Scented?

Riding home from work this evening, on my bike, I spied Monte and Lisa out for a walk moving toward me. From about a quarter mile away I noticed there was a dog approaching them. I thought it would be interesting to see what would be more distracting, another dog or his pack leader. As I rode by the dog, fifty yards from Monte, and continued on past Monte, it was clear that his attention was focused on me. I won.

At home, Lisa said that she noticed a bicyclist approaching from about a quarter mile away. In need of glasses, she couldn't tell for sure if it was me or not. That was until she sensed Monte's reaction a moment later. It was clear that he knew who was approaching. Either he has very good eyesight, superb olfactory system, he sensed my energy, or I was in need of a shower.

After Monte's initial interaction with me and my bicycle a few weeks ago, he would scan every bike that passed to check for familiarity. This would happen even when we were walking side-by-side. After a few days and one more encounter, Lisa reported that he seemingly ignores bicycles. Somehow he knows that it's not me, until today. They are amazing creatures.