Hi, and dogs???

[liberty]

Hi, everyone. Wanted to introduce myself and say how much I have enjoyed reading the threads and advice/encouragement...

I do have a question. Have you found anything that works as far as deterring dogs? My main route has at least 5 aggressive dogs. Mind you I love dogs, but dogs and bikes don't mix. The roads by my house are hilly, winding, and narrow so if the dog(s) comes at me there is no place I can go to get away... Been having this discussion with my bike shop and they have been trying to get "Halt" for me. Unfortunately they don't have any dog-tazer guns... One guy advised me to fill a water bottle up with a water-tobasco sauce mix. That has been okay, but I hate the thought of giving up an entire water bottle because of the animals... The theory of getting off the bike if a dog tries to chase you is fine, but a couple places have more than one dog and I don't want to deal with the pack mentality. Yeah, can talk to the owners, call the animal control, etc.

Worst part is I had a wreck with two dogs about three weeks ago. Two of my normal dog-harrassers chased me (I didn't bring the tobasco that day, so I was trying to get them with water) down a little hill and around a corner before they stopped dead in front of me. I didn't have time to stop, even though I wasn't even going fast! Don't know how I landed, as my shoulders and elbow were all beat up and my helmet cracked; my legs only got bruises. Nothing broken, but it hasn't been until this week that I've been able to put any weight on my one arm. Everything is still sore to the touch. My bike fared better than I did. She is still at the bike shop because I haven't been able to move well enough to go pick her up. Gonna pick her up this week! I miss seeing her in my house...

Tomorrow is my second biking attempt to see if I can get moving again. A week ago I could only handle a few miles on the old hybrid before my shoulder gave up. I am trying to emotionally psyche myself up to going back out and biking again on my regular routes, but it has really done a number on my enthusiasm and desire to ride. Any hints? Advice? Ways to mount a crowbar on a road bike?

[Artisan]

Hello Liberty, welcome to TE. Having had a bad run in with a dog and ending up in the ER, I can totally relate to your situation. Beyond the fear I had to deal with each time I came upon a dog after the crash, I also had to deal with the anger I felt towards the owners for letting the dog roam freely and for the time it took for me to recover.
I thought the tobasco sauce water was interesting, I have not heard of that before. I would just hate to take a drink from the wrong water bottle on the ride.
I carry pepper spray with me but I've not had to use it yet, not sure I would use it unless I thought there were no other alternative. I've looked for bullhorns but I've not found one that is small enough to carry on the bike.
For each dog I come across now, I handle the situation differently. If they are little I can usually outsprint them. I came across to big dogs the other day and I just stopped, they didn't have anything to chase so they went on their merry way. If it's on a route I usually do and it's a consistant dog, I've talk to the owners and ask that they restrain their dog for their sake and mine.

[salsabike]

I've been told by many cyclists that the most effective thing to do is stop if you can't outsprint it, look at the dog, and shout "GO HOME!!" I actually did do that not long ago to a dog who was chasing a boy on a bike, and he stopped chasing the kid, looked totally abashed, and started sniffing the grass. In other words, it seemed to work.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I tried the same thing the other day with a big golden retriever who came out onto the road towards me barking angrily. I stopped and used my most deep loud voice and shouted "No! GO HOME!!!" and pointed away. He stopped right away, hung his head in shame and ran off home. I was amazed. This may not work with german shepards or dobermans, but I think it has a good chance with goldens and labs, etc.
I keep pepper spray at hand's reach on my frame with a bungee.
If i was ganged up on by nasty dogs like you describe, I would stop my bike and spray them. They would probably never chase my bike again. If their owners won't teach them I guess somebody else has to. You could be seriously hurt.

[rheidis73]

Hi there...Welcome to our little world here at TE...I have to deal with a lot of dogs where I live also and I have found that just yelling at them is the best thing. That is so far....I do carry pepper spray and keep that in my back packet in my jersey. I hate the idea of using my water up over a dog also. I am a big water drinker and there are too few places to stop a refuel.

I would be scared if I crashed over a dog. I am sur you are having to build your confindence back up again.

[CyclChyk]

I was at a bike shop last night and they had a type of spray specifically to deter dogs. Luckily I have never had this problem so I really didn't look at it to closely. Anybody else familar with this? Is it something that works??

[Dogmama]

I stopped and used my most deep loud voice and shouted "No! GO HOME!!!" and pointed away. He stopped right away, hung his head in shame and ran off home. I was amazed. This may not work with german shepards or dobermans, but I think it has a good chance with goldens and labs, etc.

It will work with Dobes, Shepherds, etc. I would not point anywhere because an adrenalized dog might think he is being threatened by your arm and attack.

Re: pepper spray, mace, etc. My experience is that if the dog is really "open for business" they don't work. The dog will think that the strange-thing-with-the-big-head-on-the-bike attacked him and it could enrage him further. The best you could hope for is a momentary pause that allows you to sprint away. A German Shepherd can run 30 mph, though, so you better be a darn good sprinter!

Liberty, I would offer up two suggestions:

1. Find another route if possible.

2. Contact animal control and your local police. These owners need to get their dogs under control. Did you happen to get pictures of your accident? Any witnesses? A letter from a lawyer can be a good deterrent too.

I'm sorry this happened to you. It makes all dog owners look bad.

[xeney]

You know, the situation you describe is so awful that I don't think I would ride that route. I would definitely not rely on pepper spray or tabasco water or a deep commanding voice for protection. Those things will work on a dog that is just being unruly, but it sounds like you are dealing with dogs that are very dangerously aggressive.

I don't know how it works in your area, but our Animal Control is nearly useless. They are severely understaffed -- they share a department with parking enforcement! -- and officers are only available for about four hours a day, and they don't even take calls outside of that time. We had a pack of near-feral, very aggressive dogs roaming our neighborhood and killing cats and menacing people for over a year, and Animal Control never responded to calls.

Then one time that pack of dogs menaced me and my lab when we were out for a walk, and I went home and filed a police report. I told the police that Animal Control had failed to do anything about the problem, and I gave the address of the "owner" of the dogs. And those dogs were gone within a couple of weeks.

I would call the police and report those owners. If the police do not want to take the report, then you need to get very aggressive with Animal Control, because dogs who behave that way are very dangerous dogs and they are going to kill someone. It will probably not be you, it will probably be a child, and the authorities need to do something about it.

[BikeMomma]

I love dogs, but when it comes to dealing with them on the road, it angers me to no end that their owners don't bother to take responsibilty for their containment. Makes me want to strangle first the dogs, then the owners!

Anyway, before using pepper spray or water, what I've found is that simply yelling/saying "NO!" in a firm owner-like voice will either make them hesitate enough to enable me to get away or in best-case, has actually stopped them in their tracks. You figure most dogs are at least trained to know what "no" means. However, bear in mind that this doesn't always work (some dogs are reeeeally dense).

Outside of that, my next defense would be the water, but you've already said you'd rather not use it. I do have pepper spray, but I rarely bring it on my rides because I'm not confident that I'd be able to point it in the right direction in a hurried situation. I can just see myself spraying ME instead of the dog!

What Dogmama said about the Animal Control is right on. Drive by, get the address, and report them. A threat of legal action is never a good thing. Do that now, don't wait. Remember, it's probably not just you who is having problems. I'm a constant procrastinator -- I and others that I ride with kept put off calling about this stupid black lab that used to come at us on our group rides and on my solo ones. Well, it wasn't long before it actually did make someone crash (he was ok).

Since you would already have their address, send them a postcard, let them know that you have a right to ride on public roads and their dog is a problem (sign it anonymously). Be as nice or as terse as you feel you need to be, but if they know someone has singled them out, they might bother to install measures to contain the dog to their yard.

Good luck & be safe!
~BikeMomma

[liberty]

You guys are great. I read on another site that one cyclist who is also a police officer recommends using a police whistle. As far as my injuries are concerned: the accident was only three miles from my house, and about seven from my parents. So I walked back to the owner's house (he was outside, but hadn't seen the accident) and called my parents. They flipped out as I was doing an early morning ride (to avoid dogs, ha, ha) and managed to wake them up. I'm not too coherent in the morning anyway, and adding pain and shock to the mix wasn't very comforting to them. They rushed over and then called the cops. So a police report was filed. Owners have said they will take care of medical expenses. I went to Urgent Care, x-rays were taken. Nothing broken, but the doctor was worried about muscle damage. Doctor thought I'd be back on the bike within the week, but that didn't happen. When the pain persisted, I went to the chiropractor for therapy. And now things are looking tons better. Still some ache and soreness, but tons better than before. Was able to do 24 miles today on the hybrid without feeling it in the shoulder. Next test is the road bike! Anyway, I have photos of the injuries and bruises, a copy of the police report naming me as the victim, and am going to get the damage report from the bike shop this week. Really hoping and praying this all gets resolved quickly.

[emily_in_nc]

Oh good! You didn't mention any of that in your first post, so I was concerned that you were suffering without any medical care. Glad you've had things checked out and that the dog owners have agreed to pay your medical expenses. That's great. I hope they have also agreed to keep their dogs properly restrained, though -- ultimately, that's even more important, to keep you or another cyclist from being terrified and/or hurt in the future.

Emily

[mimitabby]

one more voice on not trying to outrun dogs. Stop your bike if you can before they get anywhere near you. Then stand tall BEHIND the bike and tell the dog bad dog, go home!
A big nasty looking dog challenged us on a very lonely country road. We stopped and told him to go home and he went!