Originally Posted by
qwaalodge
I agree with you that I'm not special with dogs. I'm simply doing things I've learned living with dogs.
Besides, I'm only advising prevention, avoiding attention of dogs. I'm not telling anyone to abandon their preferred course of action if they believe they are being targetted by a dog for attack. I'm not telling anyone to stop using mace or don't sprint for it or steer towards the dog. I love dogs, owned a few so far, all of them adopted but would still value human life above dogs.
It's the owners job to protect their dogs by active intervention and good training, not yours, nor mine.
No, you're not just advising prevention, you've been telling people what to eat, what to wear, how to pedal, how to posture yourself on the bike, to abstain from alcohol use, and I'm sure a few other silly things I really don't remember.
If you're admitting that prevention is completely a matter of people controlling their badly behaved dogs, then we finally agree. There really is nothing a cyclist can do that reliably avoids the attention of dogs with dysfunctional behavior. There's every reason in the world to think they may actually be chasing bicycles that cyclists happen to be riding on. Some dogs chase cars, for crying out loud.
By the way, I did my usual after-work 25 mile ride last night and noticed how many unleashed dogs I pass on the MUP completely without incident. I'm so used to it that it really wasn't registering how routine it is. Had to be about ten such dogs, and dozens of leashed. Generally, the dogs don't even give me a side glance. And I had beef for lunch. I do that ride about 3 times a week, and ride about 150 miles on roads on the weekends. I've had about 4 unpleasant interactions with dogs in the last three years, none of them a serious threat. Otherwise, dogs ignore me, although one golden retriever tried to race me on the MUP, which was quite adorable. Do the math on how many dogs I encounter per week and you'll understand why I'm completely unimpressed by your lack of canine attention.
I had to decline the goldie's racing challenge because the kids who were walking him off the leash were in a panic, btw. I felt bad, it would've been glorious CAT 6 with a dog.