MrK.

Went to a local park today that has about 6 miles of hilly paved driving roads and about four miles of MTB trails. I am riding up on a guy walking along the dirt track, not close enough to hear me approaching yet but close enough that I am planning my line around him and when I'm going to announce my presence. He casually turns around and sees me approaching. He gets an OH S__T! look on his face. Suddenly two dogs burst out of the bushes on my left and circle around to my right. I jump off and get the bike between us. They are barking and snapping at me. The owner finally arrives, winded from his 30 yard jog and proceeds to leash them and apologize and mutters some stuff like it's my fault for surprising him. I pass it off and go on about my trail ride. About 45min later I pop out of the woods all the way on the other side of the park. Sure enough there he is about 30 feet away. One dog is leashed, the other isn't. The loose dog immediately attacks. He was on me before I could get fully stopped and grabs my foot in his mouth and starts chomping and shaking. I kick the dog off but undeterred he is committed. As he comes back in for a second chomp the obese owners arrives and starts beating the dog with the leash and hollering obscenities which I'm sure the dog has heard before but I'm pretty sure he didn't understand. At this point I want to GTFO so I ride off without waiting for a second lame apology. Lost interest in my ride so I loaded up and left. No broken skin but a slight bruise under my toenail.

Fortunately it was 15-20 lb mutt and not a 50 lb pitt bull. This park has a leash ordinance but no one enforces it. Had a shepherd chase me a year ago but the owner was able to call it back. I'm going to talk to the judge in charge of the park later this week.
Sorry for the rant, just needed to get it off my chest.

bakerjw

You were attacked by a loose animal. Personally, I'd have called the police on the spot so there would at least be a record.

Greenhil

Right on. You could still call them - or whoever runs the park. Might help some other rider, assuming they take note.

Stormsedge

Yup, call 911...around here they send out Animal Control. I was slashed by a dog two years ago...turned out it had no rabies vaccination, so the owner had to quarantine it...animal control then tracked the quarantine and updated me. It helps to know your local and state dog ordinances cold as well. Pepper spray generally throws a dog off the attack...multiple incoming targets a tougher challenge.

adablduya

my response would have been to kick the **** out of the dog owner. the first encounter i can understand: i walk my dogs off-leash all the time when i'm out in the woods / trails / away from people (they are trained and are under my control, even off leash...). the second encounter, another story. i've had to tell dog owners in the past: "control your dog. if i have to take action to protect myself against your dog, i will and then i'm coming for you next.". it worked, but perhaps not the recommended action to take.

JoeyBike

Welcome to the club.

Google: I took my turn about 4 years ago. Border collie bit me on the rib cage. Big bruise and fang marks. Dog had his shots and was on a normal length leash in the local park. I did not seek medical attention, but I still have a nice conversation piece of a slight scar. The owner never went back to that park but I see her around with the dog. She was mortified at the time of the bite and I never pressed any sort of charges. Just asked the veterinarian to mark on the dog's record that he bit someone unprovoked just in case it became a habit.

I put that scar to good use for a couple of years before it faded. It looked GNARLY!. Whenever a dog off the leash approached me I stopped to speak to the owner. I lifted my shirt and used this speech word for word: "See this scar? This dog bite got me a new Toyota Camry with leather interior. Had this been a child's face the dog owner would be paying for that kid's lifetime education AND a house with a 2-car garage full of Maseratis. Why put yourself through that?" Most often I got a hearty F-You in return but a few times I could see the light-bulb come on.

Sorry you got terrorized man. That is one bad feeling when those teeth clamp down.

Paul Barnard

Why did you not call law enforcement? I love dogs. I have no tolerance for a POS dog owner. Personally I would have strongly dissuaded that dog from ever doing it again.

jadocs

Irresponsible dog owner. Dogs should be leashed at all times. After the first incident, it sounds like he made the conscious decision to unleash it again! That is deliberate, I would have reported it.

JoeyBike

Reading this usually makes me feel better about knuckleheaded dog owners.

Tehran bans dog walking in public spaces


"...the ban was due to dogs "creating fear and anxiety" among members of the public."

Not that I want to live in Tehran otherwise but this makes a lot of sense.

Also, in case you didn't know, the organization PETA is 100% against any type of "pet" ownership outside of service animals. This is due to rampant cruelty to pets inflicted by pet owners who should not be left in charge of a cockroach.

So at 60 years of age I have warmed up ever so slightly to Iran and PETA as I only found out about these two things last year.

Greenhil

Having spent time in Tehran on a number of occasions, I can say this ban will have little impact. You hardly ever see dogs in Iran because they’re not nearly as popular as pets as in the U.S. Can you imagine the outcry if this were suggested here?

When my Iranian cousin lived in Tehran he had a little poodle named Whiskey. He would take it for walks, calling “Whiskey, Whiskey!” which was his way of being provocative in a county where alcohol is officially banned.

BTW, Iran is a wonderful place to visit.

Brocephus

What a coincidence ! That's on my short-list of upcoming vacation destinations !! ( actually, it's in a 4-way tie with Sudan, Syria, and North Korea ! )

FlRon

I’m just getting back into riding and this is one thing I am dreading.

Notso_fastLane

If you are really concerned (I've lived in some areas where it was an issue, but where I am now, not so much), then get some pepper gel and be prepared. Also get the number for the local animal control and keep it handy.

Then go have fun and enjoy the ride.

Pilot321

Carry pepper spray. I prefer Fox Labs. I keep mine in the back pocket of my cycling shirt, so I can just reach back and grab it immediately. I had a dog chase me recently, but I was able to just stomp on it, and out pace him, and he gave up. I was ready with the pepper spray though, and if he persisted, and got closer I would not hesitate. I like all animals except the ones that want to harm me.

bbbean 

I would still report. The park, the police, your legislators, etc., aren't mind readers. They can't address a problem if you don't let them know how bad it is.

TimothyH

Call 911 or the local animal control right away after a bite. Don't wait until later. Get to a safe location and call.

It is important to stay calm, not engage the owner.

If you are bit then make the call.


-Tim-