Bearonabike

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...0,917522.story

Short story - Uncontrolled Doberman now pushing up daisies after shot by cyclist fearing for his life.

Discuss.

Sherblock

Thing is, it very well could have attacked him. Dogs are animals. As an example, a tiger has not yet attacked his trainer. That doesn't mean it never will. Animals are unpredictable!

As a side note, it also seems that letting a large, young, male dog run around your neighborhood freely is just asking for trouble.

gregf83 

Sounds like it's not a good idea to let large dogs roam free in Davie.

It seems unlikely that the cyclist sought out a dog that was minding it's own business. Most dogs are protective of their property and will bark and possibly chase.

ruskko

my money is on the cyclist freaked out and the dog didnt charge him but wandered up to him and the dude "jumped" the gun and fired...i worked with police k9's and rescue groups for years and generally if a dog is being traind and considered for physical therapy dog they are EXTREMELY laided back

Carbon Unit

I have never had a dog charge me but it could happen. I side with the cyclist. I wouldn't expect a cyclist to shoot a dog without cause.

tagaproject6

Which BF member is it? Come on 'fess up!

david58

I don't side with anybody, based on a sketchy news article. However, I would not let my dog roam without supervision - and I have "laided back" Labradors. They are just big babies, but some folks are scared to death of dogs. It is my responsibility to have the dog under control - even if my pup were running out to lick a cyclist or pedestrian, that person may rightfully misinterpret the dog's actions and suddenly I am the owner of a dead pup like this gent. A sad set of circumstances on both sides.

electrik

Dogs are people too... look at that picture it thinks it's a person! Aww. Shooting people is wrong.

ilovecycling

It's sad that the dog died, but at the same time I believe in the right to bear arms and the lawful possession of handguns for self defense. If the guy was legally carrying that gun and felt his life was in danger (who's to say it wasn't?) then there's nothing that can be done.

This past Wednesday ("Black Wednesday") there was an altercation at my home town's square and a 26 year old got stabbed and later died at the hospital. We're talking a place safe enough to where you can sleep throughout the night on a bench without anyone bothering you. **** happens. Luckily this was a dog and not a person. (No, a dog is not a person).

NathanC

Only an American would carry a hand gun to go cycling.

tagaproject6

And with that...time to break out :

Sherblock

I have my lawyer follow in a pace car.

Bearonabike

I'm looking for a holster that places my handgun at easy reach from my riding position.

electrik

Aha, yes.. but then you don't live in America so you wouldn't know if it's needed. Crime rate is awful there.

I can tell you the thought has crossed my mind when being chased by some random 100lb mouthful of teeth.

ilovecycling

Why would you even say that? There are a LOT of bad places in the U.S. where even YOU would wish you had a hand gun if you happened to find yourself lost in one of these areas. Ever been to Gary, IN? You'd be a damn fool to not have a gun on you if you went there. I used to do real estate work there and I would never go without a hand gun. I can't even tell you how many times there have been reports of women found in houses there that have been snatched off the streets, gang ***** for days on end, and then killed from the physical abuse. The same people that are committing those crimes have cars and legs. They could end up anywhere. We have paved bike paths that go through Gary as well as all the neighboring cities. It's not hard to get lost and end up facing some thugs on the bike trail. My point is, you can never be too safe and I appreciate that my awesome country gives me the right to bring a gun with me wherever I go (well, except for certain cities and states). I don't know why people are so scared of guns. Evil people will do evil things regardless. Guns only give the rest of us sane, law-abiding citizens a fighting chance.

ilovecycling

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I've been chased by a scary dog too. I almost ate it while trying to escape. I didn't have my gun on me at the time, but if I did I would have killed it for sure. If the owner is going to let a wild animal put my life in danger, I won't hesitate for a second to light up his little fluffy.

trevor_ash

I just had a dog chase me while I was riding to work last week and it got hit by a car for doing so.

I'm a huge dog lover. But keep them on a leash or otherwise constrained (fence, whatever). Sometimes accidents happen because of it. You're not doing your beloved pet any favors.

gregf83 

It's not a question of being scared of guns. Most of us prefer to live where we don't need to pack something to enjoy a bike ride. The only US city I've ridden a bike in was Los Angeles and I always felt safe.

I think it's a better idea to just stay out of unsafe areas.

javal

The first thing that came to my mind! I´m staggered that someone would do that - it´s rather sick actually. Loose/stray/untrained dogs seems to be a common sociology in US aswell.

Sixty Fiver

Have to point out that my friend's Doberman would gleefully lick pepper spray as a tasty treat...

surgeonstone

Holy crap, what universe do you ride in. I get charged by dogs every freakin ride. The county Sheriff has told me if the dog attacks and dies, you're okay. I have been riding 40 years and have never felt a gun was necessary. Usually just a squirt of something , liquid in my water bottle does the job.

jtwilson

Feeling safe isn't the same as knowing the risks and your level of vulnerability. I've been beaten off my bicycle by a gang before, and was lucky to escape on foot with only a nasty scar on my face to remind me. This happened on a route I rode daily on my commute for over a year and 'felt safe'. I carried a handgun for years prior [licensed to do so] but never on a bike. I am also certified to train individuals pursuing concealed carry licensure in the state of Ohio. After my incident you better believe I figured out how to make bike-carry work!

So, as you could guess, I would generally side in the cyclist's favor on this. One issue is odd though - this happened in a cul-de-sac. How did the cyclist end up there? I don't go riding into random dead ends. Was he lost? Did he live in the neighborhood and know of the dogs? That's a weird component to this story. The justification for use-of-force often times hinges on circumstantial minutiae. The dog owner seems to think the cyclist was 'looking for trouble'. To what extent was the cyclist able to flee without using lethal force, and what steps did he take before using lethal force? There is a lot we aren't given in the news article so you can't really draw a conclusion in this specific instance. You can't just go pulling out a gun and shooting at anything you think could be a threat [despite the impression given to non-US residents of what goes on here].

On a more general level - I toured through Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana a few years ago, and I was concerned about dogs. I took a small can of 'dog mace' which I clipped to the strap of my seat bag. In 1,000 miles I was never close to using it. I was always faster than the dogs who wanted to chase me - often the ones un-chained were at residences far enough off the road that they couldn't intercept me until I was well out of their speed/range. Thankfully the really vicious ones tended to be chained or in pens. I could certainly see un-chained dogs in an urban setting to be a bigger risk. It's all about responsible ownership.

Sixty Fiver

What back asswards universe do you live in where there are this many dogs are running free ?

surgeonstone

I know, right. Northern Indiana farmland. Seems every other house has a dog and 50% of them are not controlled. The law states they must be controlled. The law is ignored.

Sixty Fiver

You have my sympathies... are these farming / working dogs or just pets running amuck ?

I ride in the country a great deal and have met some huge dogs which have all acted defensively when I was passing (barking is always a good sign) and a few will escort me past their property but have yet to be attacked / charged as these dogs seem to know their job and where their boundaries lie.

This is especially good when a couple of these are a couple of huge Rotties but their owner is always pretty quick to call them back in and they are 100% obedient.