Originally Posted by
Dellphinus
I feel for you... we have no leash laws here either, and a dog must attack twice before the procedure for declaring it dangerous and forcing containment can be started. However, should it attack your chicken or duck, you can kill it on the spot. Insane.
Maybe have the sheriff tell the owners of the dogs you've already encountered what he told you about shooting them, and that you intend to continue riding there. Doesn't do a thing for the new encounters though. That's the frustrating part; we shouldn't have to deal with loose dogs AT ALL, they should be contained.
I don't know about your county, but in mine there are leash laws, but when I asked the sherriff about them he said I would have to go to a city counsel meeting and request that they be enforced. This was after I hit a dog and broke my collar bone. The sherrif also twice refused to fine a report, saying that no motor vehicle was involved. His advice was that I carry a fire extinguisher to spray dogs with.
Halt spray has never failed me. If it ever does then I would have no qualms about upgrading to either ammonia or wasp spray. Guns aren't legal here in Illinois.
I believe dogs can sense if you are going to run or fight. When a dog comes at me I whip out the Halt and get ready to spray them at close range. I have a lot of confidence in the Halt spray. The dogs seem to sense that and few of them come close enough for a dose.
Face it. Many people, including law enforcement officers, don't like cyclists. It's a touchy situation. You have to defend yourself but in doing so you stand to face a lot of repercussions. All I know is I love to ride, it is my right, and my safety comes first. I will not let some irresponsible person's dog attack me without me doing whatever I can to stop it.