Originally Posted by
RH Clark
You must not live in The Dirty South. We had a middle-aged woman die from dog attack here locally, and then the pack also killed the official lady that was sent to investigate. 90% of the barkers and nippers I encounter are not really all that dangerous and a "HI, buddy!" works just fine. I assume we are only concerned here about the other 10% that can actually be life threatening.
People have been killed by dogs everywhere, including in my home town where I have lived nearly all my life. I got attacked by a dog delivering newspapers when I was a teenager. I still usually say “Hi, buddy” these days or just keep riding and don’t react. Never been harmed by a dog while riding a bicycle, and I’ve ridden across the U.S. and then some.