Animal welfare workers have issued a warning to dog owners after a man was caught yesterday running his dog beside his bike as he rode at about 30 kph.

Charles Whited, Inspector for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), said forcing dogs to run alongside vehicles was a common problem in Bermuda.

But he said it was an accident just waiting to happen, and dogs or their owners could be seriously hurt.

A photographer from The Royal Gazette just happened to be passing along Palmetto Road in Pembroke at lunchtime yesterday when a dog owner was stopped.

Mr. Whited said: "We know this kind of thing happens too often, but this guy just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and we saw him, so he was stopped and given a friendly warning.

"He must have been riding between 15 and 20 mph and the poor dog was at a level gallop just trying to keep up.

"The dog could easily have stumbled or fallen under the wheels and who knows what would have happened. The dog and the rider could have been hurt.

"There is no specific law saying you cannot exercise your dog like that, but it really is not safe, especially at speeds like this.'' Mr. Whited said he also saw a lot of riders taking their dogs on bikes, and he said that was equally as unsafe.

He added: "I know this guy today seemed very genuine. He told us he had just bought the Pitbull puppy and was taking it home -- he said he had never owned a dog before.

"However, he didn't live that far away and it would have been better to walk him home. I would advise everyone to find alternative ways of transporting their animals, other than running them besides the bike.''