# Heart stopped...



## Toffin (Aug 8, 2012)

Just home from a fab walk along a disused railway route. Fab except for when we were walking through an old tunnel and a cyclist came up behind us and rang his bell. It must have sounded so loud to Polly and she bolted through the tunnel and quickly became a receding dot in the distance. I called. I whistled. I called again. But nothing would get her back because it meant running past the oh-so-scary-bell-ringing-bike-thing to get to me. Panic set in. So I shouted (not a good sound, rather embarrassing...) at the cyclist to stop then she would come back. Poor chap. But he stopped and she came to me. Oh dear...

We had a lovely game of fetch the favourite ball in a field to recover our composure.

You have to have eyes in the back of your head, don't you.

Toffin
x


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

So scary! Atleast he did stop for you, thank goodness she came back. You could get yourself a bike bell and ring it now and then while out walking, treat her too when you ring it, I'm sure it will soon become a positive reaction rather than a scary one?


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## Toffin (Aug 8, 2012)

Brilliant idea, Karen, will definitely do that. What made this worse was that it was in a tunnel which makes the sound so much louder. Before P came home, we were cycling through a very long tunnel and people were drumming just inside the entrance - the noise inside was deafening and I was so pleased to get to the end. Goodness knows what would have happened if Polly had been in there when they did that.

Toffin
x


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

Jeez - no wonder your heart stopped - so would mine have Thank goodness you got her before any harm was done!


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## KCsunshine (Apr 16, 2012)

It was a cyclist who spooked Coco the time she an and we lost her. Not the bell, just the speed and sound of the bike coming up behind her. It is terrifying. I'm so glad Polly came back. After that happened to us, we took her on the lead to a very popular cyclist route where we came across at least 20 bikes, she has never done it since thankfully.


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## Toffin (Aug 8, 2012)

Oh dear, Karen, how very frightening and so pleased you found Coco. Good idea to desensitise her on the cyclist route. Again, will try this and ask them all to ring their bells!

Toffin
x


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## JasperBlack (Sep 1, 2012)

Oh Toffin, jasper bolting is my worst fear! He did it once when playing with another pup at the park and he ran towards the car which was parked at the side of the road. The gate was shut to the park but he can fit through the railings. He got just near the gate and stopped, I called and he came back ( thank goodness)! 
Poor you and poor polly, it must have been quite a fright  i would have shouted at the cyclist too! 
Glad all ended on a positive note and the bell idea is great  x


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Help, Panic .. yep really heart stopping.

I would love to see pics of Polly, I bet she is so big now


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Well done for *shouting*! Maybe you traumatised the cyclist and next time he has to pass a dog and owner he will do it more sensitively.

Years ago a friend's 5 month old doberman puppy bolted when a cyclist got between him and his owner. The cyclist kept going and so did the puppy, as he couldn't get back to his owner because the bike was still there persuing him. He ran through a fence at the end of the path almost half a mile further on, and onto a road and was killed...

Trouble with some cyclists is that they just go on any old footpath - some of which they are not allowed on, and they are so quiet you don't necessarily hear them until they are going past.
I have a wonderful German friend who is constantly challenging cyclists on footpaths and telling them they are not allowed on them - and as she is backed up by 2 large GSDs - they usually listen to her...


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## Toffin (Aug 8, 2012)

oh dear marzi, your poor friend. How very tragic to lose your puppy like that.

We went to the beach yesterday and felt far safer on icy sand!

Toffin
x


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