Day 24 (5/17/22): A Dog Day in Missouri
Start: Joplin, MO
End: Springfield, MO
Mileage: 82 miles
Elevation: 3,027 feet
And I don’t mean to say it was hot…
I got a very early start today based on a forecast of rain for Springfield, MO—today’s destination—at 2 p.m. Today’s route, while long, was all on country roads which were well paved, clearly marked, and of moderate elevation gain. It was lovely farm country that was a treat for the eyes, ears and nose. It was also packed with dogs! I must have gotten into at least 30 races/chases. I wanted to ride fast today to beat the rain, and the canines gave me no choice, but after about 40 miles of said races, my legs turned to jello. These pooches are very creative, but I’ve figured out their many varied tactics:
The sole chaser: A single dog sees you coming and tries to catch up to you. Normally, you have a good enough head start that a little extra push on the pedals does the trick. Don’t waste my time.
The team pursuit 2-3 (I’ve had 5 once or twice) dogs following the same routine of the sole chaser. Normally, they all try to keep up for a tenth of a mile or so, but they rely on a dominant dog to do the dirty work of the next tenth or two-tenths of a mile (“You can catch him Butch. You can catch him…Hey Butch, what happened? You didn’t catch him. We thought you was tough.”)
The decoy. The sole chaser—normally the less dominant dog in the gang—innocently chases you from behind, but the dominant dog is waiting for you up the road just a bit. Very clever, and potentially a problem since you have to approach the big guy head on.
Lying in wait. Had this happen today. As a I approached a house on a slight incline in the road, there were 3 dogs just waiting for me at the top of the hill. I saw them, and this was the first time I thought about taking out the pepper spray. I decided to outrun them instead.
The dumb owner. My most and least favorite. This happened today. Was coming down a hill and two dogs came at me from the other side of the road as their owners watched. I was already going about 20 mph. I took it up a notch, looked at the owners and yelled, “Not today!”.
After today, I do think they’re all in cahoots though. They know they’ll lose a lot of battles, but will win the war through attrition. Specifically, they’re just waiting for the early packs to wear you down to the point where a later pack can actually get you.
There’s no single breed that I’ve found to me most common. Most are larger, but interestingly, the fastest and longest chase/race I’ve had was with two dachshunds yesterday. Those sonsaguns kept up with me for about over a third of a mile yipping all the way.
What am I Grateful for Today
In all seriousness, the dogs are just doing what comes natural to them. The races/chases are not at all a surprise. Every blog or video I’ve watched about riding the routes I’m following mention this as a hazard. Conventional wisdom is to outrun them and continue to say in a direct voice, “Go home”. I can gun it to 25-30 mph most of the time (provided I’m not going up a hill), so I’m glad I can outrun them. That said, I’m probably well over 75 dogs at this point. I’m simply grateful I’ve not been close to haven been bitten.