Falchoon

This has been brewing for a while but finally this mornings incident has compelled me to say something. This morning on my commute to work I came within inches of doing serious injury to both myself, my bike and less importantly a dog as it ran in front of me while I was sailing along at approx 30km/h. This woman was out walking her dog without a lead attached and the dog, being a dog, was just wandering all over the bike path (it is a shared pedestrian path as well but "share" is supposed to have meaning for both parties). I locked up the brakes and skidded sideways on the semi-wet path, the dog just managing to move out of the way at the very last instant allowing me to ease off on the brakes and regain some sort of control over the bike again. The woman made no attempt to call her dog or restrain in in any way either before, during or after the event. No apology from her either. Not a word.

I didn't bother to stop because I could tell by her ignorance that there was nothing to be gained and I would probably just get into a pointless argument with her over the incident. But as I rode off I couldn't resist telling her to put the dog on a lead. Still no acknowledgement from her.

If she has no respect or worry for me she should at least have some for the dog and keep it under control. Bike and rider meeting dog at 30km/h could cause some serious injuries.

I see unrestrained dogs being walked all the time on the paths, in fact I have taken to going a different way home to avoid an area where there are a lot of these. THis is the closest call I've had to date though.

Fugazi Dave

Two words: pepper spray

Another bunch of letters: H&K MP-5

Falchoon

For the owners or the dogs?!

Fugazi Dave

Whichever you prefer, really. Legally, it seems to be advantageous for you to leave the owner alive, if somewhat maimed.

Dutchy

Falchoon, I collected a dog a few weeks ago and received a concussion, lots of bruising and a swollen knee, and have only just ridden today for the first time since May 27th. The dog ran out of an open driveway gate, the lady was apologetic at the time, yet 1 week later and the gate was wide open again, for her dumb Great Dane to run onto the road. I have called the council and asked them to fine her. Some people are senseless, selfish bastards. Good thing you missed the dog.

CHEERS.

Mark

Chris L

This is actually one of the reasons I point blank avoid the paths and stick with the traffic. I don't see too many dogs on Bundall road (4-8 lanes of wall to wall traffic). As far as unrestrained dogs goes, isn't there supposed to be a law against unrestrained dogs except in certain areas? I know there is around here. Not that anyone around here follows the law.

TimArchy

For the owners. It's not the dog's fault.

jfmckenna

I avoid 'bike paths' as much as possible too. I find that a dog on a leash is worse if it it one of those adjustable length leashes. Then basically you have this 20ft garote crossing all and every which way across the trail. Also if I choose to take the path and approach walkers I've learned to pass them just a little faster then they are walking.

jkittlesen

One word................ LAWYER!

Portis

Dogs have been a real head ache for me lately as well. It has been so bad that it has forced me to reconsider my route several times. One thing you must have is this product.

I haven't left home without it on the bike in over 6 months. I have had to use it twice so far. Within the confines of most cities there are laws outlawing loose dogs so in town I really don't have too much trouble. I have had a similar problem with people walking unrestrained dogs on our local path. The way to handle this is simple, tell the owners they are breaking the law!!!!

I encountered a dumb girl on the multi use path one day last winter. She had 3 dogs and they all made a direct run at me while she stood there looking bewildered. The little white dog had chased me before ( this wasn't my first encounter with her) and he was having a go at my pedals.

After I got clear of the dogs, i stopped and screamed at the top of my lungs, "get your f'ing dogs on a leash!!! I haven't seen her since. These and other encounters with stupid pededstrians has caused me to avoid the walking/biking trails and also opt for the road or for the country.

The problem with riding on gravel roads out in the county is that there are no leash laws out there. The dogs can legally roam. The law does say that when they are not on their property, you have a right to even kill them if you feel that threatened. This is where the k9 muzzle comes in handy. This stuff works.

THe first time i had to use it was a few weeks ago. There was a lab and some other big mixed dog standing in the middle of the road one early morning. We were out somewhat in the middle of nowhere but there were probably 6 houses in the area. The dogs decided that the road was theirs and they didn't want me to go down it. THe lab went for my foot/pedal and growled. I grabbed my K9 muzzle off of my waist and prepared for the worst. Hearing the growl the other dog joined in. THey both here having a go at my left pedal. At this time I considered myself threatened.

I aimed the spray at the dogs, they were within inches of each other and my bike, and gave one short burst of spray. Instantly the dogs melted away. I heard a quick yelp, and they were running for home with their tails between their legs. I felt guilty after having done it because it obviously had an effect but i still feel justified in having done so.

Now when I go by that house the dogs just sit in the yard and watch me. I know that this is at least one house i no longer have to worry about as these dogs will NEVER chase me again. Unfortunately i had to train them since their owners didn't. At least maybe now they will live another day and so will I. The spray did no permanent damage and is supposed to wear off in a matter of minutes. I think it is the better than kicking, hitting or shooting a dog.

I plan to make this a part of my normal biking attire for the forseeable future. It is a great comfort.

Mtn Mike

It's a little off the subject, but speaking of dumb animals, I had a first yestarday. A small groundhog darted into my front wheel and got stuck in my spokes! I was going slowly down a steep hill. Luckily it was small enough to pass through the front fork (several times) without making me endo. The rodent was a little worse for the wear, but I came out okay. A small dog in my spokes would have been a lot worse and I would have felt bad about the casualty.

shokhead

Last week i road by an old lady with a dirty ass dog on a very long leash and as i went by she let it go for me until the leash stopped. She just looked at me with a big smile as the dog went for my foot,stopped as the mouth was opening about a foot from mine. Made her day.

johnnyk

On Saturday, day one of a 600K brevet (Westfield MA to Saratoga NY and back) one of the riders hit a dachshund, or as commonly refered to "A hot dog". Did an endo breaking two ribs. Don't have all the details but it sure ruins a ride.

MMPC

"Flexi" leashes are the worst and should be outlawed, IMO. They give dumbass owners (and there are a BUNCH of those) the impression that their dog is "under control" (because it's on a leash) when - in fact - the dog might as well be running loose.

I'm a dog lover and want to make that very clear up front. Still, I can relate to many of the stories above. I have yet to crash as a result of a dog, but it's been close. The thing that really angers me is how the owner just stands there with a "duh" look on his/her face!

When I encounter a dog now, I always unclip a shoe and am ready to put a foot down. It's too bad more dog owners aren't responsible, but I guess it goes with the territory. The spray idea is a good one for truly aggressive/dangerous dogs...

Applehead57

Dogs are serious business! I had a dog catch me by surprise, it ran into my back wheel at full speed, I wobbled twice and went down at 16mph. Just minor knee scrapes, but I couldn't kneel for two weeks. He hit my rear rack support arm otherwise he would have gone right thru my wheel.
Thankfully, the owner came out and I semi-politely took her head off. No dogs in sight since then.

samundsen

I got one of those sprays a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had to use it yet, but I've had a few close calls. Dogs often start chasing me, but so far I've been successful scaring them off by immediately stopping, jumping off the back and yell at them.

Seanholio

Mark is so fast, now that he is recovered, that he rode back in time to share this with us.

Portis

Note the concussion.

Travelinguyrt

When a dog is on a leash and attacks why not head for the owner crash into he or she and say. "sorry your dog attacked me and I just lost control, so very very sorry"

smeghead

I used to get chased by a dog every other ride. Remember American Flyers and the sprint training session, that's how my rides were, big gear, out of the saddle, sprinting like crazy ......I never lost my shoe though. One day I was on a climb and this dog came running up along side me ......so just squirted water on it's nose and that seem to do the trick..phew, now I've found a great route with no dogs.

danr

I don't mind the dogs that will run along side of you just for fun. For safe measure, I'll sprint. Besides peace of mind, it is fun to see how fast the dog can run. The ones that scare me are the ones that charge or get in the way.

I have one rule, don't swerve to avoid an animal. Of course, if it was a big animal, like a deer, I'm going to swerve. However, I have grazed a squirrel, nearly hit a couple squirrels, came within a foot of a groundhog this past Saturday, and have had my fair share of run-ins with dogs (no cats yet). My "no swerving" policy has so far led to zero accidents. In all honesty, I would feel like crap if I killed a dog. However, unless it is a chihuahua or newborn puppy, I'm sure the dog will take me out.

Don't fault the dog. It sounds like the owner is somewhat uncourteous.

seacycle

I'm glad you told the woman to put her dog on a leash.
Dogs are a constant problem when I ride in the country. I now carry "Halt" and while no one loves dogs more than I do, I'm willing to use it to avoid injuring myself.
As for the dog owners, I don't get into a pointless argument, as that implies that there's a debateable issue. There's no room for debate; they need to be told to keep their dogs under control. They may not listen, but if we just let it go, there's absolutely no incentive for them to do so. If they hear from enough cyclists (or get slapped w/a lawsuit or two) there's at least a chance they will respond, if only to avoid a hassle.

Dutchy

Thanks guys, I have fixed the date. I must have banged my head heard as this whole month has been a bit of a blur. BLOODY DOGS.

ollo_ollo

Years ago a neighbor owned a generally well behaved Border Collie that had become a dedicated escape artist/car chaser. The little guy was on borrowed time unless we could train him out of it. It took about 2 weeks of daily drive by in my pickup with a big pile of empty cans & 1 or more chuckers in the bed. Everytime Charlie ran at us, he got a barrage of cans. Eventually he lost all interest in chasing cars. Halt sounds like it would be very effective.

Chris L

I have to ask why so many people here try to outrun dogs all the time? Sure, I'll do it if I've got a gap on them, but if they're right on my wheel, it seems to be asking for trouble. Dogs generally try to "vector" you, meaning they will cut a corner and try to move across in front of you. If they pull off this move while you're putting on a sprint, it means trouble.

If I'm in that situation, I stop and get off the bike. For one thing, I can use the bike to block any advances by the dog (which I haven't needed to do yet, as they always seem to lose interest the instant I stop). It's also the most potent weapon I have in a confrontation, and generally eliminates the risk of falling from the bike and laying prone on the ground for dog, owner or whomever else to have a crack at me.