gained a new skill this morning!

[magster]

I went out for a quiet 4 miler this morning and when almost home I saw in the distance a lady with personal trainer on her T-shirt so as I puffed along I asked her if she had any tips to which she replied yes keep going and take deep breaths. Nothing unusual about that you may think but then to my horror her dog (not on a lead) decided to bound back towards her in company with a couple of others. Unfortunately for me they all ran straight into me and this is when I found I had a new skill - dog hurdling! Its not something I would normally recommend, but for me this morning it came in jolly useful! Made me smile

[nomoresloth Graduate]

I love the picture of a runner jumping over dogs! That's a very useful skill I suppose there was no Great Dane among them?

[magster Graduate in reply to nomoresloth]

thankfully not as I am only 5ft tall lol

[Hidden]

I think we should enter you along side Jess Ennis in Glasgow 2014 - sounds like the start of a new sport to me...

although the only thing I end up jumping over are those horrible sacks of dog cack - I know they have taken the trouble to pick it up and bag it - But why not finish the job and bin it too!

[nomoresloth Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Those sacks are not always put there by the dog owners/walkers. I've seen people without dogs picking up and bagging dog pooh and leaving the sacks on purpose in the middle of the path. I assume they want to show how much of it is lying around and get more attention for this topic. In the city where I live there are bag-dispensers in the parks and the bags are free. Oh and the bags are bright orange... So they definitely draw attention onto them

Nevertheless, I also don't get, why so many people leave it. I walked dogs for several years and it's really no big business to pick it up and throw it away. Well, throwing away is sometimes difficult as there are far less bins than you'd think and most of them are full. You realize this as soon as you really need one

[Beads Graduate in reply to nomoresloth]

On our walk today Fred made a mess which I cleared up then carried (what felt like) several miles until we hit the next bit of habitation, no bins but bin men were there collecting, I asked could I put it in their lorry, the reply it was only recycling today so no! The pub down the road was very amenable and let me use their bin though (and their chips were wonderful (the Castle in Outwood if anyone's interested!)).

[magster Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Dog hurdling as a sport along side Jess Ennis ............. possible lol

[Oldgirl Graduate]

Your post made me shudder with the memory of my dog hurdling on a forest track earlier this year. They were two Irish Wolfhounds, huge animals who had come charging towards me, I thought I was about to become Boneo dog food, thankfully the owner shouted "Down" and they promptly lay across the track, bum to bum with the biting ends pointing into the bushes, V shaped. It was either go around one or other which meant passing the biting end or hurdle them both and pray like mad I didn't kick either or both dogs. I lived to tell my story, and hurdled both dogs with my heart in my mouth. It took ages for my heart beat to calm down I can tell you. That was my worse experience ever of meeting dogs off leads. I later learned I had been lucky, they were dogs from Traveling people who were in the area, they are normally used as guards dogs, these two were well trained thankfully.

[magster Graduate in reply to Oldgirl]

Gosh you were lucky

[Jefna Graduate]

I've had to master the 'dog swerve' before but never the 'hurdle'...I'm impressed!! Well done! Haha

[magster Graduate in reply to Jefna]

I think I am slightly impressed too lol

[Feefbev Graduate]

I have had to swerve a few dogs.......well done you on mastering the hurdle! I did have to do a little side hop the other day to ensure I didn't crush a butterfly who was resting in the middle of the path..........