need to brush up on my dog defense skills
 

right thru my cycling pants & wrecked the zipper. gonna cost $20 to replace the zipper :notamused: & the owner needs to brush up on her leashing skills

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2cbc0e164b.jpg

Bad break. Good thing dog didnt cause you to wreck.

Did you get the owner's information?

I was wondering that too. At least make sure the dog was current on their rabies vaccines.

The owner should pay all incurred expenses. She is lucky she and the dog were not reported to the authorities.

sadly, I also need to brush up on my post-dog-bite skills. the Doctor's office wanted to know if the dog had it's shots, the Police dispatcher & the Police Dog Officer wanted the owner's contact info. I did give a description of the dog. I guess that would be helpful if someone else reports another incident about the same dog

there was no charge for the tetanus shot

I'm embarrassed I was so lame about the incident. in the moment, I was just shocked it was happening, then immediately after, I just wanted to get away from the situation. I was pretty pissed & I think that clouded my judgement. I had passed about 10-15 other dogs & their owners w/ no incident this morning & I thought this would be the same, I guess dog off the leash? so what? probably thousands of dogs, off their leashes, have run up to me & sniffed a leg w/ no incident. I've never been bitten by a dog in my 63 years. I should carry a cue sheet for what to do in case of: dog bite, car accident, etc, etc

it didn't even act aggressive. no barking. I even thought I got by it before it bit me at the last second. in the video I can see/hear the owner apologizing as she is seeing it happening. she knew before I did. & the way she said: "yeah she ..." as if she knew her dog will bite & has before

My technique is this. As soon as I see a dog off the leash, I get off my bike and put it between me and the dog, and get pepper spray in hand. If the dog approaches and ignores my yelling ("STOP! GO AWAY!") and it gets close enough, I use the pepper spray, no questions asked. Only when the dog runs away do I get back on my bike. I know people carry batons and chains and all other manner of protection, but pepper spray is the most humane way to deal with a dog. It wears off after a few minutes and the animal is not injured.

You aren't going to be able to outrun a dog that is off a leash (not likely, anyway). But if you get off, put the bike between you and the dog and yell at it, about half the time they back off. But again, if it gets close enough the pepper spray is used automatically - I don't wait to see if they're going to bite. As you learned (if you didn't already know), dogs really will bite cyclists or cause them to crash, and it all happens in a split second. It's nothing to take lightly.

I hope you reported this. The dog was off a leash so the woman was breaking the law, and as already mentioned, the animal may not be current on its vaccinations. Even without the concern of rabies, a trip to the ER is warranted. They will treat the dog bite for infection at the very least, and here in Michigan they are required to report all animal bites to law enforcement.

I’m also glad that dog didn’t cause you to wreck. And that you appear okay.
That is NOT acceptable behavior in a dog.
That could also have been much worse.
A friend of mine was pretty badly hurt because of a pocket dog and inattentive owner. And that dog wasn’t even being aggressive.
Owning a pet, especially a dog, is a huge responsibility.

My brother just got a serious dog bite. Into the muscle and quickly infected.

oh yeah! good point! didn't even think of that!

I’ve been bitten a bunch. Former K9 handler. Sucks every time. And good idea to be current with the tetanus shot.
You don’t need to get one after a bite but good idea to be up to date.

You're the victim here. It's not your fault. Of course there are precautions to take as in everything we do but the responsibility is with the perpetrator, in this case the dog and its owner.

In a situation like this, get all the owner’s info - take a picture of their DL, get their phone # and if the dog is up to date on all vaccinations. No one wants a series of rabies injections. I would also tell them they are responsible for damages and medical treatment (can’t hurt to plant the seed) and they will be provided with an itemized list. If they get snarky, tell them you will get the police and small claims court involved.

A dog bolting off-leash on an MUP is a different scenario than encountering a loose dog on the road. Sometimes you don’t have more than a couple seconds to react; the dog might bolt at the last second, or just after you pass.

For an on-the-fly move, a squirt from your water bottle will often disrupt them enough to make them break off.

Out in the open, if a dog is running towards the road, like from a yard or driveway, on an “intercept course,” slow down a little, and then kick off a sprint right as the dog reaches the edge of the road (if you’ve got the legs for it) it messes up their timing, and they’ll overshoot
The disruption may be enough that they’ll break off, but if not, now you’re dealing with a chase instead of a potential collision

I always recommend bear spray. A 24 inch diameter fog at 20 feet is easy to put on target with short bursts and is very effective. The dog is unlikely to challenge a cyclist again, based on my experience.

a face full of pepper spray is a wonderful thing...works on dogs too hehehe

just be sure to save enuf in the cylinder for the owner…. :lol:

Dog are more likely to turn aggressive towards anything that don't look or smell familiar to them. Dogs recognize by smell, form, and movement.

Smell is a huge deal to dogs. Keep smells as little as possible. Avoid fabric softener, perfume, cologne, strong smelling soap / shampoo. Shower after every workout or any activity that makes you sweat. Avoid eating red meat / exotic foods before a ride. Keep your BMI under 23.

You'll find dogs are less likely to chase women due to less body odor and less meat on diet. Someone on a bike is less likely to be seen as prey by dog. More often than not, if chased, they see you as a threat

Appearance will also matter. In this aspect, simply try to blend in. If all the cyclists in your area are riding on cruiser bikes and not wearing helmets you'll greatly improve your chance of avoiding catching dog's attention if you also ride on cruise bikes and not wear helmet.. I'm only saying it as an example, not to discourage anyone from wearing a helmet. I wear helmet in all my outdoor rides too even in short 5 minute rides.

Finally, movement. Avoid any rough, sudden movements. Make smooth delivery of power on the pedal. Avoid abrupt pedaling, avoid aggressive motions on the bike. Avoid unusual postures. Riding like a clown will absolutely get a dog's attention from miles away.


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Unless you are actually a dog, I'm gonna need some cites.

I disagree with what you say....I shouldn't have to modify my behavior, my lifestyle or dress style or riding style in order to pacify some badly behaved dog with an irresponsible owner.... What needs to be done is dog owners need to take responsibility for their dogs and train their dogs on how to behave around people on bikes.

Don't forget the noise. Loud hubs come to mind.

In the OP's video, I can't decide which one is more annoying, the dog's bite or the owner's screechy robot voice.

I used to have a dog. Well behaved around people outdoors, including people on bikes. Only makes exception on people who ate exotic foods or took alcohol. They did smelled strong even I would find them of suspicious character. If I am a cop, I would have tried to stop them too for questioning.

BWAHAHAHA!

What?

However, it's unlikely you'll be invited back on that group ride.
Bear spray is overkill, and is very strong - strong enough to cause permanent damage to a dog. Better to use a dog repellent (I use HALT spray) which will deter a chasing dog long enough for you to exit stage right.

Complete and utter nonsense.

if you want to ruin your day, go to youtube & search dog bites cyclist, or a similar search phrase. overwhelming actually