First dog attack

[billmeek]

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

30 KPH is 18.64 MPH. A surprising number of breeds of dogs are capable of that speed, including some you would not think can get that fast:

How Fast Dogs Can Run

The American Kennel Association (AKC) and its local clubs regularly conduct timed races for dogs. This competition is called the Fast CAT®, which stands for

petcalculator.com

The average dog speed is 23 MPH (37 KPH).

 

[EMGX]

I used to run my dogs while I biked and with a GPS on some occasions. My golden retriever would run up to 23 to 24mph for at least a few miles pulling me (I was pedaling hard too). Full sprint a golden can hit 35mph and accelerate to that speed in a flash. A Brittany wasn't much slower.
Regarding pit bulls, owners always seem to protest that their dogs are so gentle and well trained - until they rip someone's arm off. Any dog can get aggressive but a pit has the ability to easily dismember you in short order if it chooses to, good luck stopping an attack if it happens..

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The average dog speed is 23 MPH (37 KPH).

Not the country dogs Oh, perhaps everything is bigger & faster in America

 

[Coolbob]

I have pepper spray, but have never used it. If the road conditions and my momentum will allow me to outrun the dog then that's what I do. If outrunning the dog isn't an option then I stop, get off the bike and put the bike between me and the dog and reach for the pepper spray. Once the bike stops moving, the dog loses interest, that's why I've never had to use the spray. I walk the bike until I feel it's safe to get back on and ride away.

 

[Avg_Joe]

So I got chased by 2 Golden Retrievers yesterday. Of course, offleash on a public greenway which snakes through a park/disc golf course. Turns out, as mentioned above, they were playing or racing: I stopped, they wagged their tails, owners got them back under control/on-leash. I asked the owners to keep them on-leash per the law, and got a "yeah, sure."

@Coolbob I actually believe your approach to stop may be best; combined with a squirt gun/spray bottle filled with a 75:25 mix of vinegar:water as a backup.

To those who feel a need to rip on pit bulls (or any breed), ok we got it, thanks for your irrelevant and unwanted opinions.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Me, I don't like pitbulls first of all because I think they're ugly - - just my personal opinion, I like more foxy/upstanding eared breeds (Here's my doggie www.kebabthecorgi.com). Second of all, they are often owned by people who don't keep them under control, and they are quite powerful animals. These owners name them either vicious intimidating-type names like Fang or VanDamm or Brutus, etc or they name them laughably misleading names like Daisy or Petunia or Squirt.

A friend of mine got a pitbull from the pound. She hadn't even thought of getting one, but just liked her when she saw her. Daisy, she named her. Daisy was a rather submissive dog, slinking about trying to be liked. A few years later, I heard that out of nowhere, Daisy had suddenly snapped while at doggie daycare, and killed a little dog there. End of Daisy.

 

[Cowlitz]

For some dogs, and I'd say most of the ones that I've been chased by, if you stop, it ruins their fun. One orchard dog ignores me after I did this. I also gave him an ear scratch. The same goes for car chasing dogs. It's a game. Stop and the fun is over--for some dogs that is. I'd put a Golden Retriever in the stopping category.

 

[6zfshdb]

Last season, I had an unleashed short legged mix breed chase me down the trail. I was cruising at around 12 mph and the animal began having trouble keeping up. After a mile or so, I could see the poor thing was near exhaustion so I stopped. By then, we were so far from his owner, I was afraid he'd get lost. The little guy turned out to be a gal and she just collapsed at my feet. I rubbed her belly until her owner finally caught up.

Most, but not all, of my dog encounters have turned out friendly. I like dogs and I'm loathe to harm one if I can help it. I do carry pepper spray just in case but so far, I haven't had to use it. Many riders I know haven't been so lucky.

 

[indianajo]

To those who feel a need to rip on pit bulls (or any breed), ok we got it, thanks for your irrelevant and unwanted opinions.

I was pedaling 80 lb up a grade slowly when I was blocked by a white dog, barking, that looked like a pit bull. Dog ran out in the road in front of me to stop me. His owner came out in the road to shout at me for being there. I pay $1600 a year taxes to use that road on a bicycle, I'm not a bit embarrassed to be there. I'm not tolerating any dog that looks like a pit bull within 2 meters of me. German Shephards, Rottweilers, Dobermans, either. Death by dog bite is not uncommon. I have news stories. I bought the pepper spray shortly after that. Labs, red setters, that run with you & don't bark, are just being friendly.

 

[pmcdonald]

I'm not a dog owner and know little of their psychology - something about them being a pack animal that respects dominance? I have had a few stand-offs with dogs that left me wondering what to do. The most recent was with a pair of off leash dogs on steep, rough terrain that didn't favour a speedy exit or about face. Fortunately the owner wasn't too far behind.

Any generalised recommendations on managing aggressive off leash dogs? Defensive sprays are illegal in my state, but then so too are the breeds that make the horrific headlines (there's some LGA variance on this). I want to be very clear that 99% of my interactions with dogs on the tracks are fine: slow right down, be clear with my vectors, smile and greet the owners.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

smile and greet the owners

I start with "What a cute doggie!" when meeting a bred dog, or "Shut up, silly Burek!" and going on full Turbo when dealing with a country dog (Burek is a generic dog's name in Poland, meaning "mongrel" or a brown/gray dog).