I'm a (by choice) displaced city boy that lives in a rural area. Rural people are different from city folk. Get used to it. Dogs run lose in rural areas. That's another fact of life that you've got to get used to. Dogs bark/chase only when they feel their territory is being infringed upon. That's another reality.

I have a regular bike training route where I pass a potential half dozen dogs running of a leash. A couple of them just bark, a couple love the chase since I'm the highlight of their day but are harmless, but there is one nasty dog. Once my wife and I were running together and he ran across the road at us with his fur in hackles and fangs showing. Fortunately the farmer was there and called him back. We voiced our concern about this dog and were told " Aw he won't bite".

Anyways next time we ran by I carried a dog biscuit. The dog growled and threatened but then took the biscuit off the ground and walked away. After that I called him by his name every time as ran by the farm. The dog has never been friendly but has never been threatenning since. He's become used to us and knows we're not a threat.

I wouldn't even think about pepper spray. You may end up needing it to protect yourself from an irate owner. I know of a cyclist that hurt a dog and the owner and his buddies chased the guy down in their pickup truck and beat the living s**t out of him.

Always try diplomacy first. It works even with dogs.

"**** Note to self: Henk needs to buy pepper spray **** "

I hear you. I hate OWNERS who do not know how to deal with responsibility. As for the pepper spray, save that for humans, your water bottle should do fine on an overzealous dog.

This is why you should always ride with a training partner that you can outsprint. As the old saying goes: You don't need to be able to outsprint the dog, just the person you're riding with. :)

Three real options seem to present themselves.
1. You could just avoid the dogs, but that wouldn't be very fun or even logical. (You'll always find more dogs.)
2. If your fast you can try out riding it. (Not smart if the dog is faster than you.)
3. Get protection. Pepper spray has been suggested and that works for some dogs. I've also heard of some dogs that just shake it off or bite anyway. If you check ebay (cheap) I've always thought a stungun could be a good investment. Maybe not entirely legal, but who knows, maybe the dog was chewing on an electric fence.
If all this fails you can give it the gopher approach. Get off you bike and bite him back.

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I don't work here, I just live here

Since you live close to the SC border make a run south and get some of those snap pops. Dogs come toward you, you throw them at the dogs, BANG, they go in the other direction. I lived in NC for a bit and they seemed to work well. I had 3 dogs who lived 3/4 of the way up this steep .5 mile hill. They loved to do hill repeats. It took 3 or 4 trips but they left me alone after that. Another trick is to get a couple of pounds of steak, feed the dogs while you let the air out of the owners tires at night.

My question is this. You approach a person walking a dog. Maybe you're biking, maybe you're running. Do you announce that you're coming? this is why I ask. I was riding on a common bike/walking path. I say "on you're left" as I approach a woman with a little mutt that's unleashed. She turns and screams "NOOOOO!" The little mutt lunges and bites my foot. Fortunately no harm was done to me. Unfortunately I couldn't clip out in time to kick the little rat. Many times I find that if I fly past without saying anything I get clear before people or dogs can even react. So, should I bother announcing that I'm coming? Or maybe the better question is "What genius walks a dog off leash knowing that they will chase passing cyclists?" After all, she screamed NO even before the dog saw me.

A squirt of water in the face works great. Aim right for the nostrils. It won't hurt the dog and is a way to condition it to avoid the next rider. Also, try saying "NO" in a deep and authoritative voice. Most dogs are wired to stop whatever they are doing when they hear a good "NO."

-MK

I adopted an adult doberman b/c the owners could not handle her. Now, the nieces, nephews and neighbor kids jump all over her and play with her in complete safety. Here is what I have learned from my experiences:

* The best way I have found to handle a charging dog is to make myself as large as possible (arms out, chest out, etc.) yell very loudly and take a few menacing steps towards the dog. Every dog I have tried this on has backed off, including 2 very aggressive rottweilers.

* Pepper spray probably won't work.
* Yelling "no" probably won't work. They hear "no" all day long. If you want to try a command, try "sit". Don't yell, but use a command voice.
* Electrical devices will not work on large or aggressive dogs. In fact, no form of physical violence will work on my doberman.
* Almost all dogs chasing bikes/runners only love the chase.
* If you don't run, they are confused (you are the prey, you're supposed to run)

* In the end, dogs are like every other animal and not entirely predictable. You will do best to try and understand their psychology and work from their viewpoint not yours, and finally, always be careful.

The title of this post should be:

Ranting about {irresponsible} dog owners.

After all, you can't fault the dog for its behavior. It only knows what its been taught. And too often, it's not been taught properly. I used to live in Atlanta and did a lot of my long rides in the N GA mountains. Most dogs were off leash and many even slept in the middle of the road!

I know this is not helping the original poster, but at least put the blame on the real culprits - the owners.

We had a dog that ran after us one day he got in front of a bike and it was terrible. Always report the dog to the owner and the Sheriff dept. We had and the guy got all his medical plus a new bike. Now these people had home owners. Also I would try small claims court for the wheel. It's free

I broke a collar bone when I hit a dog three years ago. Unpredictable? You betcha - this dog would probably argue that I assaulted HIM!

Most of the dog-related injuries I've heard of locally are from people who were knocked down by dogs in the wheels. Broken collarbones, elbows, ribs. After my accident, I started stopping and staring them down. I figured the percentages were higher that way. Almost all get a really confused look on their face and go away. The exception so far was two rotweilers, but fortunately the owner interceded.

Yelling worked once. The dog took an immediate left turn to cross the road and go home, just as a car came by. The impact sounded like a gun going off. A squirt from the water bottle can work as well, but it's a drag to waste fluids on a hot day.

On a bike with a dog in front is a tough situation. Sorry to hear about the collar bone I can't imagine...

The other poster was right, usually you can't blame the dog, it is the irresponsible owner. After seeing what an ideal dog my doberman turned out to be - and she was going to be destroyed as an unmangeable dog! It is obviously not the dog, but the owner.

Henk J,

I agree with all your thoughts. I actually put a similar post up here a month or so ago with a good bit of action. I hate going running in parks and being chased by dogs - it scares me! As posted below it is irresponsible owners and that's who ought to be pepper sprayed! (don't really do that - it is just for emphasis).

I am an NC attorney (winston-salem) and have handled a good many dog (more ways than one) cases. Here you have to prove "dangerous propensities." That is usually by prior acts, but can sometimes be implied based on the breed ie Pit Bull. So, even if this is the 1st time for this dog, and yes NC still basically has the "one free bite rule," you need to report it to the county animal control so that there is a record of the propensity for the next "victim."

I currently have several cases for cyclists against dogs and fully intend to be successful not only to take care of these cyclists but also for the deterrent effect it MAY have for other dog owners. Further, many home owners insurance companies require at least a drive by inspection of the insured premises and if we "hit" them a few times they will be motivated to help curb (pun intended) the problem.

Best wishes,

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

Hopefully the San Francisco dog mauling case has reinforced a precident for making dog-owners responsible for securing their dogs and safeguarding others from an attack by them.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I posted earlier here that dogs running free on their property is a fact of rural life that one needs to get used to. On the other hand this doesn't necessarily mean that I agree with it. My black lab has a large fenced in yard to play in so he can only bark at cyclists not chase them. I agree that it's all about bad owners, very seldom about bad dogs.

Herschel34, you are right it's the owners who are at fault and not "per se" the dogs. If you saw the scene in my mishap it would be one big cliche. An owner who just doesn't care. They way your animals behave is a reflection of you.

I own 3 dogs and they roam my property, but if they go outside the fenced (horse) pasture they know they are in trouble, and thery don't. - watch 'em prove me wrong today.

I work with horses every day (farrier) and can tell by the horse's behaviour how the owner interacts with their mount.

Animals: interseting creatures, some people just shouldn't have 'em.

Henk

*** woke up with a crick in my back since the greyhound took up most of the bed ***

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Alex Jonker

WOW! So I thought I was the only one with dog issues. I too live in the country where normally the dogs just run with me or run next to me on the bike...until Friday, when a new dog on the block was trying to show he was the tough guy and bit my leg. I was thinking pepper spray was the cure, but after reading I think I'll try the "water in the face" method first...and save the pepper spray for the dog owner. Thanks for sharing alternative methods of dog control.

My wife has been bitten by dogs twice when running, both times in an urban/suburban environment. Just shows that bad dog owners are found everywhere, not just in the rural boonies.