroSixOne
A lot of what LR said is true but he/she needs to either (a) let their feelings be known or (b) find another group of people to ride with if they feel so strongly about it that they need to write a column for a popular website.... Since I started riding on the NS about 15 years ago, I've typically ridden with friends who have had dogs so just got used to the dynamic, and, in reality, a small group ride with a single dog is a lot better than a large group ride without a dog as, whichever way you look at it, the more humans or animals involved, the more opportunity for something to go wrong. My friends dog had a very bad herding instinct and would constantly run back and forth between riders in the group but we all laughed about it and just carried on as normal but we'd leave his dog at home when we know the ride was "more serious" (eg remote, more technical or if we were on a fast "fitness" ride). Easy! I've now got my own trail dog and generally ride solo, at less busy times and less popular trails though that's more difficult to do in COVID times when more people are out and travel is restricted. Even if riding solo, I don't always bring him along if I'm riding flow trails (too fast for him) or if they involve a lot of mandatory wood work (I had an interesting experience when my dog decided to run up a steep ladder on Boundary just as I was riding down it).