Advocacy & Safety - Attacking Dog poll

I keep seeing "bad dog" postings.
So I wondered at what point does the dog become a proablem?

I'd love to participate, but don't like the answers. It depends on the dog. I'm pretty good at reading dog body language, so if he was just running because it was something fun to do, I'd let him.

If he was vectoring in on me, I'd be stopping and discouraging him.

I'd love to participate, but don't like the answers. It depends on the dog. I'm pretty good at reading dog body language, so if he was just running because it was something fun to do, I'd let him.

If he was vectoring in on me, I'd be stopping and discouraging him.

Attacking= Vectoring

Dogs running on the sidewalk enjoying the excitment of your passing don't count, only dogs running at you and gaining fast ( no hope of outsprinting ) count in this poll.
BTW I do like dogs, just not with my blood in their mouth.

I've been chased down by MANY dogs in my 20 years of cycling. I don't carry a club or pepper spray. When a dog gets a bead on me and decides to give chase, this is what I do: pick up speed as quickly as possible and 'S' swerve. A dogs paws provide inadequate traction on pavement during this maneuver and the beast will soon give up the chase. Now, if the pup was wearing a pair of Michelin booties, I'd consider wrapping a cage around myself and my bike :eek: .

A foot or so away, if I think he is out for blood, or is just one of the stupid ones that just runs through your front wheel! I find the stupid dog more of a threat than a "bad dog"!

I was about 6 blocks from home yesterday (end of my ride) when some moron walking his dog on a retractable leash let his dog run out into the road and chase me for a few seconds. Luckily I was going fast enough that the dog never got any closer than a few feet away.
I say the guy was a moron because I was on a busy, 4-lane road with lots of traffic (which is why I was riding fast). I guess he'd rather get a laugh at the dog chasing me instead of worrying about the dog being hit by a car.

i just get off the bike and stare/yell the dog down if it comes after me in a viscious manner. some dogs i ride by commonly and know they don't really intend to harm me or even chase after me that far, but others.. you just cannot treat them like that. the breed does not indicate the level of hostility. also for the swerving idea, don't you worry about the dog running into you or traffic or other obstacles?


i'm still wishing i could carry a paintball gun with mace in the balls.

I would have to say if the dog was out for blood, I'd outrun it, or I'd hop off the bike and the second he was ready to bite me, I'd send the pooch flying. Out in the country nobody has little yippers, the smallest dogs I get chased by are labs. Golden retievers are common, but they are all in it for fun. You can even kind of see them smile. When a grayhound starts chasing you like he's running after a rabbit though and you can see that glint in the eye things change. I quit outrunning, and stop, I get off the bike, and I see what the dog'll do. If he stops because of the dead stare you give it, good. If he keeps running and growling, ready to bite, sorry, I'm a dog lover but I'm not part of PETA. That dog is going down in whatever way I see fit. I won't kill it, I'll just let it know who's boss. I don't carry pepper spray, and I don't carry a club or anything else. I've fought off big dogs before, simply because when it comes down to it I can be a mean SOB. I am not about to add myself to the pile of dog attack victims. Usually a glare will work, but sometimes if you catch a leaping dog right, you can get it flat on it's back. If you can do this by sidestepping, putting your palm directly in it's chest, and pushing back, you can stare directly down on it. If you keep it pinned to the ground like that for long enough, you can intimidate it. That makes you the top dog in the animal world. Thus the dog will no longer mess with you. As unlikely as it sounds I've done it before.

I would have to say if the dog was out for blood, I'd outrun it, or I'd hop off the bike and the second he was ready to bite me, I'd send the pooch flying. Out in the country nobody has little yippers, the smallest dogs I get chased by are labs. Golden retievers are common, but they are all in it for fun. You can even kind of see them smile. When a grayhound starts chasing you like he's running after a rabbit though and you can see that glint in the eye things change. I quit outrunning, and stop, I get off the bike, and I see what the dog'll do. If he stops because of the dead stare you give it, good. If he keeps running and growling, ready to bite, sorry, I'm a dog lover but I'm not part of PETA. That dog is going down in whatever way I see fit. I won't kill it, I'll just let it know who's boss. I don't carry pepper spray, and I don't carry a club or anything else. I've fought off big dogs before, simply because when it comes down to it I can be a mean SOB. I am not about to add myself to the pile of dog attack victims. Usually a glare will work, but sometimes if you catch a leaping dog right, you can get it flat on it's back. If you can do this by sidestepping, putting your palm directly in it's chest, and pushing back, you can stare directly down on it. If you keep it pinned to the ground like that for long enough, you can intimidate it. That makes you the top dog in the animal world. Thus the dog will no longer mess with you. As unlikely as it sounds I've done it before.


After 30 years of riding, too many dog stories to relate in one post..but the most frustrating one was the time I was pedaling up a steep grade and dog comes out of yard behind me. Since he was fresh and I was not, couldn't get enough RPM's to keep him from nipping at my heels at the bottom of every crank turn!

The other story I call "Dog Justice". An acquaintance of mine, a custom frame builder lived in a mountain neighborhood with four dogs in the vicinity that were aggressive chasers. After taking a spill, he invoked the "Law of the West" Clint Eastwood style. With a water pistol filled with water and ammonia, one by one he confronted the beasts and gave these puppies a new respect for bike riders. He or any other bike rider were never chased again...

I have not had to deal with dogs on my bike (yet). However running I have a few times - usually first not looking at dog, then if persists, stopping and very firmly yelling at dog to git works.

My worst experience was running in my quiet neighborhood on the street with a side walk between myself and the front yard of houses. Before I knew what was happening a 17lb terrier ran from the front yard (where the owners were painting their shutters) and jumped up behind me and tore out a piece of flesh from my upper thigh. I could not finish my run & I had a welt the size of a softball the next day. I went to the house to get the papers to ensure it had its shots (hence learning it was a 17lb dog). The owners seemed to imply that my wearing a red shirt and running I aggrivated the dog. I told them that if it had done the same to a young child running by it could have severerly disfigured it. Anyway my insurance covered it all (except $20 deductible). When I returned papers to owners I asked if they would pay deductible, they didn't as I didn't have receipt. I really should have reported to police, but these neighbors talk and I was the new resident and didn't want to become thru behind the back dicussion on the bad side.

Anyway I stil have a scar and for the 6-9mo afterward was terrified (it is so hard to explain) whenever I saw an uncontrolled (non-leashed) dog even in the distance.

Al

It's great way to work on your sprint. I've yet to meet a dog that can out sprint me I suppose when that day comes I'll have to deal with it!

From 50+ yrs of experience owning & being chased by dogs:

1. Labs, Goldens, and other retrievers are in it for fun they don't want to bite anything. However, even though my animal loving sister rescued a half breed Rottweiler named Teddy, that is dumber than dirt, but very gentle, if I see anything like a Rottweiler coming at me I'm going to red alert. Too many idiots with damaged self-esteem seem to be associated with these 'attack' breeds.

2. While the 'chaser' dogs are just funning they can cause real damage if they get under the wheels. As another poster pointed out, turning into them will cause them to change direction, -but not give up the game.

3. "Anti-dog” or "anti-person" spray is fine if you are up wind & can get within at least a foot or two of the nose. A better solution is to find an outdoor or camping retailer and pick up a can of "Bear Repellent". This stuff will put a solid stream up to 15 feet, not unlike the commercial anti-wasp cans and the size is similar to that of spray paint.

I have never spent even 5% of the time I spend worrying about morons in cars, thinking about dogs. Although last year I bought a Tour Easy recumbent with the slow speed maneuverability of a battle ship, my butt is 19 inches off the ground, so making eye contact with man's best friend is no problem. Thus I have had to revisit the 'dog problem'.

The dogs along the 97 and the 1 in Alberta, BC, & Yukon never seemed interested enough to actually chase me, and the bears, moose, and caribou on the road were of more concern to me. I should point out I was on a Honda not a Tour Easy.

Ozz

what are your techniques for fighting dogs? is there an easy way to not get bitten/clamped down on (like a pit bull would do when he bites)?

If you have quick reflexes and see the dog coming it's a bit easier if you know it might try to bite. A lot of dogs jump, and when they do you can deal with them a little easier. It could be moving out of the way, or if you're more aggresive puting the dog on it's back and trying to be the more "dominant" one by keeping it pinned and staring straight down on it. There is also trying to kick it if it jumps and even if it just runs up to you with the intention to bite. You can usually tell by the way the dog acts, it's general demeanor, and if you've seen it before prior history. If you actually get bitten and the dog clamps, I'd have to say I'd probably hit the dog as hard as I've ever hit a person (not a lot of fights just martial arts tourneys). If a dog bites and clamps on, I now have a right to keep myself from bodily harm. That dog is probably a goner. Most dogs you can outsprint, the biggest problem I had was that one guy in this area had an old racetrack greyhound. That dog could be a little problem. For all his bark he was just in the chase for the fun of it though. You could see that, he didn't growl and never really bared his teeth. If a dog comes up to me growling, baring teeth, and crouched like it'll pounce, that's different. We do have some aggressive dogs around here that should have been put down by now. Those you have to deal with in your own way.

It depends on what "take phyisically deter it" means.

I kick them in the head as they jump. Usually gives me a few seconds to get around a corner and out of their line of sight. Haven't had to do it since I stopped wearing the steel toed boots though, so I don't know if it would be as effective with bike shoes...

Well, so far I've only been attacked/chased by one dog... Coming up to a stop sign a chihuahua jumped out of its owners arms and ran straight for my front wheel. Stopped just short of running it over and it had its way with my front tire/wheel for like 5 seconds while the owner ran over.

First, I try to outrun. I would only use Halt if something stopped me from getting away from the dog. I want to do what I can to avoid hurting the dog. Afterall, the dog's just being a dog. It's the owner's stupidity that let the dog loose.

[hi-jack]
My regular encounters with dogs on the roads has given me a new appreciation for cats.

You can tell it is a really hot day when the dogs don't even bother to chase you.

[/hi-jack]

Dan

i learned i could go a lot faster than i thought i could when i was chased by 5 dogs!

I've never been chased by a dog -- must be the urban environment. There was one time when I encountered some people engaged in the repulsive practice of animal fighting. I think it was just dogs. Unfortunately (see other threads) I did not have a cell phone or I would have called the police on the spot. By the time I found a pay phone I was blocks away; I never found out what happened.

I've been away from riding for a few years and have forgotten the excitement of a cyclist/dog encounter. I was reminded of it during one of this weekends rides. It was a small mutt that came running out after me. The people sitting in the yard found great humor in me yelling at the dog to scram. They even went as far as encouraging the dog. On one of the dogs leaps at me I grabbed its collar, lifted it off the ground and took it with me for a couple of miles. The people stopped yelling for the dog to "get" me and started yelling at me about "stealing" their dog. I sure hope that little fellow finds a better home. I don't blame the animals for the chase, that's instinctual, it's the inattentiveness or carelessness of the owners that gets my goat.

Scott

I once learned that if you were attacked, you should hold out your left forearm for the dog to bite - and I suppose most dogs would bite the first part of your body they can get. Then pull that arm is real tight against your hip, with the dog still on it, and pin the dog there. That's supposed to prevent the dog from pulling back and yanking the heck all over the place with your arm in its mouth. Then when you've got the dog pinned, hit the dog repeatedly on the bridge of its nose. If this part of it gets injured, then it will be painful for the dog to continue biting. If the type of dog doesn't have a long snout to strike, then aim for the back of the skull. You can also gouge the eyes.
Of course, this is pretty much all out warfare here, with both the dog and the person getting hurt (your arm would need medical attention).

I have had my bike only for one month, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories to tell soon. Only had one scare once, im just biking along a back country road. This was the first time I had been down the road so I was just looking around at the scenery and just minding my own business, im pedialing somewhere close to 20mph at this point when all of a sudden this huge dog starts barking and barking I look quickly over to my right slamming on my brakes when I notice this dog about 3-4 feet from me, luckly the dog was behind a fence, just kind of a little scare, I just kept riding and in the same yard, a little dog no bigger than a foot high starts running down the fence in the yard barking at me, I looked over at it not being able to keep myself from giving a little laugh. Of course thats a funny story, won't be funny when the dogs down the street finally get loose one day and bite me in the a** for no apparant reason.

Yelling 'get off the couch!' works with most dogs.

I have run over two dogs in my cycling life. One was a rottweiler and one a mixed larger dog...They ran right under my back wheel as they were chasing me. One got spiked by my chainwheel first. They both scampered off immediately after.
I stopped, turned around and chased after a doberman after it almost bit me. It ran back to it's garage and stayed there.

I've been having problems with some dogs chasing while I tow the kids (other thread) and so was reading this thread. For anyone reading this thread don't believe the tough guys that think they can fight a dog with their bare hands, there are a-lot of dogs they can't. Don't stop and confront a dog unless you know it is one that isn't going to hurt you or you have a weapon capable of stopping the dog.

I'm very familiar with pitbulls and you can't fight those. If you hold out your arm for an attacking pitbull to clamp onto it will most likely come up under your arm (you won't be able to see it, your arm is in the way) and attack your midsection, throat, or groin. If it did clamp on your arm the pain would be so great that you would be frozen and wouldn't be able to do anything but scream. You aren't going to be able to kick it, they're too fast and agile. Most pb's are very friendly and won't even chase a bike let alone attack a person. Unfortunately, a bad owner can make any dog dangerous and pb's have been popular with bad owners for a while now.

Rotweiller's are big and strong and have a bad reputation amongst many veterinarians (along with Chows, if there are two problem breeds, these are the two). I was walking my leashed 14 year old female dog on a MTB trail a few years ago when a Rot came bounding up the trail. I moved off to the side with my dog so he wouldn't have to get too close. The Rot went off trail and tore straight into my still leashed dog. The owner claimed the dog was super friendly and had never acted like that before. While the vet was putting my dog's eye back together he told me of two small dogs he had to put down over the previous week that had been attacked by Rots. There was also a female jogger that was killed by a pair of Rotweiller's in this area several years ago. Those two were also friendly family pets.

There's a little stretch of dirt road near me that is the only convenient way to access roads to the West of where I live. The surface is a little sandy and it's no fun on the roadbike. The area along this very narrow road is heavily wooded and there are a few isolated mobile homes with long driveways and rusty cars. The last time I rode through there I was chased by a pair of Rots on which I could see no collars or tags. If any of the tough guys on here would like to ride through there and teach those dogs a lesson I'd really appreciate it.

It's great way to work on your sprint.

Can you say 'American Flyer'?

I run into dogs almost every day on my bike. Sometimes multiple dogs in a ride. You can tell within about 2 seconds of seeing the dog everything you need to know about it to know whether it's a threat or not. I've run into all types of dogs, pit bulls, rotts, shepards, dobermn's, malmutes, great danes, bull mastifs, mixes of all sizes and darn near every small breed you can imagine. On average, the small breeds tend to be the most aggressive (the ones that one kick would shut up quick), but this really depends entirely on the individual dog. Dogs are easy to read, they make their intentions easily known... their posture, behavior, method of chase are all things that tip you off as to what they intend to do. They lay it all out right there for you. Some dogs you need to slow down for to prevent aggression/chase, some dogs don't give a damn, some dogs are like sprinting buddies - these are the ones that I like to run into - ones that give a good chase, they're after you and may even try to nip and be barking/growling, but don't really mean anything by it, if you stopped, they'd probably just bark a little more, become unsure of themselves and look dumbfounded. When their teeth touch me, that's when I touch them. I'm kind to playful dogs that just want to nip at rotating feet when sprinting is not an option, just slow down and reduce cadence to very slow and they will become less interested in you. The truly aggressive dog that is a real threat by it's nature and size is fairly rare. Passive aggressive dogs are more common. Body posture and eyes dictate passive aggressiveness vs an indifferent dog. Keep a neutral body posture to the passive aggressive dog (sideways to it) and don't have anything to do with it, act like it's not there but don't inspire a chase with a quick cadence or irregularity in your riding/body positioning (rapid movements), because these dogs will attack the instant they feel threatened by your presence. Your goal with this type of dog is to establish a small level of trust within a matter of seconds. Try to remain sideways to it after you pass if it still appears threatening. The aggressive dogs... if you can't outrun them use body posture/position to thwart a non-eminent attack, show aggression if the situation warrants it, put your bike between you and the dog and try to back away from it. If an attack is eminent, remember that the teeth are what's going to hurt you, the nails, esp. dewclaws, can bloody you up good but can't nearly inflict the damage of the teeth. If the dog is too large to be kicked away try to control the dog by it's neck or by attacking its sensitive areas - eyes, nose, neck (windpipe), soft underbelly, gonads, spine, skull, (rock vs skull, rock wins). If you can manage to get on top of the dog remember that any damage you try to inflict when the dog is in this position will trigger a frightened response and the dog will very much want to bite you and a large dog will likely succeed at this. Your goal when on top of the dog is to establish trust... you can't do this by beating up a dog in the most vulnerable of positions. If you can calm the dog while on top of it, it may run away when you release it. If a dog could be stopped by a kick, this is not the type of dog I'm talking about here. If you have no choice but to inflict injury to a large dog that will most certainly tear you up, then make it brutal, until the dog doesn't want anymore, or the dog doesn't move anymore. Fighting is absolutely a last resort. Don't fight a dog that doesn't want to / intend to fight because it may end up fighting much longer than a dog that wanted to fight.

A pack of dogs is a different story. I run into quite a few packs of 2-6 dogs. These dogs tend to be more aggressive (because the ones that are not aggressive are usually not interested in chasing you). With an agressive pack, the ideal is to sprint. Don't start a sprint if you know you can't out sprint them. If you can't out sprint them, some display of aggression may make them change their minds. Some packs won't be happy until they taste your blood. Grab whatever you can and inflict injury to them as fast as you can, disable them quickly, one by one. You will very likely get bit, so injure them as rapidly as possible. They may run off when injuries start or they may continue to attack. Upper body strength can really come in handy. If you need a weapon, rocks are one of your best friends. They can be thrown, used as a hitting device or you can slam a dog into a rock on the ground. Don't use baby-taps, make every action count... you're talking about your survival here.

Dogs are my favorite animal. Most dogs you meet on a bike you can have fun with, but for the rare few that actually want to tear you up and have it in them to do so, it can really help being prepared and knowing what the dog is going to do before it does it.

Durning the ride today, the ride leader was being chased by a dog. She yelled 'STAY' and and dog stopped dead in it's tracks. I saw this once before in a club ride. Has anyone else seen this before?

I have used a commanding voice to good effect.
One thing to keep in mind, never tease a dog, some day he will get a chance at you, or worse somebody that didn't tease him.

Don't start a sprint if you know you can't out sprint them.

How do you know if you can outsprint them? How fast can dogs run?

Ok, so call me lucky or crazy, but in 25 years I have never been bitten while on the bike. Admittedly, some close calls. I have tried many of the insightful suggestions made here and currently am using dog biscuits. They seem to make peace with both canines and owners. The only problem, now they expect them when I come by!

dog biscuits

Best idea yet! I'm definitely gonna try it.

dog biscuits with a mace core... hmmmmm. >:]

this sounds like the most cruel question in the world, but can dogs' necks be snapped?

this sounds like the most cruel question in the world, but can dogs' necks be snapped?

OMG That does sound cruel, sorry the comment is just kind of funny. But to give you an answer I beleive they can yes.

Just kick the dog in the head if it's really atacking you.

I like what Blue Rat did, thats awesome!

A few days ago I was attacked by a little yapper dog. He just came running at me full speed perpendicular to my direction of travel, ran right past my front wheel. I get really pissed and start cussing like mad when I get attacked by a dog, and I'll rip the owner a new one if he's there.

Its happened on runs too. One time I was finishing a run coming uphill to my house and a dog who was being walked without a leash ran after me. Being winded from the run I wasn't in the mood for a fight, and got really defensive, cussed out the owner for not using a leash. I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt for getting in some guy's face when his dog comes after me, because I know I have every right to defend myself. They always give me that "Oh he's nice, he doesn't bite..." in other words "please don't sue me" B.S. Those people who walk their dogs without leashes because they think they have a "good, smart dog" really get to me, because in reality their dogs are stupid and will run after the slightest thing that gets their attention.

The only time I actually made physical contact was when a beagle ran in front of my front tire. I crashed pretty hard and still have some scars on my leg. Good thing for the beagle that he ran off because he would have been hurting a lot more than me.

I HATE FREAKING DOGS THAT CHASE! If aggressive, I take action as soon as I hear or see them coming.

Pocket full of rocks, extendable baton work wonders. ;)

The thing is, it's not the little doggies that worry me. And it's not even the 50lbs muts. But there are some dogs that look like they weigh nearly 100lbs. I'm not a dog afficianado so I don't know the breeds, but I've seen some dogs that a kid could ride on. These are the dogs that worry me. I mean, dogs this size would stand a good chance of killing you if they got you on the ground, and I don't think they would be deterred by a little kick on the snout or a squirt of bottle water.

I just got some Muzzle dog mace. I'm worried though that if I used it on a big dog, it would only make the dog madder rather than deter it.

Anybody actually ever have to use mace on a dog?

A dog becomes a problem when it puts my health at risk.

If little 5 lb rover decides to slam itself into my front wheel while at road speeds-well rover is a goner, and I probably wouldn't fare too well either. I've been lucky so far without hardly any dog mis-haps here in the US. I don't count the idiot dog walkers letting rover roam all over the bike path on my way home from work(I'm used to seeing them, so unfortunately my speed on the way home drops accordingly).

I did pepper spray a ferile dog in Bulgaria-and that stuff works! One of the previous posters had mentioned Bear spray, I too would recommend that over regular sized pepper spray/mace, it has to be easier to spray a good pattern (remember you still have to control your bike!!!). Most times simply ignoring ferile dogs was all that was needed-advice was to NOT look them in the eyes(or they would bark/growl/give chase).

Oh-and to be usefull(against 2 or 4 legged pests), ammonia/pepper spray/mace/bear spray has to be very quickly and easily accessible (eg in jersey pocket, on frame etc) all the time.

I have run over two dogs in my cycling life. One was a rottweiler and one a mixed larger dog...They ran right under my back wheel as they were chasing me. One got spiked by my chainwheel first. They both scampered off immediately after.

I actually got chased by a dog that then got run over by a car. The bad thing was it was just a little dog that I really didn't consider a threat.

man. that nearly happened for me once. i finally got pissed at the owner and kncocked on their door one night to tell them off. i saw a cop car there a few days later. i haven't seen the dog since.


to bad rover didn't get killed... gawd. that dog is nuts. it'll jump literally 3 or 4 feet of the ground repeatedly while barking whenever i go by while chained (when not chained it doesn't jump, of course, because it can run). it gets pissed at anyone going by. for some reason that dog just seems to have stress problems to me. some dogs are just mean.. but this thing... it's like it eats coffee bits all the time. O_o

Before I knew what was happening a 17lb terrier ran from the front yard (where the owners were painting their shutters) and jumped up behind me and tore out a piece of flesh from my upper thigh. I could not finish my run & I had a welt the size of a softball the next day. I went to the house to get the papers to ensure it had its shots (hence learning it was a 17lb dog). The owners seemed to imply that my wearing a red shirt and running I aggrivated the dog.

Wow, that's BS. I haven't been attacked, but have read of several attacks. I think if the dog damages you or your bike (intentionally, not just being stupid and making you wreck), you really MUST report it. No matter what the owners say, the dog is dangerous. Report to the cops, and report to animal control. Animal control will keep records, and if there are multiple reports, they WILL require the owners to control the dog.

I realize you don't want to start out by making enemies, but you're not required to buy friendship with blood, and I bet there are other neighbors who dislike the dog as well.

I'm a dog owner, and I think dogs are absolutely wonderful. However, it's my responsibility as a dog owner to control my dog. I buried 1500 feet of wire for an invisible fence by myself with a shovel, because my dog was getting on the road. The fact that the people tried to put blame on you shows that they are COMPLETE and UTTER asshats. If it had been my dog, I'd have chained up my dog, driven you to the hospital, and paid your bills, for STARTERS.

I enjoyed the banter but can't really imagine effectively kicking at a dog while mounted and riding. My first response to a chaser is to speed up and simultaneously shout "no -- Bad dog". If he does not respond I move on to "Afuera", but no works well in both Spanish and English and in New Mexico we have many bilingual dogs. Keeping ahead of the dog is the safest way to keep him away from that front wheel and going down because you hit the dog is twice as dangerous as a nip on the angle. Some say the rotary motion of your legs is what attracts them, but I'm not about to coast when I feel threatened, by rover. If he's obviously not likely to catch him I have been known to slow a bit to tire him without posing a danger, but its the dog that jumps out just as you are even with him and if you are not well prepared can cause you to swerve into oncoming or passing traffic. So first and foremost keep control of the bike and don't hit the dog.

The only time I have been really chased was years ago, as a kid. There was a dog that chased me down the road every time I passed his house. He was coming out onto a busy street to do it. I wasn't scared of him, and I always easily outran him, but finally I had enough. Next time he came out, I screeched to a halt, dismounted, lifted my bike over my head, screamed and advanced on the dog. He took off like a shot. He did still bark at me in the future but he didn't chase me anymore.

Had a jack russell charge on an extension leash come charging out across the road after me. It came within about a foot of me before reaching the end of its leash. I stopped and had a chat with the owner before moving on. Usually they are pretty cool about it.

Thank goodness I've always been able to out sprint any dog that has chased me. On my commute home, I go by a couple of dogs while riding uphill... that's a very, umm, exciting part of my ride. :D

Man, some of yall have had some nasty experiences with dogs. Ive only been chased a couple times, and none of them had any intent of doing anything more than nipping at heels. There was this one group ride that used to go by the same house where the same dog would chase and nip every time... Until one ride when it jumped to late and got stuck between the wheel and rear triangle and dragged for about 30 feet. Never nipped again ;)