bkentr

A few years ago, about 15, I was really having some fun riding and building recumbents.

My fav was a LWB with underseat steering. I just loved having my "Park Bench" with me when visiting a park.

I stopped having fun doing so after a very large, angry, and noisy dog came charging full speed right at my face.
The dogs owner was , of course, ignoring any leash laws, and not interested at all with my concern about her dog.

Any bent riders here that have had that happen?

What's the best defense ? With out getting arrested for animal cruel ity .

Trsnrtr

Appreciate the stipulation. This topic comes up frequently and usually eventually gets locked.

To answer the question, despite living in farm country, I don't have many problems. I just talk gently, keep riding and they eventually turn around. Vicious dogs can be reported to the local animal control agency.

mchell

This will stop them in their tracks. https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5053-1...g-Horn#reviews
Also good for the pathway users who wear ear buds and can't hear a bike bell. Mike

BlazingPedals

Just standing up does a lot to defuse most dog situations. If necessary, you can grab your bike/trike and hold it between you and the dog, to be used as either a shield or a weapon. Trikes are more awkward for that. Of course you can't do that while you're riding.

Trsnrtr

I’ve told this story before, but a new house was built on a road that I frequently use and came with two Rottweilers. The first few rides, they chased and barked but didn’t look exceptionally vicious so I decided I would stop one day and try to make friends since I ride by here so much.

So, I stop and get off my lowracer and here they come. First one knocks me down (I’m short) and they both start licking and slobbering all over me. One got bored quickly and left but the other one continued to lick me to death on the ground. Lady finally came out and “saved” me from drowning in drool.

ririder

If you can anticipate the dog coming at you just have your water bottle ready and douse him with what ever you're drinking.

Brian25

A spray bottle with vinegar works really well, no one will get you for cruelty to animals with that. Alternatively, there is pepper spray.

bkentr

Some good and varied ideas.

i have heard about the pepper spray, mace, and "bear repellent" before, and considered those.

The waterbottle would be very handy, and could not be considered a threat when not in use.

At the time, it was a shock. My response was to sell the two LWB bikes, scrap out the semi, and toss the
SWB into the metal dumpster, complete, didn't even save the tires/wheels.

Sometimes I do wish the LWB was still here, it offered a great diversion.

sch

I was concerned about dogs when I first started riding, but they have never been a problem
on the bent, which is about 15" off the street. But then I rarely have a problem on the DF
bike either. In the modern era (post 1996, when resumed riding after 18yr hiatus) I have
been bitten once, about 1 block from my house with resultant scratch and torn sock.
Closest encounter was a dog that ran with us for about 4 miles and wanted to be petted
so bad he slobbered all over my sleeve as he ran beside me at 16 mph. The vast majority
of dogs seem to be well aware of the property line and peel off as soon as they hit it.

Back in the '70s when broken off car aerials were not uncommon I would carry one fastened
to the top tube, it could rapidly be grabbed, extended to ~36" and dogs never saw it coming
but that could dissuade the most rabid chaser with one whack.

Pepper spray works IF you hit the dog's face, but I have seen people crash trying to spray
dogs and also ridden into the left over cloud of spray with mildly annoying results. Dogs will
veer off if water bottle spray is directed at them, again this is slightly hazardous to the rider
from a control POV, especially if several dogs are involved.

bkentr

The water bottle still sounds simple.
the horn could be set up with a button on the handlebars so as to not crash. That sounds good too.

Oakman

I'm 64 and been chased by countless dogs, but never been bitten. I use a variety of verbal techniques toward dogs, depending on their actions and breed. Just the other day I spotted a cattle dog hunkered down by a tree waiting to pounce. I gave a loud "Hey! I see you." He looked extremely disappointed and watched me ride by. I find most respond to a calm, stern voice. Especially if you slow down.

Only once did I fear getting bit and couldn't get away. So I dismounted and put the bike between me and the dog. He insisted at getting me, so I eventually pinned him down with the rear wheel. He got out in a few seconds, yet his demeanor changed from "I want you." to "I want away from you." Rode that same route for years and never saw him again.

I like dogs.

bkentr

I have also been chased many times, but not bitten.
It was just the right in your face nose to nose thing that shocked me enough to go back to presenting
my legs as lunch instead of my nose.

It was a bent rider at the local bike shop that suggested the bear repellent, which he carries.
Claims to have ridden hundreds of miles on his trike, and planning a cross country trip this year.
Didn't say if he ever used the repellent or not.

Shimagnolo

Take a bigger dog with you.

Retro Grouch 

It's been awhile but I remember having that experience on my DF road bike. I was just riding along when I became aware of a Great Dane, with bad breath, loping along beside me.

sch

Yeah, the scariest dogs are the stealthy ones that silently run up behind you
and you only become aware when they are a few feet away angling toward
your legs. The barkers and huffers seem a bit less likely to attack than
the stealth dogs. From my POV, the most dangerous dogs are those chasing
a cyclist in front of you, unaware of you behind and then when the dog slows and
turns to go home you run into the animal, guaranteed crash.

bkentr

Yes, the sneaky ones that only start barking at about 5' away and running full speed. Like the one that startled me.

Thanks, Shinagnolo, of course, having a Bigger dog on hand might help a lot.

So all i need is a loud horn, pepper spray, an old "whip" antenna, a can of spray mace, bear repellent,
and a couple of water bottles, one with vinegar. I might add a "ACME Thunderer" police whistle, witch i have.

That should be enough defense, it might even be enough to cause me to find or build another bent bike.

Thank you all for your replies, even if the list above sounds a bit humorous when listed out together,
I take each suggestion seriously and will consider using any or all.

Shimagnolo

That was my experience.
Back in college, I was out running a dirt road in the country one day.
Suddenly, I heard a bunch of barking/yapping behind me.
I turned around to see two dogs:
- The little one making all the noise.
- The silent big one, in midair in the split second before he sunk his teeth in the back of my thigh.

StephenH

Some of the local riders carry a whistle, either the larger "storm whistle" or a coach's type whistle. That works on maybe 1/2 or 2/3 of the dogs. I've seen dogs making a bee-line for the bike(s) and just stop in their tracks when a whistle is blown. But it isn't a 100% cure, either, and some of them just pay it no mind. Worn on a lanyard (with break-away feature) for quick access.


I try to talk/holler to them like they're my dog, not sure if that works any better than screaming or making gorilla noises or whatever the other options are. Probably a half-dozen times, I've unclipped and kicked a dog that was getting too close (riding an upright bike, so the angle works better). I'm right-footed, so that doesn't work as well if the dog's on the left.

Retro Grouch 

I love dog threads.

About 25 years ago I was riding a tandem with my teen aged son on an organized ride in rural Southern Illinois. We had just caught up with a group of 5 single bike riders when we passed a farmstead and a pack of 5 dogs came out to say "Hello!". Each of the single bike riders grabbed for their weapon of choice: two grabbed frame pumps, two water bottles and one woman had some kind of high tech sonic thingie. My son and I didn't do anything except ride on and watch. As the situation settled out, each of the single bike riders had a dog barking at their heels while my son and I were left alone. My theory is that dogs sense riders fear so the more fear of dogs you feel the more likely you are to be assaulted by dogs.

Trsnrtr

My usual experience, too. Dogs love excitement and screaming and yelling is exciting.

CuHead

Some dogs just like to run next to the moving bike and bark at a moving wheel. The one I remember clearly was in Southern Illinois, near Carbondale, where a dog was at a very fast run with his nose a few inches away from my front wheel and barking. It lasted 50-100 yards. I forgot the name of that big park. I saw turkeys there once, flying across the road in front of me. I'd hate to collide with one of those. Another time I looked over the side of a bridge and saw the fattest snakes I've ever seen, resting on rocks in the middle of a small creek.

bkaapcke

Size up dog. If manageable, get off bike, kick dog around a little, more if necessary, leave. Keep in mind, most dogs are complete frauds. Like Trump, they lead with a lot of pointless noise, put on a big show and leave without doing much of anything. If you attack the dog, IT WILL NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO!

You heard it here first. bk

BlazingPedals

Nah, it's easier to carry a squirrel. Drop the squirrel as bait. The dog won't be able to resist it, and will probably never catch it either. So you can pick it up on the way home for re-use later.

The squirrel will enjoy the activities, too.

VegasTriker

The number of times I really felt threatened by a dog in 17 years of riding recumbent trikes and bikes has been very few. The one that really surprised me was a few years ago as I was leaving a dog park and beginning a climb on an overpass access. I saw a lady coming down the other half of the switchback with a leash in her hand so I stopped to allow here to make the bend without my interference as the trike takes up the entire width of the path in a turn. To my surprise she had a second dog, not leashed, that came around the bend and hopped right into my lap and began to lick my face. She was horrified. I was laughing too hard to complain.

BorderRider

Will a stuffed squirrel bring the same results?