Dog Repellents - Yeah or Nay?

[Chicken Little]

The bike is a barrier if you are off of it- kinda like the lion tamer and the chair at the circus. But I can just see myself trying to slow, clip out, balance on the cleats, get the bike between me and the dog, not realize which way the nozzle is pointing, spray myself in the eyes, stagger off into a ditch, fall, and get knocked out. Then I get bit, for sure.

Now I'm worried. I am riding on the trainer in the garage tonight.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

HALT pepper spray has a nozzle that prevents accidentally aiming it at yourself.

[Chicken Little]

Doesn't matter, I'm double jointed.

[kenyonchris]

If the wind is up, even the pepper spray "gel" can a) miss its target, or b) contaminate you (if not get you in your face, get on your gloves or whatever, that eventually works its way to your eyes....
And, for some reason, some dogs don't react to it. I am in a lot of backyards or homes on alarms, open doors, whatever and often encounter angry dogs. Our OC is a whole lot stronger than average dog spray (it is designed to turn an angry, violent person into a slobbering mess. We were sprayed in training and it is the worst pain I have ever experienced) and is our preferred dog repellant, but on some dogs it just doesn't work. Bad day when that happens.

[JMM77]

Thanks everyone for your advice! I guess in retrospect I should have stopped and yelled at the dog instead or trying to outrun her. She didn't attack me (thank goodness) so maybe a loud "No" and some arm waving would have scared her away.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If the wind is up, even the pepper spray "gel" can a) miss its target, or b) contaminate you (if not get you in your face, get on your gloves or whatever, that eventually works its way to your eyes....
And, for some reason, some dogs don't react to it. I am in a lot of backyards or homes on alarms, open doors, whatever and often encounter angry dogs. Our OC is a whole lot stronger than average dog spray (it is designed to turn an angry, violent person into a slobbering mess. We were sprayed in training and it is the worst pain I have ever experienced) and is our preferred dog repellant, but on some dogs it just doesn't work. Bad day when that happens.

And so your recommendation for dealing with a dog that's coming at you and looks like it's going to attack/bite is..... ?

[grey]

There's a fellow who rides with our group who is known to turn around and chase the dogs back home, YELLING at them the whole way. He's heavyset, and usually pretty serious, so picture this older guy turning around and yelling "GIT ON YOU DOGS! AAAAAAAAARRRR!" and chasing the bewildered critters back down the road. I almost fell off my bike the first time I saw him do it, I was laughing so hard.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

There's a fellow who rides with our group who is known to turn around and chase the dogs back home, YELLING at them the whole way. He's heavyset, and usually pretty serious, so picture this older guy turning around and yelling "GIT ON YOU DOGS! AAAAAAAAARRRR!" and chasing the bewildered critters back down the road. I almost fell off my bike the first time I saw him do it, I was laughing so hard.

I did that a couple of times... a border shepherd type thought he could start chasing me down a suburban street barking aggressively, this was a family neighborhood with children and strollers who use that road. I screeched to a halt, got off my bike and started bellowing and shouting at him and chased him back to his lawn while his owner watched silently from her lawn. I made a HUGE scene yelling at the dog and chasing him back to his property, passing cars had stopped to watched and one driver asked me if I was ok, all concerned like. I didn't talk to the owner but she watched me hollering for the dog to STOP CHASING PEOPLE on the road, to STAY HOME, BAD DOG, the whole 9 yds at the top of my lungs. I made so much of a scene that I haven't seen her dog loose again, and I bike down that road very often.

Another time a beagle came down the road after me barking up a storm on a back farm road with no one around. I stopped and came storming after him, walking my bike with me and bellowing and he got really scared and ran off. A month later he tried it again but when I stopped my bike and started yelling he put his tail between his legs and ran back home- he remembered me and I didn't even need to start coming after him.

Not sure any of this would work for Rottweillers or pit bulls, etc. Usually does work for other types though. Really turns the tables on them!

[channlluv]

I haven't been chased, per se, but at the lake where I ride, toward the end of the lap, the path narrows, so I often have to dodge walkers, strollers, and so on. A few weeks ago, I was moving up to pass a couple of women walking a dog on a long leash. The woman on the right was holding the leash, but the dog, which had been walking along quite nicely, caught sight of the ducks and was about to bolt after one. The dog darted in front of the woman on the left (who was walking right down the middle of the path, forcing me to pass on the far left, into the oncoming lane - no biggie as no one was coming toward us) and the dog bolts out to her left, right into my path, just as I'm coming up to pass them. I just reacted, swerved and yelled a sharp, "Hey!" because that's how I stop my dog when she bolts when we're on walks, and the dog corrected its path, and moved back in front of the women, and as I pass, a few feet in front of them, the older woman in the middle of the road says, all snarky, "We say 'On your left,' not, 'hey'."

I almost turned around to tell her I didn't think her dog would understand "On your left," but I let it go.

I'm constantly dodging dogs on the path, many of whom are big dogs on looooong leashes. I've been charged by a couple, but stuck my foot out to kick while yelling, "Hey!" and their owners reel them in quickly.

I've yelled "Leash!" when I'm coming up on someone who's letting their dog run out all the way across the path - it's a two-lane road most of the way, and marked 15mph for bikes and cars.

What recourse does a cyclist have when they're attacked by a dog running loose in a neighborhood?

Roxy

[MomOnBike]

Generally speaking, it's a bad idea to run from carnivors (dogs, lions, tigers, bears, oh my). That just turns you into a prey animal, AKA Dinner. Dogs really can't help it, that's just the way they are made.

They are pack animals, though, so what I do is the Alpha B**ch thing. I make myself as big as possible and give a good low menacing growl: "Don't you even think about it" or a commanding bark: "NO! Get back!" has worked so far.

That being said, I have Halt and if I ever need it, I will not hesitate.

[channlluv]

I think pepper spray would be a good idea around here, the more I think of it. I'm in mountain lion country, and even though I've never seen one of them, I have seen tracks.

Hmmm....not wanting to resemble prey in any way.

Roxy

[tctrek]

This thread scares me to death. I have an overwhelming dog phobia that I've had since I was a kid. Whenever we encounter loose dogs, I stand up an run on my bike - all out sprint. My intelligent brain tells me it's stupid, but my phobia tells me to get the heck out of there. DH usually tries to get behind me and yells at the dog. We've never dismounted our bikes when being chased.

I do carry pepper spray, but have never thought about using it, just escaping

[OnTerryOh]

tctrek,

Possibly this might be helpful .

It's worked for me for other problems.

[kenyonchris]

And so your recommendation for dealing with a dog that's coming at you and looks like it's going to attack/bite is..... ?

Well, I was only commenting on the possibility of contaminating yourself with pepper spray that may/may not work anyway.

If I am on my personal bike, I carry a little handful of pebbles. I have never had to use them because I do the aggressive yell/growl and have never had a dog come close enough to threaten me. However, I don't stop. Everyone has had good suggestions about that, certainly as effective as mine.

On the patrol bike (much slower) or on patrol (where I am much more likely to get bitten because I encounter dogs on their own turf, they are protecting their home, doing their job, it is unfortunate that my job makes us at odds) I have much more at my disposal....my spray (which I would try first...I am pretty good with it, as I use it fairly regularly on people) and my baton would be my first line of defense, but if my life were in danger, I have my gun. I can't imagine having to shoot a dog, but I would if it were him or me.

No one out on a road bike (including me) has such a line of defense, which is why the suggestions given here are great ones. But, in terms of spray, I would suggest that one checks the wind before deploying it, and be aware that some dogs may not react to it.

[kenyonchris]

What recourse does a cyclist have when they're attacked by a dog running loose in a neighborhood?

Roxy

It depends on the city ordinances in the city where you live. Most cities have leash laws (at least) and dog laws regarding bites (at best). File a report with the police or Animal Control should you receive a bite. If the dog has bitten someone before, it may be curtains (as it should be) for him.
I was bitten by a dog at a party when I was about 25. It was an unprovoked bite by an older doberman cross. It bruised me very badly above the knee (where it grabbed me). The owners were present and witnessed it, and the wife confessed that the dog had bitten someone before. They were apologetic, and I said I was fine, yada, yada, yada, and, not wanting to make problems for them or the dog, let it go.
Less than a year later, the dog bit the face of the owners' little girl, who was about three. I felt partially responsible for not filing a report. The dog was unreliable, and had a history of unprovoked biting, and wound up disfiguring a beautiful little girl.
So if you are bitten, make sure to contact the city. If it is the dog's first bite, it generally goes on his 'record". A second or third bite tend to hold the owner responsible for taking some action.