chefisaac

Hello all.

I just moved to Texas and just starting to get back into the commuting lifestyle.... one that I truly have missed. I love that commuting has a purpose and that it really is a "gym on wheels".


With that said, I need some advice from you all. Currently, I am living in South San Antonio and this will not change for a while. South San Antonio is the poorer part of the town and there is a challenge that I am currently facing. There are so many wild dogs in the streets and this morning, I counted 23 in the first five miles of a 30 mile ride. A lot of them chased me which scares the $hit out of me a little because they are underfed and not the nicest dogs I have seen in my life. I tried the yelling method and the squirting water in the face method. They loved the water (it is hot and humid here) and the shouting made them run faster after me. I am at odds as to what to do. People have told me to carry a gun but that is not the route I would like to take. Thought about spray. Just do not know. I imagine the dog pound doesn't have any interest in picking up these dogs as there are tons of them and I am sure their facilities are filled up like crazy.

I am open to suggestions.

Thank you.

AusTexMurf

Can you vary your route or find an alternative way to snake through the neighborhoods ?
Also, San Antonio has some very nice separate bike path systems running through all areas of town using the creek systems and waterways. Very nice trail along the San Antonio River on the south side that follows along the Spanish mission trail.
Hiking and biking along the Howard W. Peak Greenway trails is a great way to get fit and enjoy the outdoors. The ever growing network of multi-use trails wind through natural landscapes along San Antonio creeks. Currently 52.6 miles of developed greenway trails are now open for your riding, walking and running pleasure. San Antonio residents are flocking to the greenways for their beauty, the opportunity for family fun, and for fitness.
These linear parks consist of approximately 1,400 acres of creek-side open space.
The Linear Creekway Parks Development Program, which provides sales tax funding for the land purchases and trails development, was approved by voters in 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015.
Trails are now either built or planned for many of San Antonio’s creeks, including the Salado, Leon, Huebner, Huesta, Culebra, Alazan, Apache, Martinez, San Pedro and the Medina River.
Also, wondering what effect an air horn might have on dogs chasing….

Trevtassie

Two water bottles, one with a bit of hot chili and cayenne pepper in water in it. Make it red so you don't get them mixed up. Make the same noise every time you squirt them. After a while they'll associate you with some negative consequences and you'll only need to make the noise.

chefisaac

Thanks for the advice. I am not much of a trail person. Only use them for a short distance to connect only when I need to. The route I planned and took this morning is the best I can make it that snakes along big intersections and such.

BobbyG

I've been riding with an AirZound airhorn for 20 years, but I don't have many dogs to contend with. In some cases the horn scared the dogs away, a couple of times it made them break stride long enough for me to get away. But in one case, where I had stopped a couple of houses down and the dog was walking up to me snarling, it just seemed to make him more angry, and he followed me a couple of blocks.

10 Wheels

I use a Marine Horn when they get close.



https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/seasense-mini-air-horn

Also carry Pepper Spray should the horn fail to scare them.

10 Wheels

The dog that is silent is the One That will bite you.

10 Wheels

30 dogs WOW.That is too many. They will end up crashing you.

Look for another place to move to.

KD5NRH

It's San Antonio. They think Tabasco is one of those sports drink concentrates.

mapeiboy

You mentioned those are homeless dogs and they are hungry , Why not toss them some of your left over food and they will fight over each other for the food and leave you alone .

Jarrett2

Kick the **** out of them if they get within distance. Keep your foot on the pedal until they get close, then plant one right to the head really quickly. They won't expect it the first time. It usually only takes one good shot to the jaw to teach them that you can pose a threat to them and to stay at a safe distance away.

If you don't have the bike handling skills to do that, then definitely don't try it. If that's the case, try one of the other methods listed above that don't work (as you've seen) and keep pedaling. Work on your sprints.

Otherwise, just ride if they don't get within range. Not many dogs are looking to actually bite you on the bike. Most just want a good chase.

Bikeforumuser0019

.... guarantee that they will definitely chase after you every time they see you from that moment on.


Pepper spray will provide a negative stimulus associated with seeing you coming on your bike. It will not permanently harm the dogs and you should have no compunctions whatsoever about using it.

SouthFLpix

Dogs have sensitive noses. Pepper spray works really well on them. You can buy a large can that fits into a water bottle holder, which might be just the thing if you have 30 dogs chasing you.

10 Wheels

The pepper spray may stop them from more attacks.

Bike Gremlin

Lots of stray dogs where I ride. When they start chasing me, I just STOP PEDALLING and say: "stop it, enough", in a calm voice (they don't understand the words, but get the vibes). Some people say yelling is better, but this works for me (with street thugs as well - lol ). Also, I've been given advice not to look them in the eyes, but those most eager to chase me I look directly in the eyes and calmly tell them to stop it - seems to work.

Though it's easy to say from a computer - maybe dogs where you ride are more vicious, or more crazy, or just bigger and bolder. Anyway, you can't help being scared if you are. Dog whistles are very effective. There are some electric ones too - they all work.

If dogs come too near and you can't avoid them, dismount, place the bike between you and the dog most eager to come at you (they will surround you if there's more of them). Whatever you do, do not make any sudden threatening moves, like waving hands, stomping with feet etc. Calm and firm does it. If you have a stick, or a large frame pump, hit the top tube with the stick couple of times and hold it level at that height so they can see it. Bending and picking a rock, even a non existing one, seems to work fine with most dogs too.

esmith2039

I got a can of bear spray from Bass Pro.. it works! Hit 2 for so far and it'll stop them in their tracks.

Northwestrider

+1 for Bear Spray , a few years ago, I pepper strayed a dog inches from my heal while on a jog, it worked well . Today I'm a fan of Bear Spray when all else fails. I've tried a marine horn in the past. It worked for maybe 50% of the time . IMO Bear Spray works on the vast majority of dogs .

canklecat

Ditto, pepper spray or a homemade brew in a squirt bottle. There are good squirt bottles that'll reach up to 10 feet or so with a stream, so there's little risk of blowback choking you. Often it takes only one squirt to discourage a dog from chasing you again.

I'm in Texas too and one of my rural routes has the occasional loose dog. They're not mean, but do tend to give me uninvited *******, weaving back and forth in front of me at erratic speeds. I'm not worried about the dogs attacking me outright, but if I fell over one and bled from a scrape it might excite their aggressive instincts. I've seen dogs attack their own siblings when they smelled blood and fear.

CB HI

Go with a mace gun, more accurate and no back spray. Once sprayed, a dog will remember the experience and leave you alone.

https://www.amazon.com/Mace-Pepper-G.../dp/B006VK6Y5I

I had a junk yard man/ illegal used car salesman that did not like me. He ran his operation off the side of the bike path. He illegally drove on the bike path, park cars next to the bike path in a no parking area and used a fork lift to move car often raised 15 feet over the bike path on uneven dirt (extremely dangerous to riders on the path). He also used a bath tub to clean auto parts and then drained the solvents to the dirt next to Pearl Harbor. After I called the police, EPA and state tax offices on him, hoping to shut him down, he started sending his dog after me whenever I road by. After a couple times of the dog trying to bite, I came prepared with pepper spray, dog came out got sprayed in the face and I road off. The next time the junk yard jerk sent the dog, the dog ran out, saw it was me, turned and ran back with it's tail between it's legs.

Korina

+1 The Dog Whisperer calls it 'calm authority'.

Baggins2012

By wild dogs, do you mean actual feral dogs, that live on the street? I guess you do. Holy S***. 23 in a five mile stretch is absurd. 3rd world country levels.

I've commuted a couple of K miles over the last 2 years and never once seen a dog without an owner.

I have no answers for you, but I would probably skip the bike commute in that neighborhood. Probably a few feral humans as well.

langdon

Thats fine in TX or places where open carry is legal and commonplace but if you sport a mace gun in a city or urban area someone will freak out and call the cops. The manufacturers should really make that thing bright yellow or orange so its not confused for an actual firearm at a distance

whosmatt

Yikes. I have an uncle who used to be a runner until he blew out his knees. Now he's a cyclist. Anyway, growing up we lived in a very rural area where there were lots of roaming dogs. He used to carry a bottle of ammonia to spray at them as a deterrent. Swore by it.

CB HI

They do make them in other colors, including pink and camo. Mine is blue with lots of chipped paint, so I will be painting mine black soon. No one has freaked out in Hawaii with my carrying it on the chest strap of my camelbak.

There is no real open or concealed carry in Hawaii (regardless of a pretend concealed carry process). So no one here is use to open carry.
No one has freaked out here with my mace gun and they are not common here because of the shipping restrictions (with the exception of 2 motorist). Those 2 fools forced me off the road and then got out of their cars to come after me. I put my hand on the mace gun handle, still holstered and asked them "do you really want to get it on?". So even through I have never sprayed the gun at anything, it has prevented 2 violent confrontations.

Joe Minton

Pepper spray works on any animal, four-legged or two. Once a dog/bear/a$$hole gets a facefull, it'll forever remember you and stay out of your way.

Around here (Ventura County, CA) it is legal to carry and use pepper spray. Unofficially, the Sheriff's dept. encourages its use as an alternative to physical violence. Keep in mind, though, that improper or uncalled for use is illegal all the way up to the felony level if used to commit a crime.

Joe