Quote Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl View Post
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.