in Quarry Ridge (Moderator: Schrader)

Yesterday there was a guy on a red hardtail, pony tail and a jersey that said Skinny (something) on it. I had come across the guy and dog a few times and was going to say something but didnt want to be "that asshole". Coming to the tabletop of blue decent approaching the jump at high speed the golden dog mix came out where I would have landed from the dizzy trail where I guess his master was riding. I hit the brakes and changed direction to try and miss the dog and basically ended up driving my entire right side of my body into the dirt as I landed badly. Been in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury, blood on the brain and swelling. Just wanted to make you all aware there is some guy riding the trails with an off leash dog.

I had a close call with a collie/heading dog mix.. coming down pork chop I came over a hill and an off leash dog didn't want to listen to it's owner and friends who were sessioning the new stuff on the side.. it didn't move right away and I fully came to a stop.. it eventually moved.. luckily no injury but it wasn't ideal to have to stop quick then just stand there...

Hope your doing better, brain injuries suck from personal experience..

If we see the rider/dog again would you like us to call police? I believe they are liable for your injury... And should be thankful it didn't kill you...

Unfortunately most people who bring their dog to the trail insist/feel it is very well trained and behaved. My experience is that most that show up there are not. This is also true of a woman running at Pleasant View recently whose dog was very aggressive just for my getting out of the car.

It’s a hot button issue in the mtb community. I am very much a dog person but I personally think bringing them on a trail ride is a very bad idea. From a legal standpoint, I believe it is the case that all dogs need to be leashed in Madison and Dane county parks.

This is a very old problem best left off the radar. It is complicated by crowding. Trouble makers are the exceptions, and too many can't control their dogs on leashes. Places with dog bans still get violators. Trail stewards should not have to be policing and actual police should work on other problems. Homo sapiens are right up there with Canis familiaris as risks on the trails.

The crowding issue and cutting your chance of conflict are fairly easy to address. There are 13 trail areas in CORP land plus other riding opportunities. There are times of the day and week when you can minimize the chances of conflict.

It should also be known some of our trail areas have a history of sharing responsibility and stewardship with dog owners.

I’m not proposing policing it, but it only stays off the radar insofar as it doesn’t contribute to injuries and conflict. On the matter of stewardship it doesn’t get more basic than respecting the rules of the municipality that grants us access to the space. As trail stewards it is outside of our our purview to police this issue, but we should also not offer tacit approval.

Yes, it's a land manager and not a CORP issue. AFAIK all metro area parks are dogs must be on leash except for dog parks.

Also, dog owners are legally and financially liable for injuries or damages caused by their dog(s). Wis. Stat. Ann. 174.02(1).