Originally Posted by
Cougrrcj
Even when I was carrying mail and came upon a nasty dog, I don't try to reason with it - I leave the area. I never turn my back on the dog and I LEAVE.
You seem to have a whole in your logic. I, too, don't turn my back on a dog. But, unless you've mastered the art of riding backwards on a bicycle, if you try to "leave" the area on a bike, you
have to turn your back on the dog. That's when you get bitten.
You, and others, are greatly misunderstanding what I'm talking about. I don't stop for
every dog. If a dog doesn't appear to slow down when I yell at it or appears to be gaining on me, I stop because I'm not going to turn my back on a dog...just like you. I haven't been bitten by a dog because I won't let a dog get that close to me. If I could reach out and kick the dog or hit it with a pump or even spray it with pepper spray, the dog is too close and the likelihood of getting bitten is far too great.
Originally Posted by
NeilGunton
Just a quick note on this: The Fox Labs pepper spray that I use has a directional, spring-loaded flip top lid design that makes it virtually impossible to accidentally spray yourself, or even actuate it by accident. At the same time, it's very quick to operate.
You are still not getting it. You have to pull out the can, flip the fliptop, put your finger on the button, then turn around and spray it at the dog...while trying to steer the bike and pedal it fast enough to keep in front of the dog. You already stated that
Kicking: Flailing around with one foot at a flying carpet with teeth while trying to stay on a moving bike and out of the path of large vehicles is a good recipe for "suicide by bicycle".
I full agree that trying to kick a dog while riding is a recipe for disaster but kicking at a dog is less complicated than trying to use a weapon on it. I know of no weapon that doesn't need to be directed in some way. Cowboys and American Natives could fire from the saddle with some accuracy but their vehicle was self steering and could stand up on its own. Bicycles aren't horses.
Originally Posted by
NeilGunton
This seems like one of those theoretical ideas that is bandied around, but it doesn't really fly in reality. When you are riding your bike, the spray aimed behind you does not somehow magically come forward against the wind to blind you. It would have to be a very strong wind in order to blow the spray back toward you if you are aiming behind the bike (as you usually would with a chasing dog); I have certainly never experienced such an effect (but I have to admit that this doesn't mean it could never happen; I'm just saying that it's not very common, if it happens at all). I like the stream variety (as opposed to the fog/cone) in part because it is not as affected by wind and blowback.
I regularly ride in situations where I don't feel wind blowing on my face at relatively high speeds. When that happens, I know that I have a tailwind that is matching my forward speed. Here along the front range of Colorado, that can be upwards of 40 mph. At times, I can only feel the pressure of the wind on my back. If I were to spray something into that kind of tailwind (or crosswind) blowback would definitely be a problem.
Originally Posted by
NeilGunton
That's great to hear! I've never been hit by a truck, so I guess by your logic that means I'm immune to trucks.
Do you ride out in front of trucks? Do you have some knowledge of what would happen if you rode out in front of a truck? Are you immune to being hit by trucks because you are lucky or because you use your knowledge of how to deal with them to keep from getting squished by them?
I use my knowledge and experience with dogs to avoid getting bit by one...just as I use my knowledge and experience to avoid getting hit by a truck.
Originally Posted by
NeilGunton
You may have a commanding physical presence, being an alpha über male and all. You seem to have missed my point above about not everybody being a big assertive testosteroney dominant man. Many people are, how do I put this, women. Or even (dare I say it), smaller men, or even (whisper) men or women who just aren't all that alpha or commanding in their demeanor. The undertone to all of this talk is that if you have trouble with dogs, then that must mean you're just some kind of wimp who can't handle dogs. I think this is probably a bit offensive to many people, but they wouldn't tell this to your face because you're just so, well, commanding and assertive. I find myself cowering a bit in your presence, actually. Please, please don't tell me to SIT or GET OFF THE COUCH, it would be most embarrassing.
You couldn't be more wrong. I'm trying to teach people how to use a dog's breeding and long exposure to humans to keep from being injured by dogs. The techniques I use aren't dependent on my size, level of testosterone or "he-manliness". They are dependent on using my brain which I assume that everyone has. While there may be some stupid people out there that train their dogs to be vicious, those dogs probably aren't going to be roaming too free for too long.
Most dogs are part of a family and they are subservient to
everyone in that family. A dog that would attack a family member or a guest in the house of a family won't be a dog for too long.
I'm not talking about me training the dog. I'm talking about using the dog's subservient nature for an instant to get them to stop and consider giving up the chase. Anyone...large, small, male, female, young or old...can learn how to tap into that part of a dogs mind that says "this is a human".
Frankly, using the dog's nature against it keeps me far safer than any weapon. Since the dog can't throw its teeth, it has have its mouth on me to bite. It never gets that close.