I agree that off leash dogs can cause problems for bike riders on the Shoreline Trail but they are also a problem for anyone else that uses the Shoreline Trail not just bike riders. I ride my bicycle everyday on the Shoreline Trail and go down this short steep hill by Noons Creek Hatchery four times a day and I know very well the dangers of going down this hill at full speed. If Mr. Abrams uses the trail frequently then he knows at the top of the hill there is yellow caution sign that has a picture of a bike on a steep hill incline and advises "Caution Steep Hill". For Mr.Abrams to jam on his brakes and go flying over the handle bars suggests to me that he was going very fast on his bike when he went past the caution sign and had every intentions of going past the lady at full speed until he noticed the dog coming out of the bushes and he had to put on his brakes. The dog should have been on a leash but would it still have been the dog owners fault if the dog had been on a leash and was running in the bushes at the time of the incident. At the bottom of the hill before the bridge many people cross the path and anyone who bicycles here frequently knows that and ride down the hill at a slower speed just in case someone comes out unexpectedly especially children. The dog should have been on a leash but the person to blame for what happened to Mr. Abrams is himself for not coming down the hill at a proper speed. The Shoreline Trail is a multi use trail used by everyone and is not just for bike riders who think they are in the Tour De France can ride at any speed they want.

Ross Custeau