Cycling with Izzy

I am a very active dog owner who is passionate about trying out different activities with my dog, Izzy. After moving to Chico, I started the challenging experience of learning how to bike safely with Izzy next to me and initially I found it difficult to hold her leash while also holding on to the handle bars. Izzy is trained to walk on my left side, which translated to Izzy running directly next to traffic, which made us both uncomfortable.

These challenges made for a painful first experience in Lower Bidwell Park. Immediately after entering the park, Izzy in tow, I heard a noise behind me. I looked back just in time to see a massive tractor. The vehicle was very loud, spooked Izzy and made her come to a complete halt. This action jerked both the leash in my hands and the handle bars, pulling the bike over. I fell on Izzy and the bike landed on me in a painful, traumatic, heart-pounding spill.

While limping home, I began to reflect on our experience. I decided I wasn’t going to let the accident stop us from biking together. In fact, I was able to use this experience to help me decide which tools I needed to move forward. Here is what I learned:

1. Train your dog to run on the right side of your bike. This puts your bike between your dog and traffic. I’m now able to ride in the bike lane while Izzy runs on the sidewalk. This keeps her pads cooler and keeps her feeling safe.

2. Pick up the right kind of harness for your dog. When we got home that day, I discovered that the harness I had chosen had rubbed Izzy’s armpits raw. A nonrestrictive harness is important and helps distribute weight while riding. And just using a collar can damage your dog’s spinal cord.

3. Choose the right leash. I was able to find a hands-free leash that I can clip around my waist. This keeps my hands firmly on the handle bars, allows for complete access to the breaks and distributes the weight to the center of my body.

Biking with your dog is great exercise and it builds a tremendous bond between you and your dog. Using the correct tools will result in a positive, rewarding and safe riding experience so you never have to leave your dog at home.