surgeonstone

Mostly farm dogs ,a fair number of mixed pit bull breeds which worry me the most but the reality is most of the dogs, as you accurately say, are just escorting me past.

Machka 

I'm so glad I don't live in your "awesome" country!!

Machka 

It is a very rare occurance to encounter an uncontrolled dog in the parts of Australia where I've cycled, or in many parts of Canada ... although I did encounter several in Alberta.

In most instances, what worked was to pretend to throw something. Pretend you've got a ball or stick in your hand and throw hard. The dog goes dashing off after the imaginary ball, and you cycle away.

Stopping, getting off the bicycle, and standing with the bicycle between you and the dog can also work. I've done that a couple times. Apparently, when we're on our bicycles, the dog isn't sure what we are and will chase us. But when we stop and get off the bicycle, the dog realises that we're human, like their master. A loud "Go Home", and off they go.

It also helps to know your breed. For example, border collies will herd you, and it can help to let them know you're human and not herdable animal. So talk to them.

What can be a bit unnerving is when you've got at least two large dogs coming after you. That has happened to me a couple times.

ahsposo 

Like 65er noted, there are dogs that pepper spray acts as an inspiration to violence. I've quit carrying it.

I've found that with very, very few exceptions that a firm order from a human will give most pursuing dogs (or waiting dogs) pause. And a blast of water (or whatever is in it) from your water bottle will also stop a dog.

rangerdavid

Pepper Spray.............

Carbon Unit

I live in Orange County California and I almost never see a dog that isn't on a leash. 25 years ago I had a dog chase me while I was on a motorcycle but it has never happended, knock on wood, while I have been on my bike. Now, on my next ride a dog will chase me.

By the way, I feel no need to carry a gun where I live. The only crime that occurs where I live is cheating on income taxes.

wkg

You must control the dog with your mind like Caesar Millan.

bbattle

Lots of dogs out in the country here in Alabama. The vast majority of them that do run after me just want to run. I did have a rottweiler kind of chomp my heel as I was going up a hill; I yelled at the owner and he said I was lucky the dog didn't bite me on the ass. I considered discussing the matter further with him but I noticed the deputy sheriff's car in his driveway. No way to win an argument there so I just kept on going.

I've been with cyclists that scream bloody murder whenever a dog even looked our way; a bit much but maybe they got bit once. I prefer to talk nicely to the dogs and practice my sprinting.

Be careful with pepper spray on a group ride. I was behind the group with another cyclist and as we went around a curve my eyes started burning like crazy. I thought we'd run into a cloud of pesticide or defoliant(for the cotton). Another cyclist had blasted some dogs and the pepper spray cloud hadn't dispersed when we hit it.

savvy523

People have to stop treating dogs like they're people. Come to Europe, dogs are treated like absolute crap. I was riding two days ago and the scariest pit bull with saliva dripping down it's mouth was right next to me, and it's owner doing nothing.

Nachoman

I don't carry a gun or even pepper spray but if I did, I wouldn't hesitate to use it against a dog if I genuinely felt threatened.

Debusama

I’ve had dogs run at me barking and snarling while I’m on my bike, many times. It’s scary because you don’t know how serious they really are, and if nothing else, they could cause a crash. I find the best course of action in those situations is to dismount, place the bike between the dog and myself, and give the dog a stern “NO!” command. If the dog doesn’t leave, I walk, using the bike as somewhat of a shield until I’m far enough away from whatever the dog is trying to protect that it returns to its post, then ride away.


I have a German shepherd/Doberman mix, I personally know he wouldn’t actually bite anyone, but he’ll make sure to try and intimidate people he doesn’t know into staying away from his territory. That’s what German Shepherds and Dobermans are bred to do. I love my dog; I like having the companion, and running & mountain biking buddy, I also like knowing that when my wife is alone at the house and strange people knock at the door, the dog is looking out for her. With the benefits of keeping this kind of Animal come responsibilities. My Dog is either behind the 7-foot fence in my back yard, in the house, on a leash or out on a secluded trail outside of city limits where loose dogs are expected and permitted.


While I have sympathy for the Dog, and for the cyclist (I know how vulnerable one feels on a bike with a big dog running at him), I think the blame for this situation belongs mostly to the dog’s owner, even though it does seem a bit odd that the cyclist would be packing heat while riding through a suburban residential area.

EdIsMe

It seems odd to me that the cyclist was riding in a cul-de-sac neighborhood carrying a gun, even if legally entitled to do so. The article makes no mention of whether or not the cyclist frequented this route, or if there was a history of past occurrences.

Also, the gun would have had to have been drawn and fired relatively quickly for the dog to have "whimpered back to its owner and die in his arms." It could be inferred that the cyclist did not give much chase to attempt to allude the dog, but rather the first action was lethal force.

ilovecycling

They are farming and hunting dogs, as well as family pets. Growing up in Indiana, I can totally see where surgeonstone is coming from. Hell, one time I was passing a house right off a US highway, and I hit the family dog. They had a big yard, and it seemed that the family was having some sort of get together or family barbecue. I happened to look to my left right after I made contact with the dog and I saw the whole family (kids and all) looking in shock. Did I stop? Hell no. What good what it have done? Their dog was already dead and I wasn't about to hang around just to get beat up by Superdad. Like surgeonstone said, this **** happens all the time in Indiana. If people don't want to see their dogs dead, it's their responsibility to keep it under control.

surgeonstone

Ahhh, a civilized land. I agree, have never felt the need for a gun in 40 years of cycling. The idea of carrying one seems preposterous in the extreme.

surgeonstone

I remember riding my motorcycle into work early one morning a few years back. As I am tooling down the 2 lane road, I see peripherally a brown blur streaking towards me. Having no time to evade, I rose up off the saddle to absorb the shock and smashed through what was a large chocolate lab. Clearly dead I proceeded on to work, my thought- not stupid dog, hell it was just doing what dogs do, but rather stupid dog owner. Felt bad for the dog, hoped maybe the dog owner had learned something.

ilovecycling

I don't think it's any more preposterous than keeping one in your car or in your home. However, those who tend to get hot-headed during fits of road rage with motorists should probably leave it at home for their own good. I personally don't get worked up by motorists. If they yell or say something I just smile or laugh it off. I've also been in social situations where some people would have used a gun out of "self defense," but I knew better. If you carry you need to treat your right to do so with the utmost respect and use it ONLY when your life is in danger and there is no other alternative. A dog is an animal though, domesticated or not. If one is coming at me barking, snarling, and showing its teeth, there is much less pause to use deadly force than when another human is involved.

ilovecycling

Hey, at least it wasn't a deer! I've hit a deer in my car on I-65 driving from Purdue University back home to NW Indiana, and I wouldn't have survived if I was on my motorcycle. A guy just down the road from my parents' old house died from hitting a deer on his motorcycle. I recently sold my motorcycle because I never got to ride it, but that was one thing that always freaked me out. There are just too many animals finding their way onto the roads in Indiana.

Bearonabike

An armed society is a polite society. The post gun ban crime rate down under should be proof enough of that.

surgeonstone

Actually I was pretty damn fortunate not to have crashed and been injured. Had I try to evade the dog I am sure I would have crashed out.

djb

'
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Dean7

I'm siding with the dog here. The owner clearly should have had him in a fenced area and the rider seems suspect by virtue of the fact that he was carrying a gun on a bike ride on Thanksgiving day. Poor pooch.

dgasmd

It is too bad this site bans the word I want to use to reply. It is the equivalent to cognitively impaired. I know you'll have to look that up too!!

I love dogs. Have two and have had dogs pretty much since I have memory. The problem is every idiot with a dog thinks the entire world loves every dog. I personally don't. There is nothing more irritating than walking somewhere only to find dogs roaming everywhere and their stupid owners walking with the leash on their hands smiling. This is even worse at the beach when they come kicking sand on you all over, wanting to walk over your stuff, and coming to sniff and leak foods and such. I don't frankly give a chit if it is a friendly dog, but I did not ask for it to come by and asked for it.

Not in America, but in the US. There are another 25 countries in the continent!!

I carried pepper spray when I rode for years between 4-6 AM. Dogs were not in my radar, but I figured at some point someone would feel the need to fok with me, especially some of the crack dealers in an area I went through.

My wife is from a tiny town in the middle of corn field IL. While spending some time at her parent's house there one summer, I brought my bike and rode plenty. Got charged by dogs several times/day. Spoke with them about it and their answer was what I suspect those dog's owners would say: "there is nobody out here. We leave them loose and they come back home at night". This is not just rural US. I saw the same in Italy this summer and the same last year in France's country side. HOwever, both were to a much lower extent.

Velo Gator

This.

dgasmd

BTW, if I had to ride anywhere south of Boca Raton, I would also carry a gun.

DM5

Reminds me of this video....

(NSFW - language)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGEv5dC0lo4