If you work at an animal hospital then I think you know that having a pet is the OWNERS responsibility.
They should keep their dog in their own yard. Cyclist have to obey the same rules as cars which means we have the right to travel any roads we wish unless otherwise posted. We have the right to ride without being attacked by their 'innocent' Fido. What if it was a small child that rode by their house?
I say report any dogs, if not for yourself, then for the next rider who may be passing by

If you feed them they might asociate you with food that could be a bad thing

A friend of mine just rode the same route as SinGate above and was "attacked" by the same two dogs last night. She was very scared just as SinGate was.

What would the police do if called?
This is open country; farmland. It hardly seems fair for the guy to have to chain up his dogs....

I'm thinking let the dog bite me and then sue the man and take his farm (and no i am not kidding).

It sounds like those two dogs need to start associating cyclists with pepper spray.

lol. Yes but then again I have a feeling the farmer may associate bikers with shotguns.

I was taken out by a big rottweiler in October. He had a full head of steam and caught me by surprise. Not mean, but thrilled at the chance to chase something. Both knees scraped good, took a couple of weeks before I could kneel again. Fortunately, the owner came out as I struggled to my feet. She now has a new understanding of pet ownership, I "discussed" the actions I had available to me and her responsibilities. Haven't seen those dogs loose since.

I now carry pepper spray. And if I see I'm not going to outrun the dog, I stop.

My old steel frame Peugeot survived, but my rear rack took the blow and saved my spokes.

What about carrying an extending metal baton? I'm thinking if you had a three to five foot reach, you could really discourage a dog. Either that or a bull whip.

They write warnings. So many warnings and dogs are hauled away plus a fine. They have to to control rabies. Its the owners reponsibility to keep their dogs on their property. I like dogs but not ones that bite people just walking or riding by.
Plus every dog running loose may end up running with a pack and I don't want to run into a pack of dogs.
You are doing every cyclist and pedestrian a favor by turning them in.

Good logic.

Ok here's the plan for good or bad:

1. I will get peper spray (but use it only if bitten or really threatned).
2. I will report the dogs to police if I am chased again or if my other firends are chased, encurage them to report it.
3. Sue the hell out of the farmer if the dogs do bite me.

Yelling, commanding, outsprinting, sometimes those things don't work. Read my tale of dogs here: https://www.bikefanclub.com/forum/sho.../o/all/fpart/1

My wife and I aren't twenty-something CAT3 racers, just middle-aged recreational riders. Any chance of us outrunning a determined pooch is zero. Since this incident I have taken to carrying pepper spray and a cell phone. I will have no hesitations about calling our county Animal Control to report vicious dogs.

Good thread Davet. Thanks for sharing.

Maybe this animal control will work. Or maybe improve your golf swing.

[QUOTE=notsofast]What would the police do if called?
This is open country; farmland. It hardly seems fair for the guy to have to chain up his dogs....
QUOTE]

I would call, most WI counties are pretty serious about dog control. As for not being fair to chain them up, believe me, when they are not chasing bikes they are chasing deer and every other type of wildlife. If they can't keep them chained or fenced, they don't deserve to have them.