First dog attack

[Avg_Joe]

Yesterday, I had my first dog attack while riding. Thankfully it was a large, open park; and the dog was an older, fat and very tall dog. He ended up chomping down on my right foot, but did not pierce my shoe.

Having owned dogs (all pit bulls), my instinct was to ride around in circles/figure 8 and have the dog chase me until its owner could control it or the dog tired. I did not take off at full speed because - again, having owned dogs - I didn't want it to chase me forever, and end up getting lost or hit.

The owner was gracious, apologetic, and I empathized with her and told her no harm, no foul.

My response of riding in circles/figure 8 was just instinct. I expect a more athletic dog would have been more of a challenge. Out on a street, not sure what I would have done, maybe the same thing?

Your thoughts?

 

[m@Robertson]

One more reason to have a throttle. Had a Belgian Malinois shepherd come at me not so long ago. I needed a dog like that to lose interest and turn back before I had to slow down and get thru a fence or he would have been on me and it would have become serious. At which point on that day the dog is going to have to meet a knife, as I didn't have my pepper gel with me. Same goes if I fumble the gel can. No choice at that point.

The worst part of that is its not so much the dog's fault its all on the owner for poor training and judgement. But the dog is the one - initially at least - who pays the price. The owner's bank account and/or property follows.

 

[Handlebars]

One more reason to have a throttle. Had a Belgian Malinois shepherd come at me not so long ago. I needed a dog like that to lose interest and turn back before I had to slow down and get thru a fence or he would have been on me and it would have become serious. At which point on that day the dog is going to have to meet a knife, as I didn't have my pepper gel with me. Same goes if I fumble the gel can. No choice at that point.

The worst part of that is its not so much the dog's fault its all on the owner for poor training and judgement. But the dog is the one - initially at least - who pays the price. The owner's bank account and/or property follows.

Those dogs are generally more edgy than german shepherds (west german) and harder to keep, for the average owner

 

[rich c]

One more reason to have a throttle. Had a Belgian Malinois shepherd come at me not so long ago. I needed a dog like that to lose interest and turn back before I had to slow down and get thru a fence or he would have been on me and it would have become serious. At which point on that day the dog is going to have to meet a knife, as I didn't have my pepper gel with me. Same goes if I fumble the gel can. No choice at that point.

The worst part of that is its not so much the dog's fault its all on the owner for poor training and judgement. But the dog is the one - initially at least - who pays the price. The owner's bank account and/or property follows.

Another reason to have a throttle? That's funny. I had one close call. I stopped and kept my eBike between me and the dog. He became distracted and took off. I often feel the speed of us moving is what makes dogs angry.

 

[dodgeman]

Your a nicer person than me, I would have few choice words for the owner.

 

[m@Robertson]

Another reason to have a throttle? That's funny. I had one close call. I stopped and kept my eBike between me and the dog. He became distracted and took off. I often feel the speed of us moving is what makes dogs angry.

Laugh all you want on the way to the hospital when promenading around is not an option and you're faced with a very athletic, aggressive dog commonly used in police and military applications.

By the way over a lifetime I have had a great many of these and speed is not the issue. Crawling up a hill on an analog bike and faced with two Dobermans in a rural area comes to mind. I wasn't even at walking speed. Decades ago rural riders favored the alloy Zefal pumps instead of the lightweight Silca plastic ones because they could be used as a club against an attacking dog without immediately breaking.

Those dogs are generally more edgy than german shepherds (west german) and harder to keep, for the average owner

Yup. Not one to mess around with. My son-in-law introduced me to them in Belgium. Wonderful dogs when you are on their good side. But known to be snappy if the mood strikes them.

 

[AHicks]

Your a nicer person than me, I would have few choice words for the owner.

Wow, that's a hot spot here. I couldn't agree more. I don't ride my bike in a dog park, and I expect owners to have control over their dogs elsewhere. The leash laws were not written for just SOME people, and most parks have leash laws in place. Theres a damn good reason for that! Suggest you have plenty of liability insurance, or a leash on your dog.....

I live near a very large park and walk my dogs there every day. Over the last 30 years or so, I have been attacked, as have my dogs, on several occasions. The resulting conversation with the owner is generally not a polite or pleasant one. There's NO excuse for the dog to be off leash unless it's within the fences of a dog park! I'm sick of owners thinking their dogs are little saints. The horror on their face is clearly telling anyone in eyesight that this was nothing planned. Still, they are accountable!

Last, as I step down off my podium here, I should mention that a leash is just as much about protecting your dog(s). In the case of an attack, with your dog on a leash you have at least some control over the situation. A foot with a 6'2" 300lb guy behind it can teach a nasty dog quite a flying lesson. AND in our park anyway, trapping IS allowed. I can assure you pulling a muskrat trap off a screaming dog is not a pleasant experience.... Yes some piece of work ignoramous placed a trap way closer to a trail than it should have been, and my dog found it the hard way. As expected, no ID on the trap as required by law. -Al

 

[6zfshdb]

Thankfully, you weren't injured.

If it were me, and the dog had latched onto my bare leg, I don't think I would have been so hospitable. I carry dog spray for such occurrences but have never had to use it.

 

[JRA]

Where I ride it is rare for me to come across any off leash dogs. But just yesterday I was tooling along at a good clip on what is basically a mile long gravel dike road between a lake and a bay that is set up so that the in road is lower on the bay side than the out road on the lake side. A pretty good tailwind in congress with an M620 in high gear had me going 25+. There is a pullout on the out road that some hillbillies were parked in and as I approached I could hear a dog barking and saw it coming down to my level. I did a quick mental calc and saw that there wasn't much danger of our meeting up at the speed I was going so I just kept the hammer down and passed without harm. I yelled up to the owner not to worry that he wouldn't catch me and kept on my way. I got the impression that he was impressed with my forward progress from the look on his face and something about power that he said. Dog and owner never to be seen again.

 

[Avg_Joe]

1st, I wasn't in a dog park. The owner was letting her dogs run around in a huge field next to the dog park section in a town park, and the road I was on bisected the field. And I have a throttle.

Having owned pitties, I am all too familiar with the responsibility of ownership; and tediously following all laws, guidelines, and common sense. Had one of my pits ever attacked anyone, regardless of circumstance I'd have been paying a huge price for that and the dog would have been put down asap.

Guess where my head is: I agree owners are typically the problem, as in this case. I am loathe to do anything to harm the dog, which probably doesn't help. However, I suppose if a healthy, athletic dog is going to get vicious with me, well - it's me or it. If I have no escape, there is no choice.

Now I need to think through carrying something humane to repel a dog...

 

[rich c]

Laugh all you want on the way to the hospital when promenading around is not an option and you're faced with a very athletic, aggressive dog commonly used in police and military applications.

By the way over a lifetime I have had a great many of these and speed is not the issue. Crawling up a hill on an analog bike and faced with two Dobermans in a rural area comes to mind. I wasn't even at walking speed. Decades ago rural riders favored the alloy Zefal pumps instead of the lightweight Silca plastic ones because they could be used as a club against an attacking dog without immediately breaking.


Yup. Not one to mess around with. My son-in-law introduced me to them in Belgium. Wonderful dogs when you are on their good side. But known to be snappy if the mood strikes them.

I wasn't faced with a killer dog, just a pit bull. I was just sharing my experience. I was laughing because of your throttle justification, not your dog situation. Relax a little.

 

[billmeek]

Now I need to think through carrying something humane to repel a dog...

This is pretty effective:

Amazon.com

So far only one dog out of around a dozen has ignored it.

 

[fooferdoggie]

we rode buy a dog sitting by his owner the dog lunged at us and hit the back tire of our tandem. years ago I got chased once.

 

[indianajo]

I've been bit by dogs maybe 10 times. Half the times I weighed less than 118 lb. I didn't drive cars until I commuted to college.
Dog bites take forever to heal; all that bacteria on their teeth. I've seen dogs eat dog****.
I now keep a sabre pepper spray tied to the handlebar with a kale tie. Snaps apart at the clip. Last time I used it 3 dogs surrounded me after I stopped at a 4 way cross. There are no leash laws outside the city. Some owners think they own the road in front of their property. The dogs certainly do. German shephards & border collies were bad enough, but now pit bulls are popular. I've clipped enough news stories of humans killed by a pit bull to defend a lawsuit if I have to fight one. The sling sticks out of the pannier, weighs 10 lb and the lock on the end weighs a pound.
I've heard a half dozen stories from owners about how gentle their pit bull is. I won't visit their premises. I stayed away from my brother for 3 years when he was keeping a pit bull for his son in the Army.

 

[john peck]

Options that may or may not work:: 1) slow down when approaching a suspect dog & speak
to it in a calm soothing voice. 2) Hit the throttle & go like hell. 3) Carry a balloon or squirt gun
full of ammonia. 4) get bit & sue the dog´s owner. 5) Call animal control & demand the dog
be destroyed. 6) Change yur route. I´ve been bit by pit bulls, dobermans, & even a smallish
pomeranian. Numerous chihuahuas have attempted suicide under my wheels.

 

[rvehock]

I carry Pepper Spray, a sharp knife, and a .32 auto pistol (11 rounds) that can take care of any situation that I can come across.

 

[m@Robertson]

Pit bulls are gentle, wonderful dogs. People, on the other hand, suck. I have friends with loving homes where the Pit that lives with them is an absolute sweetheart. Never a safety concern.

I try to carry pepper gel not spray as the gel eliminates any chance of blowback. If I'm deep in the woods (Sierras, no cell signal, no concerns from LEO's about being armed), its a .45 and a chest rig. But dogs are the least of my concerns out there, although in lower elevations packs of wild ones will occasionally pull down a cow at night. The sounds of that feast afterwards will rattle anyone if you are out on your own without a car to jump inside.

 

[Mulezen]

I’ve had problems with dogs like everyone else…bikes are one thing…but my cattle are something else hence my buddy Hank the donkey

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[Stefan Mikes]

On a lighter note:
I believe country dogs cannot outrun a speed e-bike at > 30 km/h

On a sadder note: A friend who rode her Como 5.0 crashed into an unleashed dog on her first ride. Broken arm. I am extremely careful when I see unleashed urban dogs and slow down almost to standstill to avoid a crash!

 

[Mulezen]

Urban dogs can’t run fast or far because they are out of shape…but there is a young black lab I’ve encountered several times and he has kept up with me in Turbo…fortunately he is just playing and is really just wanting to race…Like I would if I could run that fast.