"All you have to do is squirt them with a water bottle as they start to chase. It scares them and distracts them enough to stop. Works every time. "

LOL - I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you've never been attacked by a German Shepard or a Pit.

An update... ~ 5 months later...

Last fall a few days after the attack, the rat terrier chased me as usual. Once I was clear, I got the pepper gel ready, turned around and rode back slowly. He was crouched down at the side of the road ready to pounce, and I sprayed the pepper gel in his direction. Pretty sure I didn't hit him, but he was spooked by that action and he retreated further from the road. And ever since (though I regularly see him in the front yard) he has shown zero interest in chasing me. He'll glance in my direction, then pretend I'm not there. From 100% to 0% just like that. Maybe he has prior experience with pepper spray? Maybe he's too damn smart?

I'd occasionally see the pitbull loose, but that dog has never chased me. The bull terriers were never out, but that wasn't unusual. The time I was attacked was only the 2nd time I'd seen them. They aren't allowed out normally. I thought maybe the owner had gotten rid of them, but that wasn't the case...

Riding by a couple days ago, one of the bull terriers darted out like a bullet. Luckily I was going downhill ~30mph and he didn't see me til I was next to the house. Those suckers are faster than I expected; he was right on my tail for 100yds or so. If I'd been going the other direction I would have been SOL. When I had a decent lead on him I got the pepper spray ready, but he turned and went back. I was quite nervous but figured this was as good a time as any, so I rode slowly back to the house. I didn't see the dog, but the owner came out and said he'd opened the front door and the dog ran out. I got slightly pissed and shouted that he needed to be a hell of a lot more careful about letting them *ever* get loose... and he went back in the house.

He didn't seem to be taking it seriously, so I called AC again to report that one of the dogs was off property. The guy who helped me last fall was no longer there, unfortunately. The new guy said he knew about those dogs and that the owner had gotten a citation last fall. If he gets 2 more then they have the option to confiscate the dog. He then informed me that he could only issue a citation if *he* saw them off the property. I'm "well, even if they are loose they aren't going to chase you in your truck." He said that was probably true. "So, I need to get bit 2 more times before you will do anything?!" He said, no, no... call us if you see them loose... blah, blah... those dogs have never bitten anyone... "What?! Three of them attacked and bit the fuck out of me last fall! If the neighbor hadn't come out and saved my ass it would have been a lot worse." He's like, oh he didn't know that, but it didn't change the circumstances...

So, AC is useless... really WTF?! I *will* need to get bit a couple more times before they do anything, if then. This would be a lot easier if the dogs were out all the time, then I could get armed and prepared and get it over with. But instead several months go by, and I ride past there ~6 times a week on average. When I'm going uphill I have no chance of outrunning them. Wielding any sort of weapon from a bicycle is precarious. Guess I'll have to get the pepper ready and go real slow and hope I can get an accurate shot off before one of them sinks their teeth in me... crazy shit...

Having been attacked twice within a year by the same dog (and owner that let him loose on a public road), I also found that I could not rely on animal control. First time I was told they could not find the owner, who did not live in the area. (I had to track his location down.) Second time, they told me found the owner but blah, blah, blah.... Instead, I had to research the laws, go to the magistrate to get a warrant taken out, and press charges (a felony misdemeanor) myself. The misdemeanor was for letting dogs loose in a subdivision (and not the scratches/bite!) Go figure. There are also laws about getting dogs declared dangerous, but the loose in a subdivision was clear cut. Lesson learned: don't rely on animal control. Figure out what action you can take yourself.

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

The owner was cited last fall for dogs being loose off-property. According to AC there is no citation for biting someone. 3 citations for being loose off property (or biting!), and they can remove the dog. But the AC officer will only give a citation if he personally sees the dog loose.

I looked up the town ordinances and they say that bites must be reported (but no penalties!) and that dogs deemed vicious must be in a secured enclosure. This is the part about dogs loose:

"In addition, upon a conviction of any violation under this chapter, a court may order an animal forfeited by the owner and placed with an agency willing to accept custody of the animal, where the court finds either of the following circumstances:
(1)The animal has been cruelly treated, and the cruel treatment is likely to continue; or
(2)The owner has been convicted of allowing the animal to run at large on two or more previous occasions, and the animal is likely to continue to run at large."

So were you able to obtain a conviction of violation based solely on your testimony? Regardless, I don't see how going around AC's back is going to help, since you can't enforce the law personally.

I did not "go around" animal control. They were unwilling to press charges because they "didn't see it happen." I did "see it happen," so they took me to the magistrate. I think they thought I was going to back out. I didn't.

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

If only you lived in Tennessee. Tennessee has a state law that, if an animal owner allows the animal off their property (including into the street), the owner is STRICTLY LIABLE for anything that happens as a result. Dog bites, bike crashes, maulings, car accidents, damage caused by pedestrians practicing self-defense . . . anything and everything. The owner doesn't even have to be negligent. If the dog is off their property and is a cause of the damage, the owner is stuck.

In Tennessee, it is relatively easy to collect for those dog bites (assuming the idiot dog owner has any assets).

So AC told you to go to the magistrate yourself and get a citation?

Yep

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

So what happens when you get 3 of them... do you also go and remove the dog yourself...? ;)

About that time I contacted AC in a county that my training route passes through on 3 occasions and I never saw anything being done. One of the loose German Shepherds only comes out part way because I think it has been pepper sprayed so much. If you raise your hand it stops.

However, the weekend before last I had a terrible day with dogs. The first was about 5 dogs that ran out with one chasing me almost a 1/2 mile. I was going fairly fast so he wasn't really much of a real threat, but he seemed very aggressive. The worst was near my turning point. It looked like a black lab mix and was super aggressive. I sprayed him and the smaller dog with him with the hottest spray you can buy for human self-defense. It is hotter than dog spray. He stopped for a couple seconds and came at me even harder, but fortunately I was putting a gap on him by that point. By the end of that ride I had used a full can of pepper spray on several aggressive dogs. That same day one of my friends was out solo cycling and was attacked by a dog. The dog latched onto his hamstring while in motion.

So I purchased spray that contains citronella and I will try that. I also bought more pepper spray. I read on one page that a hot pepper spray may make the most aggressive dogs even more aggressive, but dogs find citronella to be offensive. So it may do less harm to the dog and have better results. I'm going to carry both kind on the next ride and see what happens.

1. Animal Control in this county doesn't do anything even though there are ordinances.
2. I've been using this route for training for years. It has low traffic and very few stops and can yield up to a 100 mile training course. I don't want to change my route.

Good luck with your situation.

I'm in a different state (CO) but had a similar situation. Owner totally played me - promising compensation but trying to grind me down into giving up with continual excuses - much like many insurance firms.

Talking to neighbors helped a lot. Was able to get details of other instances and even a copy of vet bills. AC eventually brought owner to court. He sent his mom (owner was about 40, mom in her 70s). I talked to the city attorney, showed the extra details of other instances that didn't show up in the system. Added together there were 5 instances of dog-on-dog attacks and one of dog-human bite - 3 separate dogs. City attorney was super helpful, threw the book at mom and I got my compensation in the mail the next morning. Owner lost his dog but got another pitbull a couple of months later.

Talking to neighbors and getting some details can really embarrass animal control. They often get small details wrong and the cases don't get linked. If a human gets bitten it's usually a big deal and can't be ignored - despite what AC may say.

Surveying other local riders/clubs for other incidents is also useful.

Dog attacks is a reason I always ride with a frame pump. Shoving it down the throat of the most aggressive would be my preferred method of defense.

Best of luck.

Your post makes me wonder about pepper spray. I had pepper gel (obtained after the attack last Nov) that I've sprayed *at* dogs a couple times, but there was no evidence that it bothered them. I figured I missed... was too far away and just didn't hit them in the nose. Gel comes out in a fine stream and is kinda hard to aim. The range is stated as 18ft and it seems about right. Now I have a bigger can of spray (not gel) which seems more hard core and easier to aim, but there is a better chance of blow-back.

But maybe I did hit them and they just didn't care? I'll have to do some research... if you've got some good links, please post them up.

I live in the mountains and there are limited options that take you out of town. If I want to go anywhere southerly, this is the only good route. The one other option is to take the main road east for a few miles, then the 4 lane Hwy southwest for 10 miles or so, before I can get to a quieter road. I never go that way because it sucks... and is more dangerous, not considering the dogs.

The thing that really bugs me is the nonchalant attitude of law enforcement. If you ask anyone if it's "right" that they be regularly subject to life threatening attacks from viscous dogs... while engaged in any perfectly legal activity that they enjoy on public property, of course they'd be aghast. Perhaps something they could relate to is going for a stroll or a hike in the woods? It seems that we are 3rd class citizens and shouldn't be on the roads anyway... so sickem doggy!...ha, ha, ha!

Yep, it's a sport all it's own here in the South.

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

Glad you got some resolution. I didn't go to the doc or seek compensation of any sort. The only "permanent" injury might be the bite to my left calf which still bugs me a little.

I just wanted the owner to make damn sure that the dogs wouldn't get out again... but unfortunately that wasn't an option! The fines are pitifully small, and they get 3 strikes attacking someone before they actually (might!) remove a dog from the owner.

The frame pump wouldn't have done a thing for me when I was attacked. It wouldn't for any dog that was serious. I got in a good punch and kick to the head, and it just pissed them off more. If pepper spray doesn't actually work on a dog that means business, then I definitely need to reassess my strategy. I carry a knife now, but I'm already getting bit before I can use that, and with three dogs at once I don't think I'll have much success.

That’s horrible

Where the heck do you live?

100,000 miles + on roads in NY, NC and FL and never had that much as you in one day

Georgia

As someone noted earlier, I think, these rural homes that have loose dogs like this often act like these dogs are expendable. I had a golden retriever come out and run into my back wheel 2 weekends ago. I looked back and the owner was in the yard with a smirk on his face. In that particular instance it barely bumped my bike and I think the dog's nose got a zing from the spokes.

Of course this is my area and maybe other places aren't so bad.

I've posted this several times before but in 2017 (blog link) I hit a dog at 30 mph that did a lot of equipment damage, torn PCL and a whole lot of bad road rash.

Maybe I have taken your share of dog encounters. :-)

I just ended up kicking it to be honest, the owners were a little surprised but it bit my leg so i kicked it and screamed at the owners, I hope they put their dog on a leash after that. For clarity it was an on-leash area which made it worse.

OUCH

sounds like my friend

He has hit 10 deer on his motorcycle

Many trips to the hospital and lost part of his leg on the last one

Still was out riding before he was fully healed