Has anyone had the "stop and put the bike between the dog and me" trick fail?

I've been lucky, and had to resort to this only once (in rural Wyoming). It worked, but wasn't fun. I had to spend a lot of time jockeying around to keep the dog at bay while the owner sat watching from his porch.

I grew up in the country and we had this problem a lot. The best way to deal with it is treats. Really good treats. Like chunks of cooked hot dog. Keep mace as a backup. But most dogs are going to respond well to treats tossed at them. But don't bother with crappy dog briskets, the treats have to be good.

If you decide to go the bear spray route and can't find it at your local sporting goods store, Cabella's has it available by mail order. The good treats mention above are just considered appies by bears if you ride in bear territory.

Not me.....but I'm also wondering if anyone called 911 at first opportunity when the dogs let off? These guys need to be reported.

Thanks you for all of the rational responses.

To be sure, we are not talking about Fluffy here.

The area I ride is where I live, the surrounding countryside, it is my "neighborhood" so to speak and many people cycle in this area due to not many cars.

I am not going to start carrying a gun yet. I am not to that point. I will try some other ideas, stronger Mace or a Taser.

The dog treat idea is good for normal dogs but not Pitt Bulls or "man killer" dogs.

In the state I live and in most states the person being assaulted has the right to defend and it is THEIR opinion of "fear of life or serious harm to them or others" that counts at the moment the trigger is pulled. In order to get a concealed carry permit, which I have had for many years, one must attend training which covers the basic laws, my sheriff has confirmed his opinion and what his deputies will write down on their reports.

However, lets try to stay rational, I have ridden for many years and not had problems, I may be just having a run of bad luck and my next 1,000,000 rides may be trouble free as has before usually been the case so I am not go to "jump the gun" and carry a gun at this point. I think it might tempt me to do something that I could legally do but would still regret doing because of my currently heightened fear of dogs. The legal aspect is one thing, moral or ethical is another aspect separate of the law, believe it or not, and therein lies much of my dilema.

Thanks again, some good thoughts that seem to mostly mirror mine, stay level headed, try to live normal, don't escalate based on emotion (my currently raw emotional state).

LC

Oh, one other thing, a friend of a friend, a lady, 46 yo, a cyclist, was attacked by a pitt bull type dog two weeks after I was in another area frequented by cyclist. She broke her tibia, collar bone and is still in rehab. Again, this was in her neighborhood area and an area she had ridden many times and as I said frequented by other riders so you just have to realize, I think the difference is the "type" of dogs that are becoming common. But anyways, it is not just me. She cannot ride yet, at least I can.

And everything will be OK, a good attitude goes miles.

I added this pic. This is the pittbull type dog that attacked me a few weeks ago. I shot the pic with my Droid betwixt spraying him with Mace. He had already lunged at me several times snapping his jaws before I Maced him and before I shot this photo. In this photo he had already been hit once and as you can see he is considering his next move which was to in fact resume the attack at which point at about one foot distance I gave him a long blast rather than the small "squirts" I had been doing up till that point.

Does he look friendly, does he want a treat or does he want me, well, that is opinion, mine at the moment was that he was trying to bite me and would have had the Surly and the Mace not stopped him:

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


It was asked about legal action from my broken leg, yes, due to high medical bills, near 100,000 dollars and two months at home from work and from being on anti clotting medicine and loss of function of my leg and damage to my knee and hip, two suits were taken each against the owner by myself and the medical insurance company. I did not want to at first but the loss of function and the cost of the bills and my loss of income forced it upon me.

LC

Yes - well not so much fail as not be useful. I had 3 aggressive dogs after me at once, out of nowhere, so by the time I could have stopped there was one on each side of me. Halt got rid of the first two and I used the "bike between" and some rocks to get rid of the last one.

I just don't know what the Sheriff is doing. These dog owners need to be fined and heavily fined too. I would for sure put a letter to the editor in the paper about the lack of protection from "bad dogs" from law enforcement, so that the public is aware of the situation. Maybe even the TV news, as they are always looking for a human interest story. I would put pressure on law enforcement to get tough with dogs and dog owners. I wish you all the good luck in your predicament and hope it all works out for you and other cyclist in your area.

This works maybe to get you out of the immediate situation, but all it does is train the dog to expect food from cyclists. I feel bad for the next bike rider that comes by. In other words, over the long term, that's about the WORST thing you can do.

Here's the problem: More people in that area, I'm guessing, have dogs that they let run loose than ride bicycles. So sympathies will be with the dog owners. In the end, local law enforcement will end up hassling the cyclists, figuring the way to fix the situation is to make people stop riding in their jurisdiction, using the rationalization that if you know there are dangerous dogs about, it would be wise to just not ride in those areas... and if you get attacked, you had it coming to you.

Starting pistol . . . makes lotsa noise.
Water pistol with ammonia.
Halt/pepper spray works on some dogs; but watch wind direction when you use it!
But, these items have to be immediately accessible which is not always the case.
300,000+ miles of bicycing/tandeming. Yes, have been chased/threatened by dogs (one St. Bernard, one dachshund + various mutts), goat, geese, birds, cow (open range) and one coyote.
On tandem my stoker carries a very shrill whistle on a lanyard, while the pilot screams/yells 'get off the couch' . . . so far so good.
Have also (on my single bike) seen dog coming, taken big swallow from water bottle and spit it on dogs face . . . sure startles 'em!
If sprinting away is not an option, we head straight at the dog . . . you now become agressor and *most* dogs back off.
Dogs do sense fear . . . dogs are territorial, they'll run the full length and more of their property.
Had a new neighbor who thinks we would just love to stop and pet her dog as it comes running/barking (not on a leash) at our front wheel. Have warned her 3 times and finally threatened to kill her dog if it is not leashed as per county/city code. Dog is now on leash, but still still lunges and barks.
Just our experience.
BTW dog did not break your femur . . . he caused you to crash which resulted in busted bone. Hope you presented owner with ambulance/medical + pain and suffering bill.
Hitting owner in the wallet works.

http://www.tbotech.com/dogchaser.htm
Not sure if this really works but it is smaller than a can of spray.
Might be a good thing to try anyway.

Ultrasonic repellers - cool idea. Unfortunately the first review I saw of a similar product on amazon.com, written by a postman, said that only 4 of 1000 dogs actually turned and ran; for the remainder it was only effective at stopping barking.
I'd be interested to see if any cyclists have any experience using one of these.

I have a friend who lives and rides in a very remote area around the Carmel. Last year, he was stalked by coyotes on a very steep uphill grade. One came to within 4' of his legs before he stopped, put the bike between him and the coyote. The coyote backed off a little bit and he was able to turn around and head back downhill to the Hacienda. (He was going over 35 and the coyote easily kept up with him.) He asked a maintenance person to follow him about a half mile back as he attempted to ride the hill again. Sure enough, the coyote was in the same place and came after him again. Luckily, the maintenance person was able to get a bead on the animal and kill him. If the coyote had nipped him, he would have been killed. The rest of the pack was waiting at the top of the hill.
The long and short of it is that he now carries an extendible police club. However, he is seriously thinking about carrying a 10 shot 22 hollow point on his chest.
I have had many encounters with dogs also, some with similar results of owners sitting back to see what happens. Dog owners are not "entitled" to let their dogs attack people and not control them. Others in this thread have nailed it. A dog owner that would let his dog exhibit that kind of aggression and not do anything about it are likely to shoot the rider after the rider has either shot, or hit his dog to protect him/herself. I also carry Mace, but using it in close quarters is very scary. You wonder if it is going to work when the dogs teeth are right in front of you.

I had a boxer that has come after me three times. A sharp yell worked the first time and the other two I was glad to have law enforcement mace. I was going home from work and there is a leash law. It mentions that all dogs must be under control. I would hate to shoot a dog and face the crap from the owners' lawyer. I would rather face the convicted felons each day at work than deal with lawyers. I didn't call the police with reports but talked with the dispatcher. Then after the second attack I went to the owner's landlord and had a visit as I know him personally. The dog is now chained up securely, until he works the eye bolts loose again.
I was attacked from behind as a kid by a German Shepherd. The police then came and shot the dog in the head. That meant 14 rabies shots, one per day, below the belly button. I am a dog lover but I will kill a dog if I feel he is a "deadly force". The gun just doesn't seem to be the right weapon here. I'm in town and there are kids in that dog's yard or in the house. Lots of other kids in the neighborhood. To add to the confusion I want to say something else. Remember, when seconds count the police are only minutes away. Meaning not that the police are slow or non responsive but they have a lot of city to cover. If you don't take responsibility for your own security you might come out in a bad way some day. The police can only react. They are a great deal of help and of much comfort but can't be there ahead of time. I hope there is a slick answer to this problem one day. Let me know what it is. But don't talk to me about poisons and such.

I would start with The bear Spray. I carry when I ride. I have not been attacked but chased. The owner is the responsible party not the dog. The key to this is when attacked if you feel your life is in danger and there is no escape you are forced to use deadly force to stop the attack. If my big dog started chasing any one in my site I would be after the dog in a flash. Any moron that does not do this deserves what he gets. There is a time and place for every thing. You may one day need a firearm. A pack of dogs or worse intelligent hunting coyotes can not be all handled by mace or bear spray. If I were you in the last situation I would have yelled to the owner of the dog to get his dog or dog dies. Plain and simple. Don't get me wrong either I love dogs and usually can stop an attacking dog with out incident.
Helmet cam to help you when you are sued or charges are brought against you is a great idea. Also every dog that chases you should be documented with law enforcement. Doing this will insure that if that dog does come after you and you kill it, the courts will see that the animal was out of control. Your fear pheromones are totally irrelevant to your safety or a dog attacking you. Another poster said too many idiots are buying larger dogs as weapons. It is sad but true. Small weenie syndrome makes these morons do this. The mentality of "I have a bad vicious attack dog so that makes me more of a man" is too prevalent. Too many stupid dog owners instead of responsible good people that own dogs.

Well, here is a story of mine. There is a tool shop, car shop, semi farm and semi junk yard that I ride near and it is in a rural area. They had a bunch of dogs that work in a pack and come out after riders. I had considered admonishing the owners about the dangerous situation.

I read in the paper, about these people some time later. They had been caught using lights at night on deer. They were also haul in by the Bureau of Firearms, Alcohol and Tobacco for numerous automatic weapon violations. Apparently, they were using automatic weapons and lights on the deer.

So what do you think might happen to a cyclist who shot one of their beloved dogs? It sounds to me that the cyclist would be at a distinct disadvantage in a firefight. A handgun vs several automatic weapons. It does not sound like good odds to me.

I would suggest getting the bear mace. It should have a bit more ommph.

But shooting a dog is pretty problematic. Any dog owner that lets a large, aggressive and dangerous dog attack passersby on the local road is not really using good judgement or any responsibility. When you have this situation, you know you are dealing with a very irresponsible owner who does not care about other's safety. That kind of person is not someone one would want to "provoke".

Good point, but I'm not sure that's a real problem. A dog that expecting a dog biscuit or a bite of steak from a cyclist isn't going to bite the rider in the leg, he's going to beg. Of course, when the dog is running out for his treat, you may not be able to tell what is going to happen.

If the dog is that dangerous throw it a poisoned lump of meat. It eats the food, you go on your way, an hour or two later the dog dies?

Obviously check the legality of it but it seems like a solution that doesn't involve shooting the dog in front of the owner.

You mean like Ozzy Osbourne? :D

This is not a good idea at all.

Wow, your incident cost you 100,000 bucks! OMG.

Yeah, I know a guy that has one, and it appears that the ammo is manufactured out of a new element - unobtanium! He wanted to use the pistol for a concealed-carry class but had to borrow something else, as he had a hard time finding the ammo for sale, and when he did finally find it he couldn't afford it.

If I were to buy a revolver, I'd stick with the tried and true .357 Magnum, as it is just a .38 Special that's hot-rodded (and lengthened a little so you can't shoot it in a .38 Special chamber). You can buy it anywhere, and you can shoot .38 Special ammo in a .357 Magnum chamber, so you have even more choices when shopping for ammo.

Baloney. One time does not train the dog. And even if I trained the dog (which I would try to do if it was a regular route) a dog expecting food is a lot friendlier and less aggressive dog than a dog being territorial.

BTW, I have spent a lot of time training dogs. I have seen the treat method with hotdogs work. Ultrasonic repellers are useless. Don't stare down a potentially aggressive dog. Don't smile at the dog (teeth are aggressive displays). Stand sideways in a blocking position, with the bike between you and the dog, as still as you can. Speak firmly.

Contago: Poisoning the dog is cruel and ugly behavior. If the dog stops to take your poisoned bait , why poison him in the first place? Revenge on the dog?

Reason i said the 327 magnum is that is smaller and lighter to carry. The 357 magnum is heavy and larger. There is also The Judge from Taurus which can shoot 410/45 all from the same revolver. You can load rubber shot, 410 birdshot, 000 shot then a 45 all in the same gun. However its a brick and looks even bigger than a 357. Here in the Peoples Republic of California its almost impossible to get a CC permit. May be the OP can carry a meat pie made of rotting flesh to toss at
those bad dogs. One hit and they might stop to chow down on it. Where i ride there are some stray dogs but usually they are in very poor condition and unable to do anything. However there are some coyotes on my regular ride to the foothills. They are very fast and not to afraid of humans. Thought about a bayonet or Machete but would be extra weight. Hope the OPs bad luck with dogs has run it course and can do the rides in peace.