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In case you did not follow the link from PanicDog, here it is:

A Bike Virginia cyclist suffered serious head trauma on Monday after a bike accident involving a dog in Abingdon, Va.

The Fairfax, Va. man, who police did not identify by name, was knocked off his bike at the corner of White’s Mill and Chip Ridge roads around 4:15 p.m. when a loose dog ran into his path, said Washington County Deputy Erik Hinchey.

The man, a physician in his late 50s, tried to avoid hitting the dog and lost balance, Hinchey said. He was wearing his bike helmet.

He went over the handlebars and landed on his face, according to the deputy. He was taken via helicopter to Bristol Regional Medical Center, Hinchey said.

His injuries included two broken eye sockets, a broken nose and cranial bleeding, which is bleeding inside the head.

Marc Sartori, Bike Virginia event director, would not comment on the details of the incident, but confirmed that there had been an accident involving one of the 1,800 cyclists who came to Southwest Virginia on Friday for the week-long bike tour.

“Safety is our primary concern,” he said. “But we do have accidents. ... We’re gonna have injuries every year but luckily we’ve never had a fatality.”

The owner of the German shepherd mix involved was cited for failing to have the proper tags on the dog and for failing to keep the animal on a leash, Hinchey said. The name of the dog’s owner was not released.

Sartori said all Bike Virginia riders are asked to ride single-file when biking on roads even though state law allows bikers to ride two abreast. He also said all routes are chosen based on their safety.

In rural areas, however, dogs and other animals can pose some danger, he said.

The man was on the trip with his wife. She was not with him at the time of the accident, Hinchey said. In fact, only one person is believed to have witnessed the accident and Hinchey said police have not yet been able to locate him.

Brain damage is a concern at this point, Hinchey said. The man will be monitored closely by doctors for the next 24 hours, he added.

Keep your dogs and the roads safe people.

botto 

so you have no problems with an idiot riding around with ammonia, ready to spray it at a dog? nice.

gabdy

Don't blame your poor health system on a dog.

It's the dog owner you should have your problem with.

woodduck

thank god Australia has not become the sue happy nanny state yet.

At least here you could get rid of the dog and not have to freak out half the population.

It's an animal and it can't really communicate with you when you are riding along on a bike, so if it chases you barking, you do what you have to do to get it away from you. Either ride off or stop and see what it does.

I'd rather hurt a dog than fall off my bike, simple as that.

Johnny Colnago

You have trouble with reading comprehension. His comment was directed at the moron who lets his great dane run loose. Not at the idiot OP who runs around ready to squirt ammonia at dogs.

They are both idiots in their own special way.

botto 

incorrect.

her.

The Weak Link

Don't like abortions? Don't get one. But you do have the right to defend your body from intrusions. It's constitutional.

Don't like spraying Cujo with dilute ammonia? Don't do it. But you have the right to defend your body from intrusions. It's constitutional. At least the dog gets to live.

banerjek

This is worth thinking about before doing something too nuts. Right or wrong, people can get crazy when you mess with the wrong thing. If cars harass you, damaging them is also unadvisable.

I've been riding for a pretty long time and have dealt with plenty of unsocialized rural dogs. The best way to get bitten is to act like a total spаz and get scared when they come around. Just as cyclists who are afraid of traffic should stay out of it until they can come to terms with it, same goes with dogs.

The second best way to get into trouble is to not alter your riding plan in any way because you have a right to be out there. Don't slow down or consider that dogs are territorial. Just go where you think you should be and dare them to come after you.

If dogs harass you, use common sense and don't escalate the situation. Contact the owner or animal control as appropriate.

Just as the only people I've met who thought riding on the wrong side of the road or on the sidewalk is a good idea are inexperienced riders, the same can be said for keeping ammonia in the water bottle. I'm sure there is a reason for this.

sknhgy 

For your information, I use Halt. I figure if it's sanctioned for the mailman to use, it's good enough for me.
For all you self-righteous animal lovers; we own dogs and cats. They sleep in our bed. I don't let them chase people.
The dog I crashed with chased me a number of times before the accident. If I had sprayed him and taught him not to chase me we probably never would have had an accident. The day we crashed he ambushed me from some tall weeds.

It is a fact that in some localities people are not very sympathetic to bike riders. Our sheriff refused to write a police report on my accident. He said no motor vehicle was involved. He told me to carry a fire extinguisher to ward off dogs. I talked to the owner after the crash and several times in the following weeks but they still let the dog run loose. After I had healed enough to resume riding, the dog was there to chase me again. I called the sheriff again, and once more he did nothing, again.

Simple solution? When a dog chases me it gets a snoot full of Halt. Problem solved. If I have time, I will get the Halt can in my hand and hold it close to the handlebars so I can spray the dog furtively. I've done it with the owners "calling their dog back" which doesn't seem to work for them.
I see this as a simple, logical, effective solution to a problem.
Thank God the majority of pet owners are sensible and keep their animals restrained.

Spreggy

OK, look, I read my post from yesterday and yes, I can understand someone reacting to a dog they don't know. I should also qualify this by saying that we are in the country, the dog will never touch you, but she will pace you along the property with an impressive woof, for all of two seconds before we call her. If you feel you need to arm yourself for that once in a lifetime moment with a rabid pitbull from hell who tries to take you down, be prepared for the consequences when you do something potentially damaging to a normal dog doing normal dog things.

It's trite to play internet badass about how I'm gonna unleash hell on your ass if you kick my dog, and I apologize. But if you squirt my dog with ammonia, prepare for some excitement to enter your life, some court time, and an opportunity to write some checks.

And by the way OP, the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over, expecting different results. Shouldn't you consider a different route?

AndyK 

I don't think there is a court in the land that would convict someone who, while being attacked by a dog off it's leash, used ANY means to defend themselves.

I was stopped by a local park at about 6am last fall, having a drink of water and watching the sun rise. A woman was walking her giant dog, without a leash, in the park about 500 feet away. The dog started charging towards me, the owner yelling "stay, stay!", to no avail. A lot went through my mind as I grabbed for my frame pump. I decided to see what the dog did. The dog jumped on me, and barked. I stayed the course, ready to bash it's brains out if I got bit. But I talked to it, "hey boy, good boy", and the dog backed off a little - I clicked into the pedals and was out of there. The owner stayed in the park, doing nothing, jus staring - like it was my fault her dog ran away from her. The dog's nails scratched my legs, and the whole thing gave me a scare. And I was lucky. If the dog decided to bite me, I would have been in a world of hurt.

I was going to yell to the owner, but I figured next time, the dog would pay! I never saw the dog again.

botto 

1. who's talking criminal court?

2. defending yourself is one thing. premeditation is another. duh.

AndyK 

Is it premeditaded to carry pepper spray (or some other method) to defend against possible dog attack?

DScott

FWIW, I own dogs, and I own pepper spray. I don't bother with the ammonia, it's just too trailer-park. If you have a dog problem, bring pepper spray. Make sure you have enough for the dog and the owner though, you just might need it.

I am still looking around for those WP grenades. Do they make them in carbon fiber?

botto 

not the same thing at all.

Cfd

I've been bitten, and take no chances since then. The infection and the three-day hospital stay were something I will long remember.
But....ammonia is probably not a good idea. The original posting highlights that.
Dogs are licensed in most communities, thus the owners are obliged to keep them from bothering or injuring others.
Any dog who charges me is going to get the Halt spray, regardless of what its true intentions might be. I'll take my chances with respect to any subsequent "owner attack" or lawsuit.

The Weak Link

If you're in violation of the leash laws you're the one who's going to do the check writing my friend.

chrisvu05

Again, how does anyone unfamiliar with your dog know this? Most cyclists are going to see a very large dog running towards them and freak out. What happens when you aren't at home and your huge dog chases someone? Personally I give most dogs the benefit of the doubt and have only resorted to a squirt with a water bottle which does the trick but it doesn't teach them to not chase. You are setting yourself up for a problem if you don't keep your dog in check. All it takes in one unfortunate action like running in front of a cyclist and causing a crash or even a nip at a leg as the cyclist goes by and you'll have issues.

daytonian

[QUOTE=Sherville;9102339]I get dogs on my route, I'm afraid to do anything to them in-case the owner sues me or something - I just ride really fast and hope they don't see me.[/QUOTE]

the "or something" is what to worry about. Training rides in Dayton can lead to farmland in 30 minutes. Farmers often portrayed in media as "aw shucks friendly helpful people" will quickly change that image w/ a ride to farm country. Living alone on a farm in the middle of nowhere is by definition anti social. Getting buzzed by their 4X4's is common. Their dogs are anti social too. Learn to sprint - fast. If a dog gives chase and bites (punctures to the skin)on public roadway, then it is fair game in my book.

cod.peace

So you've gone from threatening physical violence to threatening lawsuits. Perhaps you should learn to train your dog to not chase passersby and remove the potential for a lot of drama from your life.

AngryScientist 

i've been around dogs my whole life, i tend to be able to deal with them quite well. the key is not to get scared or excited at all, simply yelling NO! loudly and very authoritatively is enough to make a dog back off enough for you to ride off. again, they key is appearing to the dog like YOU are the dominant one.

that said, most any dog that is sucking wind chasing you on a bike will be completely deterred if you give him a squirt of WATER in the nose, he'll suck in water and have to regroup himself. you ride off safely and the pooch is unharmed.

Gluteus

So far you have acknowledged:

-You own a large dog.

-You let the dog roam free in the public road way (not in your property, not on a leash).

-You know the dog chases cyclists.

-You threat to attack anyone daring to defend themselves from your charging dog.

-You post a picture of the dog, you and your location.

Is this smart? Shouldn’t you be the one getting ready “for some excitement to enter your life, some court time and the opportunity to write some checks”?

jurnaza

And after the lawsuit your home owners policy would pay out $500k+ to cyclist, your premiums would skyrocket, your dog would be put down, and your insurance company would force you to sign paperwork banning you from ever owning a dog again if you plan on having home owners insurance and keeping your house!

It is up to you to control your dog and keep it on your property.

border reiver

This has worked for me too a couple of times. Also, it’s the stealthy attacks with the dog coming from behind or at a closing angle that are the worst, and in these situations I wouldn’t have enough time for pepper spray or anything else even if I carried it.

The biggest danger posed by dogs in these situations is that they may cause you to swerve into traffic. A couple of weeks ago I was riding round the neighborhood behind my 9 year old daughter when a big lab mix charged her from our right. She swerved to the left side of the road without looking. Fortunately it’s a quiet neighborhood and there were no cars. However, she was terrified and also confused that as well as being upset with the dog/owner I was quite stern with her about not swerving across the road.

When I confronted the owner, she was apologetic and offered the usual stuff about it just being a big friendly dog, isn’t usually off the leash, would never happen again etc. etc. I am a dog owner myself, but if that dog’s actions had caused any harm to my daughter it would have been its last action on this earth, dog apologists and lawsuits be damned.

DrPete 

It's fun how many people believe that they'd be able to react quickly enough to some rampaging dog from hell to reach into a pocket/down to a bottle cage while riding and get a well aimed pepper spray blast into said charging dog's face.

And of course the lawsuit/kill the dog/blow up the entire city block threats--just a bunch of internet chest pounding.

Really, if you're going to freak out about every dog running around, then you have much more to worry about. The risk of injury or death from cars is exponentially greater than from dogs, so stay off the roads. In fact, just stay inside on the couch. Then all you have to fear is early death from a sedentary lifestyle.

This thread has managed to get more displays of quasi-toughness and false senses of security than a good gun-while-riding thread.