There's a loopy thread in this forum that is devolving into a Monty Pythonesque debate about whether cats are valid head protection, and it reminded me: I was attacked by a dog today! A seeing-eye dog, no less! I had to run an errand to buy something too big to lug home on the bike, so I took the subway (it was also pouring). I was walking in Times Square when I felt . . . well, it felt a little like a somebody rummaging through my boxers with tiny little fists. Which is how it feels when a seeing-eye dog with a muzzle is led right into your thighs and tries to bite you several times! Very alarming. I stood in disbelief, watching as the blind woman progressed up Broadway. You could tell where she was because every 20 feet or so, some poor sucker would leap sideways in alarm.
It's much safer on a bike and in the streets!

That's one way to clear the way!


btw, you don't have to wear a cat. it can be any furry mammal, really, but ferrets are kinda bitey.

I've never heard of this before, but maybe the dogs are trained to clear the way in that manner? Seems like a great way to get tangled into a lawsuit in this sue happy country though.

Looks like the Spartans were on to something.

I don't know how seeing eye dogs are trained, but I think they are trained to guard their owners. I used to sometimes hang out in groups where I would be the only sighted person. I remember walking into this room once to find a yellow lab put very aggressive looking teeth on my crotch accompanied with a lot of racket. He did not attack -- it was just a very impressive warning. When the owner said I was OK, the dog was very friendly to me.

I'm surprised to read this...I knew a woman whose dog was being trained as a seeing-eye dog, and they did *crazy* things to that dog. They popped balloons in his face to see if he would attack, they brought him onto a little kid playground to see if he would jump, all sorts of things to make sure he could keep his cool.

...

cats live a long time, too. why aren't there any guide cats? and tortoises!

I have a guide cat - she'll guide me to her empty food bowl, or the piece of furniture that is preventing her access to the toy she knocked under it or her favorite water bowl that she would like to have refreshed ...

Because you don't own cats; they own YOU.

My elder brother had a seeing-eye dog. I never saw any aggressive behiour. Apart from knowing the way around the locality, it was trained to find a drug store, butcher, baker, or post office by smell in any strange town. It would find the post office from the smell of red tape.

Ferrets do not meet minimum federal safety guidelines and should not be used as protective gear. Sure they're better for ventilation, but you're asking for serious trouble if you're going to ride around with a ferret on your head. Might as well wear a hamster. Gosh!

But it's your head. So do what you want. Just replace the ferret every two years or so.

Oh, here come the self-righteous ferret nannies now!

Absolutely. They're not safe. And I'm going to keep on you ferret-wearers until the goverment steps in and does something about you. Then you'll see. I have medical studies done by medical people that back me up.

You know what they call ferret-wearers in the ERs that I've been in? No? Well, I don't either. But it can't be good. Get a cat, put it on your head, and be safe. I can't stress this enough.

Yep, that's what I think. They are trained to remain calm and not get distracted no matter how distracting the environment is. It is possible that they are taught some guarding behaviour too, but I think it would not be exhibited "by default". I think those aggressive dogs you're talking about are seeing eye dogs gone kinda bad... It's true they are selected very carefully and trained extremely well, but their owners are not necessarily canine specialists and it's easy to screw up a dog if you don't know what you're doing... or worse, if you know a little bit and are bent on screwing it up thinking you're actually improving it...

I hope you don't mind this story. There wasn't even a bike involved, but the point is to try and develop a certain attitude for emergency use where aggressive dogs are involved.

This is the annotated version. My two brothers and I were moving into our first apartment. I had my 6 month-old dog chained to a post on the porch. Tom and I had just carried a bookcase into the house and we heard my dog shrieking as she was being attacked by one of those very large male Shepards. We ran to the door and froze. The dog was huge and in fighting mode. He wasn't looking for romance. We were in his territory and he was trying to kill my dog. We looked around for something to hit it with.

Brother Mike never hesitated. He had a soft spot for kids and dogs, especially when they were being attacked by bullies. He jumped out of the truck onto the porch and charged the Shepard. He kicked it halfway across the porch. It got up and came after him with its teeth bared. He met it with a punch to the head that knocked it to the ground. Then he pounced on it, grabbed it by the neck and started pounding its head on the concrete porch floor. After 15-20 seconds of that, he picked it up by the tail and back of the neck, ran it over to the railing and threw it off the porch. I remember it pinwheeling in the air ( in slo-mo in my memory ). It hit the ground face first and took off for home. Its owner met it at the door across the street and we never saw that dog again except at the end of a leash slinking by our house with its tail between its legs.

I don't know if I could do that today, if I were attacked by a dog while riding. I certainly couldn't have then. But I know that the dogs who attack you are usually the bullies and bullies are cowards. If you can at least put on your game face and let them know you're not going to take any ****, they will usually back off and pick on somebody who shows fear.

You need this.

I always carry a bit of pepper spray for such occasions. Dogs don't like pepper spray, even the mild kind.

Wow. just wow.