Same here- I guess our leash law is enforced pretty well. But when I lived in rural Texas there were dogs roaming everywhere. I didn't ride back then, but lots of dogs chased cars, so I imagine they would have had even more fun chasing cyclists.

you all speak of this in such a matter of fact way.

i can't imagine being chased by a dog.

depending on the dog, it could be a pretty scary prospect.

ive passed people walking dogs off leash on the east river esplanade, but never had one bolt after me.

it seems to me you probably did the right thing.

though you are not sure you actually hit the dog with the spray, in this case maybe even the smell of the spray was enough to deter him.

I've had some dogs approach me in incredibly aggressive way, and they have all stopped when I shouted "no!" at them. I know there are dogs that don't do that, but I've never met any on a ride. I've left some dog encounters with my heart racing and very angry at irresponsible owners, but not really scared. Mostly I'm afraid of colliding with one of them

well, i guess i've gone a whole year riding without this experience.

i have a feeling it's inevitable considering i do not plan on giving up riding any time soon.

i could see this happening on a vacation somewhere, and i decide it's a good idea to rent a bike and....

Unter has the right idea. Try yelling "No! Bad dog!" in the loudest lowest meanest voice you can muster. This will stop most dogs in their tracks, or at least slow them down long enough for you to get away.

Being chased by a dog, even if it's snarling and growling in the fiercest way possible doesn't really scare me that much because I've been with dogs all my life and love them. That being said, I don't carry pepper spray because it's not really all that effective of a deterrent when you really need it. Dog chases happen in my area, and if they're not of the friendly sort (most are, so I just stop for a pet and then leave) then I give the dog a hard kick when they start going for my feet (I have platform pedals). The dogs also remember me the next time I come by (I'm not going to change routes for a dog) and while they might put on a show, they won't ever come any closer than 20 feet away again.

I've only had to move beyond that once, when a rabid dog came out of the brush towards me while I was stopped out in the country for a drink of water. I carry a Smith & Wesson J-Frame on my rides that are expected to leave the city limits. If I feel like I need to carry it inside the city limits, it's probably not a four-legged problem and I need to re-plan my route.
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Broke a collar bone after a lab ran at me and got under my front wheel, flipping the bike. Owner stayed inside peeking through the curtain while I lay in the road and cussed the dog for 20 minutes, until a friend drove up and took me to the hospital. Glad you are OK.

AirZounds air horn works great for dogs. If you want something better than pepper spray try wasp spray. It gives a 20 ft range. I recommend AirZounds the most.

I've been chased a bit, usually on country roads, but sometimes in the city.
Although I am a gun owner, and carry sometimes in the backwoods, I think it's probably overkill against a dog.
The Airzound option is a good option. It'll hit their "reset" button and cause them to hesitate, which is really all you need. You don't even need to slow down. :)
A better option than pepper spray would be a Kimber Pepper Blaster, or similar device. I've seen these tested on a friend, and they WORK. (This is NOT my video.)
I usually carry a small pocket knife, but awareness is my main tool. If you see them before they see you, you can slow down and even walk the bike past them. This avoids triggering the chase instinct, and gives you more
defense options, such as putting the bike between you and them. Stomping on the ground and shouting in a deep voice will almost always make them back off, at least for a moment. Make your way out of their territory, and you'll be fine.

Oh, I did. First thing when I saw him I yelled "No!" and "Go Home!" while grabbing the pepper spray. Absolutely no response. After that he was closed to biting distance when the sh*t hit the fan.

This is true. This works better: http://www.pyramydair.com/p/crosman-c11-bb-gun.shtml

Also, make sure there are no packages of bologna in your pockets/panniers.

We just make it up, we are all liars:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...s/P3120642.jpg

Dogs do attack people. My dentist, his neighbor, a woman, was running recently, a pit bull attacked her and took a large section of her calve muscle. She required surgery, a hospital stay, more reconstructive surgery, huge bills and is left with a disfigurement and she can no longer run.

I am sick of you people who doubt other people when such stories are recounted, doubt this, pit bull attack, broken femur, huge bills, permanent loss of function, I was there it was me:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...h/P8070454.jpg

I also carry now as a result since the dogs continued to attack me once they brought me down. I have had enough of people with their dangerous attack and pit fighting dogs and of people who think all they need to do is toss the dangerous animals a biscuit and pet them.

I assure you that when you wake up in the hospital with broken bones or worse a broken spine, your attitude will change. I now have post traumatic issues. I have dreams where I am fighting the dogs off, I had one last night. I get anxious whenever a dog gets near me, especially if it is not on a leash. A phobia by definition is uncontrolled fear, I have that now as a result.

If you see the dogs coming you should stop, dismount and place the bike between you and the dog. Yell, stop, sit, go etc, if this does not halt the attack, as far as I am concerned and my local authorities have told me to have at it, shoot the dangerous animal.

If it were me and I had enough time to snap THIS picture, this dog would be headless rather than a ****ing portrait.

1) Forget this. Get a CO2 pistol and shoot them. It hurts. Dogs understand pain and will leave you alone afterwards. I know. I've trained half-a-dozen dogs on my regular routes.

2) Yep. Once they hit the asphalt they're yours.

Really sorry about your PTSS, Loose Chain. Hope w/time and counseling you'll be able to overcome it.

Many of our fellow cycle-commuters and the general population really don't get how dangerous a dog can be to a cyclist. Or it gets marginalized. My question is why do we have to adjust our behavior to suit someone else's lack of responsibility? Why should I have to stop my bike and yell NO! or GO HOME! or use my bike as a barrier? Eff them...the owners, I mean. Why should I allow my wife or myself to be victimized? Calling animal control and/or confronting the owner is all well and good in a civilized society, but in the moment one is being attacked you're dealing w/a wild animal. One that can do damage as the above photos so glaringly illustratre.

My choice is a very powerful and accurate CO2 pistol linked on my previous post. Tried Airzounds, pepper spray, Halt, etc. w/varying results. From the first time until now the pistol has worked 100% of the time. To the point where I don't have to carry it anymore because the harrassing dogs on my regular routes all know me and behave accordingly. But, I carry it anyway in case I run into one that's new and untrained.

Don't be naive. Print a copy of the above picture. Keep it on the wall of your bikeroom and know, but for fortune that could be you.

Thanks for posting those pics LC. You've done all cycle-commuters a great service. Hopefully, the naysayers, and trivializers will begin to take the threat seriously. Biscuits? Get a grip.

LooseChain:

Sorry you had such an encounter. Man......

Shouting "No" has only gotten me bitten.

As to the doubters, in the big city (NYC being representative of the entire USA, of course), there are simply fewer dogs, and almost no strays. But in rural areas dogs are often allowed to run loose, and these days the old Pit Bull is the dog of choice for many - I worry more about the size being able to wipe me out more than the ultimate attack, but poorly mannered owners usually end up having dogs that will bite.

I don't carry a pistol these days on my bike, but I think a can of "Halt" is a good idea. But trying to outrun them isn't in the cards for me, so I have to plan to dismount and hope they'll stop.

But of late, its been the little yapper dog that worries me the most - I'm afraid of one of the little snots tangling me up and causing a crash. I guess it could gnaw on me, but the pavement would certainly hurt worse.

I will be purchasing HALT to have on all of our bikes this week....

Luckily I've never been bitten, but have been chased a fair amount of times...scares the hell outta me! Yeah you yell and scream, but some dogs are just plain vicious! -- Sorry to hear about your horrible experience Darthmuffin ... this is a good reminder that I should take more precautionary measures when I'm riding!

I hate to tell you this bud but you cannot shoot animals with a pellet pistol, it is illegal. What is not, NOT, NOT illegal is defending one's self against the possibility fo death or injury. You should never ever shoot anything but to stop (you shoot to stop) it and only if in fear of injury or death and that your use of deadly force is the indication that you felt in serious danger for life and limb or loved one. A jury will not consider a pellet gun an indication you feared for life and will see you to jail or fine for animal cruelty. Just trying to keep you out of trouble. Be careful there, pellet guns are a grey area.

The dog above did attack me--after my leg incident --that is not the dog that attacked me and broke my leg. I had to hit the dog in the photo with dog Mace. It took several shots. The authorities like to see escalation, had he not stopped thrusting his head through my frame on that second shot of Mace, I would have shot him with lead. But, he stopped which was fine by me.

Most of your comments here (stopping/deadly force) only apply to shooting humans. Of course different strict laws apply to shooting dogs.

Yes, I am applying a higher standard in part but I will stay with what I said about the pellet gun, better check with the local authorities on that. I am not advocating shooting animals, I am advocating the right to defend oneself against deadly animals. I tried to escape in my incident because I was afraid of the dogs, one dog went under my front wheel, the other ambushed me and tried to get my leg, both attacked me once I was on the ground. I will no longer try to outmaneuver dangerous dogs, I will stop and place my bike between them and me, I will yell stop, sit, no etc, I will if possible escalate to Mace before resorting to deadly force but I will let the situation decide that. I will not be bitten, I will not be prevented from riding my bike, I will defend myself. People need to keep their dangerous animals confined. BTW, I sued the owners, I got a nice bit of money, it does not make up for the injury but it is a big piece of money.

LC, I've got to respectfully disagree. In TN one is allowed to take any means necessary to diffuse an attack by a loose domestic dog once it has reached the pavement. If it's on the grass or still in it's drive way that's another story. The problem is that the state leaves the fine scale up to local authorities and most of them have a 25.00-50.00 range for even multiple offences. :rolleyes:

My choice upon recognizing an eminent attack is to not wait. My accuracy isn't real good, but the report of the CO2 pistol and an object hitting the stones in front stops almost all of them. I think of the 6-7 I've 'trained' only 3 have been hit. This was 5 years ago so I can't recall, but there are new ones cropping up from time to time. Which is why I still carry.

Personally, I'll take my chances w/t legal system after preventing myself from being injured if an owner decides to take legal action. Halt, pepper-spray, Mace and all that are too iffy for me. The wind can have an adverse effect on their use. One can spray one's self instead of the intended target. :p

I've been swarmed after being knocked off my bike and it's an extermely frightening experience. Fortunately I was able to get to my feet and use my bike as a shield before the owner came out and called his dogs off. Never saw or heard them coming. The owner offered NO apology and was annoyed when I said something about 'pet responsibility'. Told me I was "stupid for riding my bike so far out in the country, anyway." How does one reason w/ignorance like that? My front wheel was bent, but I was able to straighten it enough to get home.

Btw, our 3 dogs are kept safely behind an invisible fence on an acre of cleared ground. They bark like crazy sometimes, but they never leave the yard unless on a leash.

Pit bull is a generic term that covers quite a few breeds. Lets not hate on one specific type of dog. Any dog in the road can be a danger to us. Dobermans for instance are faster and every bit as scary. :) Be careful out there people, good luck and godspeed!

Even a small friendly dog can kill you!

The little f'er came up to me as I was cruising at walking pace, wagging it's tail... bit me in the leg, turned around and strolled off, not even a bark... The egyptian doctor insisted I took a course of rabies vaccinations. Rabies is 100% lethal if not treated in time.

If attacked unarmed, one self-defence technique is to lower your left arm so the dog bites that first. Let the dog pull you down towards the ground. On the way down tackle the dog by wrapping your right arm around its body and press it hard to the ground.
Keeping your weight on the dog wrap your right arm around it's neck and strangle it until it's unconscious or dead (Rear naked choke).

Or the C. Dale Peterson method:

This bear was taken by World Famous Hunter
and Hunting Guide C. Dale Peterson of Jackson
Hole, Wy. It is one of the only two Grizzlies known
to have been killed “without” the use of modern
weaponry.
Verified by Game Biologists, Mr. Peterson killed
this bear with his hands, and oddly enough, his
teeth. It is known that this bear had been aggravated
by a group of backpackers, shortly thereafter
Peterson, unaware of the previous happenings, came
upon the bear. A fight-to-the-death ensued.
Peterson, having his right hand and arm wedged
in the bear’s throat, actually used his own teeth
and jaws to pinch off the bear’s jugular vein.
When the bear passed-out from lack of blood
flow to the brain, Peterson beat the bear upon
the head with a stick.

A dog doesn't need to bite you to put you in the hospital. Hitting the pavement at 20+ mph because a dog jumped out of the bushes in front of you can easily cause extensive injuries, even if the dog just walks away and does not attempt to bite afterwards.

I agree that in the city dogs are not serious problems. In a city, loose dogs on the street get hit by cars, or people call animal control very quickly because they worry about their children getting bitten.

In the rural areas you get these dogs that are 'half domestic, half wild', and they are very dangerous. I would consider them just as dangerous as any other wild animal of their approximate size. Just because people associate them with loving pets does not mean they are not lethal. I mean if a mountain lion came after you would you consider that a dangerous animal? Big dogs are about that same size.