Eddie72

Well for the first time in many years of cycling I got bitten by a dog today. The owner was walking on the road (country lane) in front of me with two Alsatians. They looked a bit agitated so I stopped but one of them came and bit me on the leg. There was a bit of blood but I think it was the surprise of it more than anything. I get barked at by dogs all the time on country roads but it never got more serious than that until today. How about anyone else?

chopsteeks

Sorry to hear this. Hope you are ok...and nothing serious.

Were the dogs on a leash or you just came too close ? Agitated dogs + an imposing bike too close to them.....dogs got defensive.

jefnvk

Nope, but I wouldn't have gone any further until I called the police and had a report filled out. If the dog bit you, it has probably, or will probably, bite someone else.

chopsteeks

Just curious, why call the police ? Did the dog 'attack' the rider or he invaded the dog's space thus the dog became defensive ?

pdlamb

A biting dog is a public health hazard.


Years ago, I was bitten by a dog that ran out of his yard and bit me on the butt. I was biking home from ball practice, so I pulled my mitt off the rack and smacked him a good one, but I didn't call the police. About two years later, the same dog mauled a 5 year old kid. The older I've gotten, the more I wish I'd called the cops the first time; it might have saved the kid serious injury.

Eddie72

I'm fine thanks. The dogs were on leashes but they were those extendable ones and the owner wasn't quite in control. I did wonder whether I should have taken further action, but the injury was minor so decided to chalk it up to experience. I'm sure there was more I could have done to not surprise the owner/dogs, but these things tend to occur to you after the event!

chopsteeks

I asked the OP if he stopped too close to the dog (no answer yet). There was a difference with how you got bit. The dog 'attacked' you by running out of the yard and bit you.

But the OP stated the owner was walking the dogs then he stopped....the dog bit him. If the dogs were not leashed or he stopped a safe distance away....and the dogs pulled the owner to bite him.....yes I will call the cops too.

rydabent

I wasnt on my bike but a neighbors dog bit me. I reported it to animal control, and they said it would be several hours before they could get there. I said no problem, im going to just get my gun and shoot the bastard. They were there in 10 minutes, and the neighbor got a $200 fine.

jefnvk

Doesn't matter what he did, the owner of the dog did not have the animal properly restrained. Unless he was trespassing on the guys property or attacking the owner or the dog, the dog and owner are in the wrong. A dog that has bitten once is likely to do so again, or possibly has done so in the past. Filing a report allows the proper authorities to keep track of problem animals.

Not to mention, it creates a paper trail of the situation, in case something medical transpires from the bite. It is really no different than I'd do if hit by a car.

Oldguyonoldbike

About a year ago I was bitten by two dogs. I was on a road that I ride regularly and two dogs ran out onto the road through an open gate and chased me for nearly a mile, one of them nipping at my legs while the other jumped and bit my hands. Since I believe that if they attacked me and chased me for such a long distance they would probably do the same to others, I reported it to the local sheriff. It is not illegal in rural Oklahoma to leave dogs unattended and unrestrained, but the sheriff did have the dogs confined to make sure they were not rabid. I had to have a tetanus shot, but since the dogs were in observation I did not need a rabies shot. The episode cost me about $300 out of pocket in medical bills. My insurance picked up the rest (roughly $700.)
Since then I carry pepper spray with me. Luckily, I have not had to use it. The only time since then that I thought a dog might be about to bite I squirted it with some water and it went away. Usually a "Hello, doggy," or a forceful "Go home!" will do the trick.

TimothyH

It is to your shame that you did not call animal control and report it to the police.

This is why I carry Sabre pepper gel. I had to spray two dogs last week on a 65 mile solo ride. -Tim-

Aidoneus

Almost every dog understands "no." Using my deep "command voice," I have stopped charging rottweilers. I find that it just stuns them. YMMV.

faulker479

Well, That's one way of handling it. lol

SquidPuppet

What do you think the authorities should do in this situation or a situation just like this?

2manybikes

Everywhere I have lived the law requires you report a bite. Then the dog is quarantined for 10 days to see if it has rabies. If the dog can't be found then you need to take rabies shots, untreated rabies is I believe always fatal. If the dog is dead I believe they examine the brain for signs of rabies.
Your local laws are probably on line.

indyfabz

+1.


I predict it will take no more than 20 posts before someone say that they carry a firearm for just this sort of thing. Frankly, I am a bit surprised it hasn't come up already. It almost always does.

TimothyH

Dat mite work for dem fru-fru Indiana pets but ain't no Georgia dawg gonna back down by someone sayin' no.

Dem Georgia dawgs 'll git yer. Dat's why they got them their mascot...

jack pot 

DOGS don't like to be bothered with people bikes cars motos ... dogs like to enjoy smelln & markn ... cut dogs some slack ... just a dog POV

Maelochs

I hear in Georgia, the dogs carry guns ....

jack pot 

jefnvk

FIFY. Good luck with dogs whose owners have never dared utter the word NO at them. I know at least one person who won't even punish their adult lab when it does its business in the house.

TimothyH

What I think they should do is not the point. The point is what the law says for them to do.

In the county where I live the law says there is a $300 fine for not having the dog under control. How the code defines "under control" varies by location. Leash length is typically well defined in the counties around me. 2nd and 3rd offense is $500 and $1000 respectively.

There is also a process for having the dog impounded when it attacks without provocation and attaching the label "viscous" to the animal which comes with certain responsibilities on the part of the owner.


-Tim-

TimothyH

In the counties around me the code says that voice command is not "under control" unless the dog has some kind of certification papers as evidence that the animal is trained to obey voice commands.

Most counties require physical restraint - fence, electronic fence, leash, etc., to be "under control".

reppans

I would have requested the owner's name and contact info, photo of their driver's license - at a minimum, take a photo of the owner with dogs. At least that will put the owner on notice that they could liable should problems/infection develop and that they better control their dogs in the future. Reporting the situation to the police is also good idea to at least establish a record of a vicious dog.... perhaps a bite report from the next person might get the situation fixed for good. I love dogs, and am an owner myself, but I have little tolerance for dangerous dogs and especially ones that are free to roam (no invisible fence) and enjoy chasing bicycles and motorcycles on the road - upset the front wheel on a bike and you will go down (don't ask me how I know). I've been known to U-Turn my bicycle and motorcyle, and chase these mutts back.

I have also been bitten when I was ~14yo at the top of steep hill by a Doberman that trotted quietly toward me from the owner's home. Just a warning bite to stop, barely broke skin, and I unfortunately did not report it, or even inform the owner.

Milton Keynes

That's the way it is in my state. I don't know about individuals, but if someone shows up at an ER with a dog bite, the ER is required to report it to police and a report will be filed, even if the bite happened by the victim's own dog. Then the dog must be contained in case of rabies. If I were bitten, I would definitely contact local law enforcement to make a report, just in case the dog is vicious or to have the owner pay for rabies shots if necessary.

I haven't been bitten yet but came close. I was riding around a small town and went by a house where an unrestrained dog ran out of the yard and across the street where I was riding. He nipped at the heel of my shoe, and had he been a little bit faster or I had been going slower, I have no doubt I would have been bitten. It made me consider getting pepper spray in case that happened again.