SwampDude

As I rode through a small town residential area today I came upon the scene of a child being bitten by a dog that was clamped onto her right forearm and wouldn't let go. The dog was only about 18" tall, but it was big enough to keep her from pulling free. The child was hysterical.

I grabbed my repellent and approached the dog. When it spotted my yellow jacket, it turned loose of her arm and lined up to come after me. My repellent spray missed the critter's face, but it must have been close enough that he whiffed the mist; he turned tail and headed for home.

The dog had inflicted multiple bites, but most had not broken the skin. Many of the tooth marks were already turning to bruises. The child was probably ok if the animal wasn't sick.

Next time I come into contact with an aggressive dog I'll be prepared with something more effective than spray. Haven't figured out what the weapon will be, but it will improve my odds in case the animal is bigger and harder to repel. Maybe a telescoping baton like the cops carry would fill the bill.

HAMMER MAN

Great job and glad the child was not more seriously injured!

A full water bottle works as well especially if you squirt the dog in the face

zymphad

Did you report it? If you do, then police can go check up to find out who's dog it is and make sure it's been vaccinated and other actions. A sick dog is a community health risk if the owners are morons.

f4rrest

From what you described, the spray seemed effective. Why change it?

banerjek

Sounds like this situation worked out ok, but if you go out looking for battle, that's exactly what you'll find. And there's a decent chance that you might help make a dog more aggressive.

Weapons often escalate the situation, and you shouldn't need anything for a dog the size you saw. In a real dog attack, they tear whatever they grab up, so having a majority of bites not break the skin is bizarre. I'm not suggesting the kid didn't need help or that you didn't do the right thing, but that it sounds like you're setting yourself up to overreact to the next encounter.

awfulwaffle 

It may be important to note that in some areas (such as where I live), such a baton would be considered a concealed weapon and subject to all relevant laws if carried out of plain view. If you have a permit then it's not a problem, but a good thing to be aware of.

SwampDude

What do you mean "real dog attack"?

I'm interested in being prepared for a situation where the dog can "tear" whatever they "grab up", cause it could be me! I'm not looking to avoid causing a dog emotional distress. I'm not a 'dog whisperer', and I'm not talking about carrying a ***. I just want to be able to defend against somebody's untethered bad-boy dog that wants a piece of me for lunch.

Todays experience just woke me up to the risk of encountering dogs while riding.

SwampDude

The girl's screams caused people to come out of their houses, and a couple of ladies took control of the situation.

banerjek

I'm guessing you haven't seen a real dog attack before. They are intense and a lot of damage gets done fast.

This "preparation" in combination with a defensive attitude is a provocation that will cause problems out of thin air. You'll probably have more problems in populated areas with peoples' pet dogs than cyclists who ride in rural areas where poorly socialized "guard" dogs owned by even more poorly socialized humans run loose.

If you want to defend yourself, the first thing is learning how to not get all the teeth directed at you -- this becomes increasingly important as the number of dogs increases. If you're not going to figure out this common threat, you may as well take an attitude with the motorists too and wonder why you're in constant battle with them. There are plenty of cyclists that do that.

Right now, I'm helping with a neighbor's dog. About 80 lbs, this guy is a sweetie and likes people and animals. Except he hates bicycles, anyone in a helmet, and yellow jackets. I don't know what happened, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone did something stupid when he was just trying to play. I know you don't care about the dog's emotions, but if you mishandle these situations, you dramatically increase danger for yourself and others. So don't fool yourself. You're causing dog problems for others the same as militant car hating cyclists turn motorists against all cyclists.

Who the heck carries a baton when cycling for defense? Has anyone here even heard of such a thing? If you need so much defense, stay on your trainer.

SwampDude

Good point. Thanks.

Homebrew01

We know what happens to these threads when the subject turns to weapons :

SwampDude

What is one to do if an 80 pound "sweetie" who hates bikes and people wearing helmets and yellow jackets attacks? Seriously.

awfulwaffle 

Oh come now, we're talking about a baton.

Samfujiabq

You're right sounds like he didn't take his meds today,,"an ounce of prevention"not bad to be prepared.

SwampDude

Forget the baton idea. I don't own one, and really don't intend to acquire one. Spray, yes, the stronger the better.

Dogs that come after people need to be deterred, somehow. I don't intend to be victimized by canines with psychological problems, thats all.

rms13

concealed carry is legal in Florida.

Bathwater

I always ride with nunchucks. I don't really worry too much about dog attacks, but really it's the ninjas that scare me.

DXchulo

+1 on that. I'd say you were more prepared than most.

How often do you expect this sort of situation, anyway?

UnfilteredDregs

Spray is good. A sap is a plus as well, small and extremely effective. Loose canines are quite the problem.

Essex

What type of dog was biting the kids? I have yanked off various dogs by the leash. Two were pit bull mixes. And the other a German Shepherd. I was bitten by a German Shepherd as a kid in a shopping mall. You did a good deed saving the kid. I hope she doesn't suffer from some type of post-traumatic after-effect.

Additionally, the last pit bull mix attack led to a standard state protocol where the local authorities were notified and the attacking dog is now a watch list. Also, house insurance goes up tremendously if someone has a breed with a provocation for biting, or a strong prey-drive.

coasting 

What you need is a weapon with instant stopping power that is also small enough to carry on your person.

dvdslw

Yes it is!

Homebrew01

Lightsaber ?

StanSeven

Ride on bike trails then. Ninja's wear reflective vests and blinkies to be seen.

surgeonstone

I deal with a lot of dogs. Banerjek is right on. Remember dogs chasing are just being dogs, it's what they do. Just ride on. Spray can work but runs the risk of not only angering the dog more, but more dangerously, angering the dogs owner. I have had dog owners chase me down in their pickup truck and confront me. Not a time for loud words or anger, believe me. You did good with the kid, leave it at that and cycle merrily on using what worked only as a last resort.