Hi liberty!

If you search this forum you'll find a zillion posts about dealing with dogs, some of them mine. I fractured my pelvis in three places in April 2005 after a close encounter with two dogs. It sounds like you need medical attention for your shoulder and probably some physical therapy, and it is certainly possible to get reimbursed for your medical bills and any bike-related repairs, etc. you need due to your crash, at least if there is a leash law in your county or city. I filed a claim with the dog owner's homeowner's insurance and got all my out-of-pocket expenses paid, but that was many months after my accident, after all medical care and PT was complete. Save all receipts and document everything in case you do decide to try to get some compensation for your accident and any expenses resulting from it. Chances are you'll be just fine, but it's hard to predict whether you might end up with chronic shoulder problems.

It took me a long time to work up my courage to ride again. I have carried HALT (available at www.nashbar.com, by the way) for years, but couldn't get to it in time when I had my accident as the dogs came out of nowhere so fast. I have added an Air Zound air horn to my handlebars (do a search in the forum and you can read more about that too), and I do not hesitate to stop and get off my bike (as I did once last week when a very friendly golden retriever walked right in front of my front tire) if a dog approaches, friendly or otherwise. I have only had to use the air horn a couple of times, but it works! It is very loud. Halt works great if the dog gets close enough to be sprayed, but they often don't, or if there are more than one, it's very hard to fire at both! I have found that often just holding up the container and pointing it at them is enough to stop them from coming at me, though; they seem to have instincts about "guns" or things like them. Nashbar also makes a little $2 handlebar mount for Halt that I have on my handlebars so it's easy to access. Yes, my bike is a lot geekier these days, but I feel safer!

I am still nervous about dogs, and there are some routes I simply won't take because known mean, loose dogs are sometimes there, but I finally decided I couldn't give up cycling over it. All the suggestions given here are good, but as many people say, there is no one way of handling dogs -- every situation is different.

Good luck, and I hope you'll go to your doctor to take a look at your shoulder. I am very sorry that happened to you, and I truly know what you are going through!

Emily