1) Don't know why that would make anyone mad.
2) Did you report them to the proper authorities so no one else would be hurt?

Today, you are a man.

We have two sizeable dogs....a Swissy mix at 101 lbs and a Boxer at 85 lbs. When they are in the yard (Invisible Fence) they are free to roam. Any other time they are on a 5 ft. leash. When I ride I carry pepper spray and occasionally have a .32 Keltec in my seat bag. I know this sounds paranoid but if you knew me you'd know I am not. Having been an Investigator for the State of CT I have encountered my share of aberrant behavior. Life is beautiful until it's not as mentioned previously. I don't intend to pay the price for someone else's bad judgement or intentions.

Good for on carrying. Wish more people did.

As a dog owner all I have to say on the subject is;

One surefire way to turn a friendly dog chase into an attack is to act aggressively toward the dog.

I ride bikes and I own a dog. I can assure you that my dog will not harm you, I can also assure you that I will harm you if you harm my dog. This is not a threat, it is simply an involuntary and uncontrollable fact. Kick my dog, you have me to deal with and I guarantee that I am much meaner than my pup. If you have ever successfully kicked a dog there is very little chance that he had any intention of biting you before the kicking, the average dog is simply quicker than a human foot.

To brag about kicking a dog is equivalent to a motorist bragging about running a bicyclist off the road.

This caused an incident for me just this week. I came over the top of a short hill and was met by an owner on one side of the road chatting to someone and the dog at the end of a stretched leash on the other side of the road. It was rather good that the dog was smallish because the leash was low enough to be pushed down under my front wheel. The leash retriever handle jerked out of the guy's hand and went sliding rapidly towards the dog.
The guy did call out that he was sorry so I gave him a cold "No problem".

Well...you can't. I assume nothing when it comes to animals, whether "domesticated" or wild. If your dog is in public without a leash, at least where I live, the only thing I'm assured of is the irresponsibility of the dog's owner.

No, you cannot assure me that your dog won't bite me. If a dog chases a bike or car or whatever out on the street....the owner is at fault for whatever happens to the dog. If you care about your dog, even a little, you will make sure it doesn't go running off putting it's life in jeopardy from cars, cyclists, whatever. Copping an "I'm badder than you" attitude only assures disaster. You may think you're the "Big Dog" but there's always a bigger dog. And, btw, none of this helps your dog if it runs into the street to chase a cyclist only to be hit by a truck. Guess who is responsible for the dog's death?

These dog threads really bring out the worst in people. A non-event has been turned into another opportunity for threats of physical violence and macho chest thumping. Thanks, Cranky. Never should have opened this; won't do so again.

Let's see. They were courteous,warned about the dog,restrained the dogs so you could pass. Yeah what a bunch of jerks. A non-event.

On the first part of this morning's ride a boxer pulled it's leash out of the owner's hand and proceeded to chase me. I stopped, made friends, and brought Betsy back to her owner. As XR2 says, another non-event.

If I am approaching 100 feet or so behind you, how would I know that? Are you carrying a sign of some sort? "My dog will not harm you?"

I have to assume that EVERY dog will harm me until proven otherwise. Besides, as a "pack" animal, all dogs are subject to forgetting all their training and "goodness" in the more primordial pursuit of prey.

Well since you folks seem to know my dog better than I do, I guess I should thank you for informing me of his dark side.

We are not likely to find out anyway, as my dog does not run the streets off leash, though he does "raise a little cane" while running from one side of the house to the other in the back yard barking at pedestrians and bicyclists as they pass on the street. He is even louder when they happen to be traveling along the creek bed just over the back fence. I cannot fault him for guarding/protecting "his" back yard (actually, he is probably trying to say; "Come on!! Let's play!!!). But he is behind a 7 foot high fence (designed to keep deer out of the garden) and thankfully that fence protects him from all those who would kick at a playful animal as he has never shown any sign of violent aggression toward anyone or anything. But I do understand why you think I do not know my dog, if you attack him, he probably would hurt you trying to protect himself from you, so on that point I reckon I was wrong. If you speak softly and hold out your hand he would likely attempt to lick it, but from the tone here you would probably interpret his action as attempting to rip your arm off.

Obviously, I care enough about my dog to be a responsible dog owner. I do protect him with a sturdy fence, a strong leash and effective obedience training. I'm sorry to have joined in on this thread but I would protect my dog to the same degree as myself or any other member of my family and there are many more like me.

Just something to think about. It would not be wise to let your fear of dogs put you in danger of a confrontation with a protective dog owner.

There are dogs and then there are Boxers. Best dogs on the planet. Just ask Moochie my 5 yr. old Boxer.

Larry, if you're a responsible dog owner, as you describe, I'll never have a reason to see, react to, or care about your dog. I believe most folks are talking about those dogs that have owners that aren't responsible. I am a dog owner, and a responsible one. However, I understand that my dog is not something others in my community have asked to have in their lives. I fully appreciate that in public places many people do not understand that others may have no desire to interact with their dog in any manner what-so-ever. The behavior described by the OP was irresponsible and perhaps arrogant. I'm hopeful you're not defending their behavior.

Unless you live in Parker, I will likely never know your dog, light side or dark side.

You miss the point about reasonable precautions a bicycle rider needs to make to properly protect him/her self from the unknown beharvior of unfamiliar dogs.

I don't hate dogs. I like dogs. But as a bicyle rider I never know what the reaction of a dog will be to me ahead of time. I have to make certain assumptions until proven otherwise.

I wonder how many folks have been bitten, just after being reassured that "He will never harm anyone, he is so friendly?"

As to my coined term "dogger," someone put a derogatory context to it. It was not meant that way. I used it simply to describe a walker and a dog combined in one uint - ergo "dogger." Not pejorative at all, simply descriptive.

Wogster +1. If the dog is well enough trained it won't be a problem. But the attitude of the owner is quite easily read by the dog. And the chase instinct is still there. The local bike club is dealing with a bad dog right now. It will be interesting to see the results. I for one carry my law enforcement mace and use it readily if the dog doesn't respond to a loud order to stop or sit.

If they were in a location that requires a leash, the dogs should not have been running free, you are exactly right. But in that case it is the owners, not the dogs that need the kicking..... (though I doubt that many dogs would take kindly to that either)

Non-event indeed. I tried to include all the pertinent data in my first post. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough for all to totally understand. I'll try to clarify a little bit more...

What kind of pea brained, no account, idiotic, stupid, morons would take three big dogs and one big bike hungry dog out onto a busy bridge on a bike trail in the middle of a city without the leashes required by law? Have these people traded in their common sense for gas money? Are they really so short sighted as to not have realized that other people also live in this city? Has it really eluded these micro mental beings that some innocent person could get seriously hurt while trying to elude their dogs? Remember, I stated that the age range went from very young to quite old. Cause a cyclist to fall and it's just a crap shoot as to whether or not serious bone or tendon damage will occur.

Remember, we are not talking out in the big old country here....this is in a city!

Oh yeh, to answer another question....I passed two uniformed Police on Bike Patrol a couple of miles farther down the trail. They just happened to be heading towards the bridge. I held my silence and decided to let karma take it's natural course.

Larwyn,
I have a metal plate in my shoulder because of a "friendly" dog. This dog is still owned by my neighbor. It used to chase me as I rode by. I would just ride on past it because I knew it wasn't a mean dog.
One day this dog was hidden in some tall weeds by the side of the road as I approached. When I got close it jumped out into my path and we collided. I ended up needing surgery for a broken collarbone. I'm OK now but it is only through the grace of God that I am not dead or crippled.
The sherriff, state's attorney, mayor (the mayor's son owns the dog), and the dog's owner all refused to do anything about the dog. SOOOO the next time it chased me, after I healed enough to get back on the bike, I gave that dog a whole bunch of mace right in it's **********, from a very short distance away. It has not come close to me since.
Other legal actions were also taken by me.
If a dog owner tried to harm me for protecting myself I would seek out some kind of legal compensation. How much property do you own?
Phone books are full of the names of smart-a$$ lawyers who are willing to jump at the opportunity to defend people who have been wronged or brushed-off by the local authorities, or by individuals who overstep their bounds.
You may be a bada$$, but I would advise you to keep your dog under control at all times.

Well, there you go then. I've no problem with you taking action against the dog's owner if he refuses to control his dog. Sounds like you and the dog have already come to terms. Good luck with suing the Mayor's son......

No point arguing with irresponsible dog owners, and even the responsible ones can be irrational.

A sprint or dog mace takes care of most situations on the road, and a good lawyer takes care of the others. Of course there's the risk of serious injury, and sometimes owners cannot be found or proven, but to me those are part of the risks of cycling.

Didn't have to. Control your dog.

Good enough. My dog was under control long before I heard anything from you.