Dogs and Trails

Trails are more dangerous than roads. It's strange but true. There are so many "look I just bought my first bike" riders, walkers, groups of teenagers, Freds (sorry, I hate the term), psychos (racers who ride on trails), and dog walkers that trails are an infinite source of minor collisions.

Sometimes people and other things die: Old people, kids, dogs, dogs, and dogs.

Now, I'm an animal lover and especially a dog lover which is why it really pains me to see idiots who shouldn't own dogs walking them. You know the kind: They apologize when their dog almost runs under your bike. Did you know that trails are a dangerous place for a dog, especially an uncontrolled one on a long leash (long is greater than 6').

I wonder how many injuries their are from this sort of crap.


So let's rate the danger of various things you find on trails, on a scale from 1 to 10. 10 being something will probably die on a weekly basis and 1 being they might talk to you and say something rude.
Dogs -- 9
Walkers (1 or 2) -- 3
Kids -- 2
Kids Parents -- 6
"I just bought my first bike" -- 8 (if you ignore them); 3 (if you notice them)
Freds -- 2
Serious Cyclists -- 1.5 (they're more likely to be rude)
Trail racers -- 2
Groups of teenagers -- 2 (you're guaranteed to get yelled at)
Squirrels -- 0

Squirrels was the insulting punchline, just in case you missed it ;). I always think I'm going to hit them, and I never do.