Big Pete 1982

So there is this route I ride pretty regular and it is on some back country roads with low traffic. There is this one particular house with a nasty dog that chases me every time I ride by. It would be nice if these people kept the dog on a chain, but I was reasonably ok with the situation knowing that dogs in general tend to hate people on bikes. So i've outran this dog dozens of times, and kind of thought "no big deal". Plus the house is the stereotypical redneck house with the yard sale yard full of crap and ten or so broke down cars in the backyard. Anyways, none of that is the point, just some back story. So the other day i'm riding by and there is a woman out in the yard washing her car. I see the dog on the porch. His ears perk up and I start to pedal like a sonuva*****. As I'm passing by the woman, I distinctly hear her telling her dog to attack me. Obviously I couldn't stop and discuss the matter as the rottweiler would rip me to shreds. So I outran him. The rest of the ride I couldn't stop thinking about what a complete ***** she was! It's a week later and I still can't stop thinking about it! I wasn't bothering anyone. I wasn't trespassing. It takes me all of about 15 seconds to ride past this house. If I had kids with me, this dog would definitely attack them. I think I'm gonna have to call animal control and from now on I'm bringing a can of mace with me and that stupid dog is getting a face full of it next time he chases me.

seanthebear

Mace the woman, not the dog.

bored117 

Nah... get the pepper spray ready next time... if you see the woman... get ready to spray the dog...

R T

This. Idiots like her don't deserve and should NOT be allowed to own pets. The trash that do things like that and think it's funny. What if he actually bit you? They don't think that far ahead because they have i.q.'s smaller than their shoe size. It's no different than the trash that try to drive as close as possible to you. I've seen first hand what happens when they make contact and they're smug attitude and big mouths instantly disappear and are usually replaced with wet pants.

panamapete

get a trailer and put a doll in it and fill it with ketchup, and maybe some hamburger..... let the dog catch it and start screaming the dog ate your baby....... see what her reaction is like then.

abstractform20

everyone here is giving you bad advice.

buy a sled, and 19 pitbulls. have them pull you to the house. throw some meat near their yard. just stop and wait. let them fight for it.

Big Pete 1982

I just hope I don't accidentally mace myself and get murdered by a dog!

seanthebear

alternatively use the Fantastic Mr Fox method and throw out some blueberries laced with tranquilizer

triumph.1

The cold reality.

VELOGLOCK

Meatball soaked in anti-freeze

Essex

I would imagine that this woman and people that live in the domicile are on police radar already. I would report the incident to local police first as there was a distinct command by the owner to use a dangerous weapon (dog) to hurt you on what is public property. The fact that the dog chased you after the command makes it very likely that the police will now have to follow up.

Sorry that you have to deal with people like this, but there are always idiots out there who need correction from time to time as they do not comprehend, or wish to abide by societal norms. As you've mentioned - there are children, other adults and possibly other animals at risk from being attacked by this trained dog.

SlimRider

Every cyclist should carry mace, primarily for dogs. We should remember to carry mace just like we should remember to carry, an air pump, and pocket knife. Both can be used for defense! If you've gotten an old can of weakened mace, or the spray nozzle proves defective, you'd better have a plan B!

Wonder how she'd react to her dog being terminated...

PS.

Never can tell just exactly what the future holds with these nutcases. You'd better report this incident pronto! You'll want to be on the safe side of the law, as things unfold.

rmr1923

i'd definitely report it to local law enforcement. they may not do anything... in fact it's doubtful they will, but it's probably best to have a report on file if something like this happens again and the dog DOES bite (either you or another cyclist).

this happened to me once when i was about 10 years old, a friend and i would ride bikes around our neighborhood and there was this one white trash family whose dog always chased us. one day the dog actually bit my friend on the leg and another neighbor saw it, called the cops, and the dog disappeared. i'm guessing animal control came and took it away.

Essex

What makes this incident different than most cases of dogs chasing and barking is the fact that the woman used a verbal command to set the dog upon the cyclist. There is intent here (malice) which means that the police have to follow up after the complaint.

The real hassle is that scum bags like the dogs' owner typically know that the process will take time and energy needed to get the dog off the premises and to correct their behavior. They count on this to some degree. The frequency of complaints by other folks and visits by the police should set in order a protocol for removal of the dog + if there are kids around the premise mandated visits by social services. It would also be interesting to note if DEP/EPA/town in the area has any idea that the premises holds cars and as such may be in violation of local ordinances related to storing of toxic materials, or unsightly aesthetics of local domicile(s).


On a parallel note - I was chased by a couple of dogs yesterday while exploring some slightly off-road areas. Always a hassle - but I didn't hear anyone say "Sic em!"

rangerdavid

call the sheriff and have them go out and speak with her. carry pepper spray and pray you don't get a flat.

actually, in this state, there does not have to be contact for there to be an assault. placing you in immenent apprehension of bodiy harm is an assault. the actual physical contact is battery. Just call the sheriff or police. let them handle it.

thump55

I am calling BS. You state that these are "stereotypical redneck" folk, and yet she is washing her car?

Sorry boss, but that just don't happen.

Either you have some highfalutin rednecks, or you're making this whole thing up.

bbattle

Only Dingos eat babies.

bbattle

Now, if he'd said "washing her bass boat" or "cleaning her methlab", then we might have fallen for it.

ahsposo 

My experience is Mace is pretty worthless against dogs. You can't really aim the stream and if you're at speed you need to be paying attention.

Dogs are God's own sprint training aid and you should be thankful you have a predictable one. And just one. Packs of dogs are scary.

My next observation is not 100% because there are exceptions. Most dogs will respond to firm human orders or at least be momentarily confused and lose the momentum of their chase. A gruff "You Sir! Sit!" works for me nearly all the time.

Snydermann

If all else fails:

ilovecycling

I say bring a nice little pistola with you on the ride (if you can legally do so in your state) and put the stupid thing down. Then drag it to the woman's house and explain to her that it's her fault by encouraging her dog to chase after people. That's honestly what I'd do.

rangerdavid

oh **** no, don't do that............ can't believe you even posted that something like that on here.

unterhausen

I've fantasized about using a gun on all sorts of dirtbags I've run into while riding, but never thought about shooting a dog. I figure I'd end up with a hole in my leg. I still feel guilty about the one time I managed to kick a dog because just as I started swinging the mutt pulled up, but it was too late to stop my foot.

I say report, because in a lot of states it takes more than one report to do anything about a problem dog. If it's trained to go after people, it's going to hurt someone

Snydermann

Believe it.

My lovely wife was mauled in the face by an undisciplined dog. It almost completely tore off her left cheek requiring multiple surgeries and resulting in permanent scarring. I was also attacked and my leg was ripped open (different dog). I have no sympathy for pets or owners like the one the OP posted. Both dogs that attacked us had multiple previous complaints against the animals. If you went through what we went through you'd probably feel differently than you do now. Maybe if someone had fed Fido a D-Con burger before it bit my wife . . . .

jwible

Dogs chase because it's what they do. They're pack hunters. Something runs from them, they chase it. I've got a similar dog on my route. The first few times she came after me I sprinted like mad. Now I don't even change my pace, or I slow down. If you throw a couple of commands at the dog and don't accelerate you'll throw the chase instinct out of whack and the dog will probably loose interest. Of course the risk is the dog gets your foot or leg before loosing interest. A face full of hard soled cycling shoe with a cleat is typically enough to discourage further engagement.

Anything that appears to escalate the situation is going to pretty much eliminate that section of the route from future rides unless you want to directly confront the owner(s) on their turf.