Don't laugh but..
Four years ago I cycled an end to end of France. On one day in the Massif Central an animal appeared in the road about 20-30 meters in front of me. I am a dog owner but I immediately thought that this creature was not a dog. I stopped, got off the bike and kept it between me and the animal, which did not seem at all spooked by my presence, unlike me who was a "bit" nervous. The animal then trotted past me, but keeping a distance of about three meters from me. It did not walk like a dog. I am no naturalist but my immediate thought was that this was a wolf, but I was surprised that it didn't run off when it came across me. I was nowhere near any houses at the time. That evening I asked the hotelier whether it may have been a wolf and he just shrugged (what else would a Frenchman do), and said that there had been reports of wolves in the area. I'll never know whether it was a wolf one way or the other, but at least whatever it was didn't eat me.
Whatever it was, it was a very beautiful creature.
On the other hand I have been very badly spooked by the shepherd's dogs in the alps - on one occasion having to completely re-route a day just to get past a flock in a small valley.