livedarklions

So is it ok to remove their teeth from your leg before you talk to the owners?

I'm sensing that you don't quite grasp what these people are talking about--the dog is actually attacking them and they need to deter it.

indyfabz

Been confronted by countless dogs in many places throughout the country. Never had to pepper spray one. Never been taken down by one. Never been bitten by one. Squirt of water to the face, using my voice to let them know who's top dog or simply ignoring them has always worked. Also never had any trouble with the 7 bears I have encountered while riding, including the 500 lb. one that was staring right at me from about 20' away.

TimothyH

A lot of hyperbole and emotion on the topic.

All should keep in mind that OC pepper spray is the most humane way to deal with a dog.

It wears off completely in two to three hours and does no permanent damage whatsoever.

I have gotten it on my hands an accidentally wiped it into my eye. Unpleasant but it goes away on its own in about two hours.

We are not talking about CN/CS style tear gas sprays such as Mace. These are junk and can harm an animal. OC is completely harmless apart from the discomfort.


-Tim-

North Coast Joe

Tim's on point here, with both his outlook and recommended product line.

From my experience of a broken collarbone caused by a canine collision and attacked & knocked from the bike in a second incident.

I'm a dog owner and lover...….spray 'em!

travelinhobo

I toured California last summer. Began in the San Joaquin Valley. Worst place I've ever biked - besides having my bike stolen, day after day had dogs chasing me. Dogs in the countryside, dogs in town. Can't tell you how many times I called the cops. Some of them I saw come out to the property to take care of the matter, but when the owners are foreign born and the entire valley is owned by them and there's a lone cyclist on a road which never sees bicycles, what are they going to do? It got to the point that I would ride all day with my pepper spray in hand. The problem was, once I stopped, the dogs did too. They wouldn't never get close enough for the spray to actually hit them. I do NOT recommend buying the kind which you can find in Walmart and Sport 5. The company (whose CEO is not interested in hearing from the consumers) makes it poorly and you need 2 thumbs to get the stupid lever to press down.

Bigbus

I carry 'Bear Deterrent'. I also hike in the back country a lot and I've only ever had to use it on dogs, and usually within sight of the owners (sad really). It's legal and it works, just don't be down wind of the spray.

aplcr0331

TimothyH

Bear Spray vs Self Defense Spray

Keep in mind that bear spray has a much lower concentration of OC (the stuff that burns) than does ordinary self-defense pepper spray. Bear sprays are a deterrent, intended to make the the bear run away. These contain 2% OC. Self-defense sprays are intended to incapacitate the attacker - human, dog or otherwise - so that you can escape. These contain 10% OC and are much more effective.

Also keep in mind that most bear sprays are foggers and you are much more likely to get hit with your own spray. Pepper sprays for humans and dogs should be streams, not foggers. The new gels prevent overspray and blowback very effectively.


-Tim-

bicyclridr4life

Large can of the most potent BEAR SPRAY you can find.

CliffordK

I usually yell very loudly at any dog that actually gets on the road. Probably all the neighbors within a mile think I'm dying.

I've only had one dog that didn't stop the charge. I wish I had pepper spray at the time, but I always wonder if I would be able to think about grabbing the canister, opening, and aiming properly as I'm sprinting away.

TimothyH

Self defense pepper spray is more potent than bear spray.

See post number 33.


-Tim-

cyccommute 

That has worked for me in about 10,000 miles of touring in all 50 states except North Dakota, Alaska and Florida. I haven't been to the last 3...yet.

That's always been my question about pepper spray. How are you supposed to do all that and manage not to just end up in a heap in the middle of the road? Frankly, I don't sprint away. If they don't slow down when I yell at them, I want to be facing them if I have to defend against them. If stopping doesn't take the wind out of their sails, a whack in the nose with a bicycle wheel or a good solid kick in the ribs will deter them.

But, honestly, stopping takes all the fun out of the chase and every dog I've run across will either retreat or come over for a pet.

mtb_addict

I recall bear spray is very expensive.

More important...the potential to hurt yourself is very more expensive. LIke the can is pressurized...and it blowing up at the worst time (like when you are sleeping in a tent in middle of nowhere). When that stuff goes off near people, it sends people to the ER. I have an old can of bear spray, which scares me, I probably need to get rid of it.

And it maybe too difficult to deploy quickly while riding a bike. You have to get off the bike first probably. My thinking is if you are going to use it...it's more likely in mortal combat with the animal. You're not going to be casually spraying a chasing dog. In which case, I think I rather carry a pocket knife instead.

mtb_addict

I think fogger is more appropriate for animals. Since it will most likely to charging at you full speed. You need the wide spread to get the hit. A stream would probably miss...especially your hand will be shaking under duress.

The stream is great against slower moving target like humans.

WizardOfBoz

Good advice.

Hmmm. Perhaps spaying the owner would be more effective?

Seriously, I'm not sure I'd talk to the owner myself. You don't know whether the guy or gal is a drunk or a hothead or an addict or a weak-minded firearm "enthusiast"* who blames society for everything wrong in their life. Most folks aren't, but there's too many ways that this could go South. I'd probably call the cops and ask them to talk to the owner when it was convenient.

One dog story broke my heart. I was jogging, back when I could. Running by a rural house with a big field. Two kids playing with a dog. The dog sees me, and takes off to chase. I'm on the opposite side of the road. A pickup is coming towards me. I throw up my hands to have the truck stop. Too late. The dog zooms into the street and his poor little puppy head met Mr. P255/70R17. What was particularly infuriating was that the owner of the residence owned a fencing company and his entire lot was fenced. Except the driveway gate was wide open. Seeing the two little muppets looking at their dead puppy was really a downer.

*This is not a condemnation of responsible folks exercising their rights, just pointing out that not everyone's responsible and in their right mind.

Litespud

Pepper spray sounds good in principle, but if I'm dodging or outrunning a dog, I don't have the third hand necessary to operate a spray without hitting myself or other riders. I used to ride in AR, where, once you were out of town, there were loose mutts everywhere. Some chased noisily, some stealthily, some bordering on suicidally, some just waited for you up the road. For the "waiters", I found the best approach was to get up to speed, aim straight for them and yell loudly when you were close. I found that this rocked them back on their heels sufficiently that they never caught up. Other than that, just staying alert, and being prepared to drop the hammer at short notice

ironwood

Actually, the owner was very sorry. He knew he should have had his dogs on a leash. I get very angry when I fel pain and see blood coming out of a cut. It must be some sort of primal response.

TimothyH

Several on this thread without experience are incorrectly supposing how things work.

I have sprayed dozens of dogs...

A fogger will spray you and everyone around you. The atomized mist will blow in the wind and contaminate your bike, clothing and anything else it touches including any rider behind you. Foggers are not appropriate for a bike. Go ahead and try it if you don't believe me.

If you can drink from a water bottle then you can carry and use pepper spray. Keep it in your jersey pocket and grab it when you need it. There is nothing to open. It can be shot with one hand. They are not just good in principal but in actuality. OC pepper sprays work extremely well against dogs, stops them cold.

The newer gels are extremely accurate when sprayed with very little if any overspray. It is easy to hit a dog (apart from a dog which suddenly runs in front of your bike from nowhere). I typically slow down to get a good shot, let them run right up behind or beside my bike and then let them have a spritz. I rarely speed up or try to outrun a dog. A pit bull for example, can run 25 MPH for 1/4 mile. Most cyclists are not outrunning a such a dog.

A lot of bluster in this thread too. We all know that spraying the owner instead of the dog is likely to get you arrested. I think some of you are just talking big.

-Tim-

Iride01 

My experience with dogs that chase me on the bike is that as soon as I stop, get off and move toward them is that they run away. They only chase because poor handling by their owner allows their pre-domestication instincts take over and think you are fleeing prey.

indyfabz

IKR. Must be some seriously skilled (yet easily frightened) people out there.

BTW...I cannot recall see many (if any) dogs during the two weeks I spent riding in ND during two separate trips. (Not may people there either.) Head there next if you want dog lite.

Leisesturm

Surely you realize that we all can't be in your league of bad@$$ery, right?

jlaw

For those who are concerned about how to deploy this stuff without crashing or spraying yourself....

Clip the can to a the outside of your front shorts pocket or shorts waistband. With finger-less gloves it's pretty easy to grab it while placing your finger on top of the spray trigger and have it oriented properly. It's intuitive - practice your quick-draw a couple times and you'll be good to go.

With a little ingenuity you could also find a way to mount it on your handlebars or top tube.

jlaw

Or, how about this thing for accuracy and stopping power?!!

Yours for the low price of $465.


https://www.thehomesecuritysuperstor...jpxb001-p=4006

(Just kidding!)

indyfabz

You missed the point. I think people overreact and think they are in more danger than they are, which often leads to dangerous confrontations. A dog is usually just defending his territory. Keep moving and he'll most likely leave you alone. Stop and it believes you are an intruder and continue to treat you as such.

It's like the lock/bring your bike with you debate, especially in the touring world. So many people basically say you are crazy if you let your bike out of your sight for one minute. I rode some 6,000 miles in about 4 months crossing the country+ with no lock. My total touring mileage is over 15,000. I have done other long and short tours without a lock or without using the lock I was carrying much, if at all. I couldn't begin to count the number of times I have left by bike out of my sight while doing things like eating lunch. It's rare that I lock my bike while camping. Despite all this, I have never had anything stolen while touring. How could that possibly be if there is a thief hiding behind every telephone pole and around every corner just waiting for the opportunity to steal something, like so many people believe?

The ironic thing is that the only time someone did try to steal something as when I was in camp in Wyoming doing laundry with a full view of my campsite. For some reason I cannot recall, I had set up my stove on the picnic table even though dinner time was far off. Two kids came driving down a dirt road next t the campground. Car stopped, one kid got out, eyed up my stove, approached the post rail fence bordering the campground and prepared to hop it. I jumped up from my seat and made a bee line for my site. Kid got back in the car and they sped off. More irony: The only place I have had a bike is from inside my h house while I was home and awake.

Either I am the luckiest fellow in the world with regard to dogs, bears and theft on the road or people are poor assessors of actual risk.

indyfabz

I wear NOT SHORTS.