Using a tool when it's called for doesn't mean you have a "love affair" with that tool.

If the guy decided to start carrying a ball peen hammer with him and kill the chasing dog with that, would he have a "love affair" with ball peen hammers?

A gun is a tool, and honestly, the guy IS in danger of serious injury or even death. People HAVE been killed by packs of dogs in suburban and rural America. I do not fault him for doing what he feels he must to protect himself, especially since he's gone to both the individual and the authorities, spent considerable time trying to resolve this in other ways, and has gotten little help.

I own a GoPro, and IMO the best "deal" on a GoPro is to buy something else. I've switched to an RD32II camera. $125 on ebay and I get as good results as I do with the GoPro, and it doesn't have the firmware bugs that the GoPro has. it lacks WiFi but I don't use that anyway.

Seriously? Because someone mentions the use of a firearm to defend himself, you automatically ASSume he has a "love affair" with guns? Please

I also read the whole thread just now. Since I started commuting last month I've had dogs run out after me a couple of times, mostly smaller yappy dogs. One larger one once, but the owner was trying to contain it. I'm starting to think the high-vis jerseys attract their attention or something.

Hope it works out for you.

Just to lighten the mood a bit:
https://www.water-wheels.com/

Mount the water guns to the rear rack pointing sideways and rearward and downward.


imagelinked from https://www.water-wheels.com/video/spike.jpg

Well, perchance you should have actually said what happened, instead of saying what didn't happen. From your initial post, you said the attack happened, you went to a friend, the situation didn't resolve, so you decided to start carrying a gun to solve the problem.

(*You're)

You read the first post again. At no point did he say he started carrying his gun. He said he has a CCP but that's it.

OP, I think you're a fool to face a pack of seven dogs without a pistol. This is not to say that I think you should start blasting, just that you need a last option.

I won't fork this thread with my story but suffice it to say that my belt rig carries surprisingly well without belt loops.

Yes, and his first thought after talking to his friend was ,"Well, should I just carry my gun?"

Instead, my first thought might have been,"Gee, maybe a different route is in order...", or,"You know, I should just call the sheriff's office about this..."

THAT is what I'm shaking my head at.

UG, for goodness sake please read the whole thread. You're WAY off base here.

Then, perhaps, the OP could have written his first post to say what actually happened then. Not my fault that I'm working off the sequence of events (s)he relayed in that post...

The rest of us can read, too. You're not working off the sequence of events relayed in the OP -- you wanted to think the scenario was "Oh no, a dog! Time to bring my gun and shoot them!" That wasn't it, and you're being called on it.

I'm sorry, he did a friend who works in the Sheriff's office (Not an actual LEO, apparently), who said it's ok to defend himself.

I'm sorry, my first though would be,"Hey, maybe I should find a different route", or actually file a report with the SO; and not "Hey, maybe I should grab my gun".

But, to each their own, I suppose.

Won't help if his mind is already made up.

A couple of years ago I visited my friend who at that time lived outside of Eagle Point, not far from Medford, Oregon. We went for a run on the rural roads, and were making a loop on a gravel road that had quite a few homes along the way. Noting that every single dog was either confined by fence or chain, and none came out to chase us, I observed that they must have really good animal control people out there. He said they had none. If the dogs become a problem somebody will shoot them. It seems to work out there.

Wrong again. Read the whole thread.

If you had read the thread instead of making knee-jerk reaction comments to the first post of a thread that started 6 weeks ago, you would have seen that his only other route choice would add THREE HOURS to his ride time.

Sequence of events, according to the very first post:

1. Cyclist Commuting to Work.
2. Cyclist chased by 7 dogs.
3. Cyclist nearly hit by vehicle trying to avoid the dogs.
4. Cyclist calls Police Chief (no jurisdiction).
5. Cyclist determines Police Chief knows homeowner well.
6. Cyclist asks Police Chief to make contact.
7. Police Chief makes contact, although not in jurisdiction.
8. Homeowner denies owning dogs.
9. Cyclist thinks about carrying concealed weapon.
10. Cyclist contacts someone at Sheriffs office (no details as to rank / position) to ask about legality of deadly force.
11. Person as Sheriffs office tells cyclist that the law states that animals are not to roam free, and if attacked, cyclist may use deadly force to neutralize the situation.

If no one is willing to take responsibility for these aggressive pests, then the OP has every right to defend himself against them. Deadly force is never a first option. It should always be saved as a final option. But if a CCW holder is currently carrying a weapon, and is attacked, and has exhausted all other options during the attack, then deadly force is the last option at that moment.

These dogs are strays, and aggressive ones at that - potentially putting people in danger. If someone has a problem with euthanizing these, then I suggest you never visit your local animal shelter, where many non-aggressive animals are euthanized every day simply because they are unwanted.

I'm not concerned with the whole thread. I'm shocked the first thought after talking to a friend is "grab my gun"... And, I'm not the only one seeing the events in the same order, with nary an official report to law enforcement:

That's pretty obvious -- whether you have anything to add to the discussion beyond not liking guns isn't.

I hardly "don't like guns", I own one myself. It's the fact the quick rush to use a gun to solve a problem which I find disturbing. Again, to each their own, I suppose.

Gotta consider the territory... Out in the middle of Bum F, Louisiana in a tiny backwater town on a nothing road, only one McDonalds within miles and probably considered gourmet food, and da guy has to deal with a mess of strays nipping at his heels... ya use the tools ya got... rite.

They prolly use guns to swat flies down there.

I'm surprised they even gots the internets.

Those poor flies! They should really try some other tactics to avoid them before resorting to killing.

And all the rest of us, who actually DID read the OP's posts from the start, are shaking OUR heads at YOU and your insistence on being obtuse.

Seriously.

OP was asked about a different route early on, and answered that -- there IS none. And it WASN'T "some friend in the sheriff's office", it was the POLICE CHIEF. The first option taken WAS THE POLICE SPEAKING TO THE APPROPRIATE HOMEOWNER.

Distilled water couldn't be clearer than the OP's posts. So, it IS your fault. You're dangling dangerously close to the cliff's edge of trolling.....

Since we're SUPER off topic already, what's everyone's favorite pokemon?

We should just talk about helmets and chain lube. Then maybe Religion and Politics...lol

I'ts pretty simple to me, I would have shot the dogs a long time ago, all of them.

I'm still amazed that someone who has read this thread is reaching for the can of "kumbiya" as a valid solution.

Add 3 hours to your route, cause that's what I'd do.
Buy them treats and show them the love they're not getting at home.
Stop riding your bike and start driving.

I'm gonna go ahead and say "troll."