I pepper sprayed a dog today on my ride
11-12-15, 01:55 PM
#101
You Know!? For Kids!
If you are in a paceline, can you fart at the dog or brake, or both? I realize of course that doing either will get me yelled at but still....
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Originally Posted by colorider
Phobias are for irrational fears. Fear of junk ripping badgers is perfectly rational. Those things are nasty.
11-12-15, 02:40 PM
#103
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Originally Posted by Maelochs
Kicking a moving dog while riding at a decent pace on a bike sounds like a good way to get bit and break a collarbone—bonus!
Never had a serious dog attack incident, but for those that have ... why waste time on water? It comes down more to the rider’s sense of things---if s/he really believes the dog is a threat, pepper spray is the smartest response (if available.) If water will deter the dog, it wasn’t serious to begin with. If the dog is serious, you just wasted your chance to not get bit.
I agree, a dog which doesn’t bark is the one you need to watch—and dogs determined to attack generally commit and go at a level much more instinctual than most humans understand—you aren’t going to talk the dog out of it.
If I rode in areas where there were a lot of loose dogs, I would probably lug that enormous two-ounce weight of a can of pepper spray—and it wouldn’t be anywhere I couldn‘t get it out and use it in more than two seconds. Unzipping a bag and reaching in is about as long as it takes for a dog to get his teeth in you. If the threat is real, be ready—have the spray taped to the top tube or something, where you can deploy it without any thought or effort. Otherwise, admit the threat isn’t That serious and don’t bring it at all.
“Hold on dog, I’ve got pepper spray in here Somewhere .... OUCH!”
Never had a serious dog attack incident, but for those that have ... why waste time on water? It comes down more to the rider’s sense of things---if s/he really believes the dog is a threat, pepper spray is the smartest response (if available.) If water will deter the dog, it wasn’t serious to begin with. If the dog is serious, you just wasted your chance to not get bit.
I agree, a dog which doesn’t bark is the one you need to watch—and dogs determined to attack generally commit and go at a level much more instinctual than most humans understand—you aren’t going to talk the dog out of it.
If I rode in areas where there were a lot of loose dogs, I would probably lug that enormous two-ounce weight of a can of pepper spray—and it wouldn’t be anywhere I couldn‘t get it out and use it in more than two seconds. Unzipping a bag and reaching in is about as long as it takes for a dog to get his teeth in you. If the threat is real, be ready—have the spray taped to the top tube or something, where you can deploy it without any thought or effort. Otherwise, admit the threat isn’t That serious and don’t bring it at all.
“Hold on dog, I’ve got pepper spray in here Somewhere .... OUCH!”
The same crowd that almost unanimously admits to multiple falls due to something as simple to master as clipless pedals should not be trying to kick a moving animal while on a moving bicycle!
11-12-15, 02:48 PM
#104
Portland Fred
Originally Posted by Joe Minton
Reaching for one's pepper spray must be a 'muscle memory' response; you need to train for it. It isn't paranoid to train for an emergency like being attacked by a dog.
I used to tell my friends and ex wife to buzz, honk, and yell at me anytime they saw me on the road. They didn't want to do it, but started when I explained that the most important thing is to have a level head and not do something like swerve out of surprise. As a result, when someone races an engine and lays on the horn as they buzz me at 60mph on a 2 lane highway, I stay cool as a cucumber, make good decisions, and execute whatever without overreacting.
Doing analogous preparation with dogs is much harder since you can't have people randomly surprise you with hostile dogs. You can work on drawing out the spray, but there will be all kinds of issues since not all dog encounters are in areas with no bike handling or visibility issues. They can be found when you're taking curves at speed, on descents, on bad surfaces, where vegetation/trees block the view, and in the dark, you can hear dogs closing in on you but you can't see them, particularly if they are dark colored.
11-12-15, 03:21 PM
#105
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Originally Posted by Jiggle
There are more dogs than people in America.
11-12-15, 03:34 PM
#106
You Know!? For Kids!
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Originally Posted by colorider
Phobias are for irrational fears. Fear of junk ripping badgers is perfectly rational. Those things are nasty.
11-12-15, 03:35 PM
#107
You Know!? For Kids!
I seldom carry peanut butter on my rides, but now that you can get it in a squeeze tube I might give this method a try.
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Originally Posted by colorider
Phobias are for irrational fears. Fear of junk ripping badgers is perfectly rational. Those things are nasty.
Last edited by jsharr; 11-12-15 at 03:43 PM.
11-12-15, 03:35 PM
#108
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Originally Posted by banerjek
Doing analogous preparation with dogs is much harder since you can't have people randomly surprise you with hostile dogs...
11-12-15, 03:53 PM
#109
Portland Fred
Originally Posted by UnfilteredDregs
Or you coulda been a paperboy...
