vicious dogs

Not me, but a few guys in my bike club have been bitten by dogs. Can't outrun the bigger ones sometimes. They usually end up using their bike as a shield. I think even on an eBike, a dog would catch us most times. (they can out-accelerate eBikes and turn on a dime)
 
Had one down the street lunge at me riding, the dogs paws got tangled/caught in front wheel spokes. Owner had to remove the squealing dog (he probably won't do that again). Mace is also an option.
 
I agree with @Smaug: trying to outrun a dog is never a good idea, specially if on a trail. Much better to stop immediately. get off the bike and put it in the middle. The problem is, AFAIU, that dogs and in general many large animals, see you+bike as a single being escaping and emitting strange noises, not as a human being. But as soon as you come off you became again a "human".
 
Bear spray. The gel kind so it goes straight to the target only you don't mace yourself too with blowback from any errant breeze.

The last dog that went after me was a Belgian Malinois and you sure as hell don't want to be getting off the bike and giving a dog like that the chance to go one on one with you.

I generally don't ride in rural areas anymore so its not something I have to worry about now. But in rural Central California you could run into pairs that are left out to patrol within a fence line, but have figured out how to get outside the wire... or much worse, small packs of strays consisting of a random range of breeds that are now feral. Generally no danger to humans but they do gang up and take down livestock.
 
You will not outrun a dog so....in my opinion.....stop your bike.....get off.....call to the dog in a friendly manner first.....most times the dog will wag it's tail and relax......if the dog is agressive......yell "No" "Bad Dog" "Go Home"......if that doesn't work.....keep your bike between you and the dog.....take a picture of the dog if you can......report incident to authorities. Sprays can be an effective deterent if you know how to use them....but.....make sure you've practiced using one.....nothing worse than missing the dog in a panicked moment.....that just pisses the dog off even more. If you're riding remote trails......dogs are not the only issues at times......several years ago.....while elk hunting in Northwest Colorado.....I was stalked by a big female moutain lion.....didn't have any spray with me but did have a loaded 300 win magnum........I was very careful.
 
Sounds like a strong argument for one of the 40 MPH Wired Freedom bikes, or the 45 MPH Motor Goat V3.
A Grey Hound, bred for racing, only does 45 MPH under ideal conditions with training.
I have already outrun dogs at only 33 MPH.
Air horn might startle them long enough to get away.
I used to keep "throwing stuff" in easy reach in a bag. (Definition: "throwing stuff", old large nuts/bolts/screws/rocks/marbles.) If cars or dogs got too frisky, it seemed very effective.
In my native Oklahoma pickup truck drivers have a "herding instinct" and were prone to herd you off the road.
The "bad dog treatment" was effective on them as well.
 
Indeed the problem is very serious.

Today I read in an Italian newspaper that yet another runner was slaughtered in a small town near Rome by three dogs (they say Rotweillers but it is not entirely certain). Stimulated by this news I went to look up statistics and it turns out that every year in Italy (about 60 million inhabitants) there are 70,000 dog attacks, often by some dangerous breeds! That means 190 per day!!!

Another article I found talks about 4.5 MILLIONS bites in the US, every year. mostly by Pitbulls, only a minority (15%) by stray dogs: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/dog-attack-statistics-breed/

Obviously not all runners or cyclists, the statistics are not clear on this, but given that these categories of people still represent a minority compared to, for instance, dog owners, it is fair to ask some questions.
 
Yeah, but one is dealing directly with the dog in the field. I always carry an EDC four inch blade out of the house. If a dog grabs and holds on to my foot, the EDC is coming out as a last resort. I do feel comfortable reading dogs and am mostly concerned with pit bulls and rottweilers.
 
and what is an EDC? Please, remember that not all the readers are from the United States... :)
 
Chuy said:
Yeah, but one is dealing directly with the dog in the field. I always carry an EDC four inch blade out of the house. If a dog grabs and holds on to my foot, the EDC is coming out as a last resort. I do feel comfortable reading dogs and am mostly concerned with pit bulls and rottweilers.
Click to expand...
Here in Texas, an EDC likely has a 4-inch barrel. :)
 
It's all in the quality of time a owner spends with their dog. I had a Rottweiler which I spent many hours training her. The more I trained her the more she wanted to learn. I could go for a walk with or without a leash with her. Of course she would protect her home by barking and looked the part but would never bite anyone because of her training. I took her to see my mom in a nursing home. when people seen her they all wanted a visit from her. One of the nurses there started to object but when she seen how the dog was acting when one of the people was pulling on her ear she just laughed and told me she was good to stay. :) Yeah
Some people get a dog and it is put out in the back yard and that is basically at it ever see's. Never interacted with or trained.
 
Detectorguy said:
It's all in the quality of time a owner spends with their dog. I had a Rottweiler which I spent many hours training her. The more I trained her the more she wanted to learn. I could go for a walk with or without a leash with her. Of course she would protect her home by barking and looked the part but would never bite anyone because of her training. I took her to see my mom in a nursing home. when people seen her they all wanted a visit from her. One of the nurses there started to object but when she seen how the dog was acting when one of the people was pulling on her ear she just laughed and told me she was good to stay. :) Yeah
Some people get a dog and it is put out in the back yard and that is basically at it ever see's. Never interacted with or trained.
Click to expand...
So true......it's like kids.....spend time with them....teach them and chances are they will do better....ignore them.....you will have problems. .
 
JerryB said:
Don't blame the dogs....blame the irresponsibe owners!
Click to expand...
Yeah thats for the lawsuit down the road. The dog has to be dealt with. That Malinois I mentioned earlier... his owner was beside him when he gave chase to me and his owner didn't so much as call to him. I was riding my Surly BFD which is a monstrous bike, but it also had a BBSHD. I had a running start since I was going in the other direction and the dog didn't give chase until I passed them. And he gave up thankfully before I had to decelerate to turn and make my way thru a fence gap and onto a bridge. If he'd kept at it I'd have been screwed. This was the attack that convinced me to start carrying bear gel.

Jackson Ford said:
Here in Texas, an EDC likely has a 4-inch barrel. :)
Click to expand...
When I am in genuinely remote areas, its acceptable to open-carry, and I ride with my old trusty Sig 220 (a pre-rail model) in a secure chest rig. Enough to scare away a black bear with a shot into a berm. Barely enough to take down a mountain lion which are the real worry. Bears just don't like to be surprised. Mountain lion are flat out predators.
 
Yeah, the problem with trying to shoot a dangerous dog in a suburban residential neighborhood is that it would likely take several shots to hit a moving, relatively small target. With all the concrete on the ground, the prospect of a ricochet hitting a human rises to an unacceptable level.
 
Jackson Ford said:
Yeah, the problem with trying to shoot a dangerous dog in a suburban residential neighborhood is that it would likely take several shots to hit a moving, relatively small target. With all the concrete on the ground, the prospect of a ricochet hitting a human rises to an unacceptable level.
Click to expand...
In that case, your first two rounds should always be "snake shot" rounds. It makes for a more polite warning as well.
 
When I lived out in the country I had problem with stray dogs and people just letting their pets run. I used paint ball gun to send them on their way, the dogs not the people. I know for a fact it hurts like hell to get shot by one at close range. Hit them once or twice and after that when they heard pfft of the CO2 when I shot they would all scatter. Now that I live in an urban area I just carry a can of pepper spray.
 

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