vinnyvincent

So I've been riding regularly for almost 4 years now and not had much issue, but last night me and a friend were riding on our usual route, when two large, unleashed dogs ran out from someone's driveway and began chasing us.
We were already going at a good clip, so we decided to just sprint and drop the dogs, which is our usual tactic on handling dogs. These were heavy set rottweilers, so I didn't think it would be hard to outrun them.
I'll be damned if they didn't stay RIGHT on us for at least 6-8 blocks. as we began to approach a busy intersection and they were still tailing us, I started to get worried.
I planned on blowing through the intersection and hopefully not getting hit, but at that point my friend ran out of steam and began to slow down. Luckily the dogs had also backed off some , but there still within a couple hundred feet or so of us.

It was a really close call. If we had been going any slower, ran out of steam any quicker, ect, we almost surely would have been attacked by two very large and aggressive dogs. We're both adult males in fairly good shape, but we surely would have sustained some injuries fighting these dogs off, or worse if they both caught one of us alone.

I'm wondering what the most sure fire defense against a dog is.
I've read about putting the bike between you and the dog, butI believe these dogs were large enough to jump over the bike if determined. Seems like the method is more of a last resort.
I've read about mace, but then read that mace doesn't work on dogs sometimes.
I read about people using tasers and them having almost no effect once the dog is in attack mode.


What about carrying a club of some sort? I'm thinking something like one of those collapsible police batons. I can get one locally for about 40 dollars...

Or would a large knife be a better idea? What would be the best one to carry on a bike? I'm in Texas, so there's not really any restrictions on them...

Litespud

You're dreaming if you think you're going to hop off your bike, pull a knife and dispatch 1-2 Rottweilers. Same with the club - unless you're extremely lucky, you'll just piss them off. I think in your situation, you did the right thing. If you can put some distance between you and the dogs, and can outrun them, well and good. If it looks like they'll eventually catch up (i.e., you're fading, or there's an intersection or hill ahead), get off your bike while you have a little space, get the bike between you and the dogs and yell really loud. Dogs usually chase moving cyclists, not attack stationary ones when they're off their home turf, and these guys were well off their turf. At this point, I would also be deploying bear spray - something in gel form with some range, and give the mutts a snout full - I don't care if I cause them pain, I don't care if they run home and give everyone in the house a dose of pain - screw'em - dog and owner.

I fitted a Cycliq rear view camera to my bike mainly for dogs - If I'm brought down by a dog, I want some evidence of what it looked like and from what property it emerged, 'cos I'm suing someone, or at least taking it to the cops.

Wilfred Laurier

A spritz of water in the face from a water bottle is enough to deter a chasing dog. In all my years of riding, I have never met a dog that couldn't be deterred from chasing by spraying with a water bottle. If you had dog spray or bear spray that would 100% deter the dog. I don't know where you heard that it might not be effective. On a bike you don't need the dog to be completely incapacitated - just to interrupt it momentarily to get a few more meters ahead.

A club seems like a bad idea because of how close you would need the dog to get before you can use it, and a dog might mistake it for a stick that he is used to 'playing' with, and swinging the club would almost certainly involve compromises in bike control and balance.

A taser, even if you could be sure it would be effective, would be almost impossible to use while being chased while riding a bike at top speed.

A knife is an absurd idea. Maybe if the situation devolved into you lying on the ground being mauled by the dogs you could get a couple good stabs in, but unlikely.

tagaproject6

Hang tight. BF Canine Behavior Specialists are on their way.

Rides4Beer

+1 for stopping and getting off the bike, put the bike between you and the dog and yell at them, usually works. Most dogs are chasing because of their predator/prey instinct, prey runs, so they chase. Have also had good luck with a squirt of water to the face as mentioned.

Also, take note of the house and report them to Animal Control.

joelcool

Second on reporting the incident to animal control. If it's a repeat offender they will (hopefully) take action.

Glad you guys came out of it unscathed. Not everyone is so lucky.

sjh953

Like the OP, I'm not thrilled when chased by dogs. Most times, I can outrun the dog since I'm past their house by the time they see me and start chasing. For those times when they've caught up with me, the best counter measure I've come up with so far is to mount a small can of pepper spray where I can reach it quickly. I've used it a few times and in each case the dog has backed off.

In most cases, the dog runs alongside me and slightly behind. With the fogger spray, I can grab the can when I first hear the dog, and then spray it to the side to create a cloud that the dog runs into. The barking and chase has always stopped immediately and the dog retreats. Hopefully, in the future, the dog will learn that there is no free lunch.

One thing to be aware of is wind direction: with a fogger-type spray, on a windy day that cloud of pepper spray can blow back in your face. If I'm riding a route where I've run into dogs before, and if the day is windy, I make a mental note of that and simply prepare to sprint past that house. So far, so good. Or, I take another route.

Now that winter is approaching, the other issue is using these pepper sprays with gloves. Most sprays I've seen have a protective cap to prevent accidental discharge, and which work best with an ungloved finger. If you're pedaling fast, trying to keep control of your bike and/or avoid hitting the dog or anything else, it can be tough getting the cannister positioned correctly in your hand to release the cloud of spray in the right direction. Things are happening too fast. Not long ago, when it was cool enough that I was wearing heavier full-finger gloves, when I was approached a known 'dog house' I pulled over a block early, removed the glove on my right hand, got the pepper spray positioned for easy grabbing, and then rode past the house. No dog that time, so once past the house I just put my glove back on and kept riding. But I was ready.

I've attached photos of the pepper spray I use. I believe I found it on Amazon. It creates a fogging CLOUD; it's not a gel that creates a focused stream. The gel is too hit or miss. The cloud is strong enough to make a dog back off, but not strong enough injure the dog.

indyfabz

TiHabanero

Back in the days of running I was constantly chased by dogs. Unfortunately it is unlikely a human can out sprint the big ones, and the only option available is to fog them and keep moving. Should work on the bike as well. Not sure stopping to confront the animal is a wise choice, bike or no bike between you and it. Once up to speed humans on a bike can carry it quite far, whereas a dog has a more limited range. Keep on moving, no stopping.

And that is my 2 cents of expertise on the subject.

m3tal070

Best method is call Animal Control via Police. Its 2019 and any kind of club, mace, fighting, etc is going to end up being on your shoulders. Best bet is to do what you did (keep distance) and then contact authorities.

Bicycle2Work

Keep your water bottle handy and give it a spray at them if they come your way!

vinnyvincent

I guess my thought process on how to handle dogs is:

1: Try to outrun them
2: If I can't outrun them, stop and try to get the bike between me and them before they catch me
3: It #2 fails, Fight the dog/s off it there's absolutely no other option.

So I'm mainly wondering the best way to handle the situation #3 . They've caught up to me, and since there's more than one I am not sure how well trying to shield them off with a bike will work, since one of the dogs could run around from behind while the other is at the front.
I want to be prepared for a situation like this. So far it seems like mace is the preferred option. I like the idea of using the fogger type can and spraying them as they catch up to you on the bike...seems like the lowest risk way to administer some type of offensive tactic.

vinnyvincent

We did end up going by the house later and getting the address. Animal Control said they went by the house, but could not make contact due to the fence and the dogs being out in the yard. They left a written notice stating that they had 24 hours to show proof of shots and other info, or it would escalate and they would come back with the police.

Animal Control acted more aggressively than I thought they would, but I don't really feel bad. The owner was outside right next to them before they took off and made no attempt to stop them. He turned around and walked the other way once they gave chase. Not to mention he had them out in the road without a leash for some unknown reason.

indyfabz

You shouldn't feel bad. Earlier this year my ex-GF, who I am still good friends with, suffered a brain bleed and fractured collar bone after a dog ran off someone's property and took her out from behind as she was descending a hill. Spent several weeks combined in the hospital and re-hab and missed a lot of work. Still gets occasional dizzy spells. She never even saw the thing coming. Fortunately, there were others with her who witnessed the entire incident. Local police and animal control showed up. The owner claimed to have an electric fence. Obviously didn't work. It's my understanding that the owner has been charged with three violations. The investigator who works for my ex's lawyer later went to the scene to take photographs. He witnessed the dog roaming free on the property. Some people just don't learn. And this is coming from an animal lover who stops to great dogs on the street. With the right to own an animal comes responsibility towards others.

BTW...The water bottle squirt to the face mentioned above works surprisingly well. Nothing quite like seeing that "Gee! I wasn't expecting that!" look on the dog's face.

sjh953

m3tal070, so let me get this straight: it's 2019, and you're being chased by a dog. And the dog wins. You've done your best to outrun it, but for whatever reason, you crash. So now you're laying in the street, possibly injured, possibly dazed, and in addition to that the dog is chewing on your leg, your arm, your face. Maybe a car was behind you, and you've also been run over by 4000 pounds of steel.

But you're right. Pull out your phone, and calmly "contact authorities". And don't say anything mean to the dog -- you might hurt its feelings.

vinnyvincent

I read that in some other threads too. Seems to keep coming up, so it must work fairly well. A lot of people say they use ammonia. I don't generally use my water bottle, so leaving it half full of ammonia wouldn't be a big deal.

tyrion

Clubs don't work well on big dogs, they're much harder to knock out than humans.

Eric S.

A local radio host once mentioned that just the sound of stun gun (Taser is a brand name and very expensive) has often deterred aggressive dogs when she's out walking.

Milton Keynes

Until you forget and take a big swig of ammonia...

burnthesheep

You spelled apologists wrong.

bakerjw

I've only been taken down by a dog one time. The owner rushed out and her first words were "Are you okay?" Rare owner IMHO.
If your loose dog bites me, I know know one of the worlds my shyster lawyers who is going to get to know you very intimately because he will get half.

vinnyvincent

Okay so I think I'm sold on sjh953's "reach behind you and fog them out with pepper spray while they're chasing" technique. Seems like the least risk of getting bit while actively deterring the attack.
My friend isn't confident about the pepper spray method tough, and thinks we need to find something else. I guess he was a little more traumatized than I was.

His logic is "well the pepper spray fog technique only works when the dog is chasing. How will you get the pepper spray once the dog takes you down?"...which I suppose makes sense, but it still seems like it's probably the safest option for dog defense while still being effecitve..

BillyD

Lets not push this off topic.

BillyD

Vinny, please don’t start a gun conversation in these forums, thank you.

vinnyvincent

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