The pack might have chased after you even if the dog hadn't been tagging along. Halt is the cyclist best friend. I have an electronic dog repeller that works on most dogs but I grab for the pepper spray in an emergency situation...Except the other day a Rottweiler came up on me fast while I was recovering from a climb. I had a 3/4 full water bottle in my hand and before I had time to think, I threw that sucker as hard as I could and popped him in the face. He stopped dead in his tracks in disbelief