Okay, with the talk about dog bites - I’m curious how many people have been bitten? On the run/bike or both? How many years have you been running/cycling?
Me - not yet. Have had several close calls on the run and bike. I’ve been running/cycling in some form for 13 yrs now, I know my time is coming soon. I’ve had several close calls on the bike already this year.
Besides my own dogs, not yet.
The dalmation we had growing up loved to pull people off bike by their socks. She thought it was a game…ruined lots of socks.
The labs I have get too excited and start nipping when we are running. Older one doesn’t do it any more. Still working on the younger one (she’s only 1)
Couple of close calls with dogs, especially at the dog park. I have round that if you stop whatever you were doing, stare them down, and move toward them, they back down just a bit…so far enough not to get bite!
-bcreager
pavement jumped up and took a bite out of my a** once, but no dogs.
Running - 15 years. Cycling - 5 years. Dog owner.
Attacked by a German Shepard while running a couple of years ago. Has changed my outlook of dogs while running. I now jump at any dog bark.
Chased numerous times by dogs on the bike. “Rots” can hold 25 mph for 1/4 mile or so… German Shepards can hold 25+ for 1/3 to 1/2 mile! Luckly I can ride faster.
To date, I’ve never had a bite. I’ve had dogs charge me while running or cycling but have always stood my ground and yelled “no”. So far it’s stopped them every tme. I’m a dog guy and seem to get a long fine with most dogs although German Shepherds, Rotties and Dobbies do make me a bit uneasy sometmes.
My wife has been bit twice while running. Both times by German Shepherds. They must realize that she’s more of a cat person. 
About two years ago I was running on a road the bisected and almond orchard in Salida CA where my dad lives. I was out in the middle of no where when a pit bull comes around the corner of a lone house and chases me for about a 1/4 mile. I just knew that bastard was going to catch up to me but he ran out of gas before I did.
Other than that I’ve never had an issue but now I’m a little more jumpy when I hear dogs barking.
German shepard, right thigh.
Running through a development, around 6PM, jus’ MMOB, Cujo-Jagermeister came trotting up. He wasn’t barking or anything. I thought “NBD. He’s coming up to say ‘Hi’” About 3 feet away, his mood completely changed. GrrrrrOWL-SNAP!!! He took a shot at my leg. I grabbed a stick and cracked him on the noggin. He was barking like a MF, but kept his distance.
Now it gets good …
As I looked around to see where he may have come from, Aunt Bea came “running (?)” out of her house followed by Mr. All-State 1788 - have you ever seen “puttering” as done by a septegenarian??? It aint fun to watch. She was yelling at the dog, trying to get her rheumatoid hands to work the leash. He was inching closer and closer to the sidewalk, with another leash.
“Oh, I told him he shouldn’t walk the dog. He just had triple bypass last week.”
Apparently, Bicentennial Man had gotten the bright idea to take Fritz the Wonder Dog out of his 20’ by 20’ backyard kennel, and “darn if he didn’t just get away.”
I have had a few close calls, but when it comes down to it, I can roar and growl a whole lot scarier than they can.
Rottweiler…at 30+ mph
Broke:
Right Collar Bone
Right Scaphoid
Left Scaphoid
Left Small Finger (shattered)
Left Arm
C1
C2
Stiches in my hand / arm
Pins in my small finger / wrist
.
While I was in retreat, a German shepherd jumped on my back leaving scratch marks and bit me in the love handle area.
Never got it on the bike. I’m pretty handy with a water bottle either squirting or throwing. The fastest and quirkiest dogs are without a doubt Queenland Heelers.
nope.
i’ve had more near-bite experiences in the past 15 years however than i care to recall while biking and running. and the fresh water critters around here don’t bother swimmers much.
i have a new farm lined route near the new place. i roll by, as quickly as possible, the ones where the four legged farm hands are clearly not leashed. a couple have given me the all-knowing eye in anticipation of the chase. wonderful. probably just creating a diversion for the bull.
Foo:
Funny that you should start this thread, I was just bit on Memorial Day. I live in a small community in the foothills west of Denver, I’ve been running the dirt roads and hills there for 10+ years. Monday, running with my blind Brittney (ie: harmless) a Rottweiler comes at me like a shot, hesitates at the yard/road and then lunges at me. It caught me on the hip ( the ‘boys’ were glad that I turned at the last minute!). The short story is that Animal Control recommended to always run with something to defend myself with. I was thinking a .45 but the ‘Officer’ suggested that a ‘stick’ would do the trick. They carry what is called an Asp. A short club/stick that extends at the flick of the wrist. I’m thinking of trying to get two, one for me and one for my wife who has started to walk the same route with our two week old Infant.
I have been “bitten” once on a bike. I had stopped to adjust something and didn’t hear a nieghbor’s pit bull come charging down the driveway. (another reason why not to wear a headset) Luckily, the dog only grabbed the heel of my shoe not my leg, but pulled me off the bike. I scared him off and rode up to their front door mad as hell. Of course the stupid dog did nothing to stop me in his own yard.
I informed the owners what a lousy guard dog they had. Bites people on the street but does nothing to stop me from coming up to their house. The incident was never repeated and I rode on that street almost daily. I think they were genuinely embarrased.
I have been bitten on several times not bike/run related. Of course I taught dog training classes for over 20 years. I can read dogs well and had more near misses with aggressive dogs than I can remember. You can’t hate the dog. They are just doing what comes natural to them. It is up to us as owners to control our dogs as well as train them. Even the most stable and well trained dog can bite given the right circumstances. My dogs are extremely well trained and hold National Obedience Competition rankings and I still believe in fences and NEVER take them off leash in a public place.
Support Crew
Running. Dog got his jaw around my thigh and dug in hard enough to bruise it but didn’t break the skin. I completely froze and then yelled at him and he released.
They are after all animals, and the animal instinct can come out at wierd times.
I will defintely make sure my wife does not see your post!
Never been bitten on run bike or swim. Have been knocked off my bike by dogs. Strangely enough once I skidded to a stop on the asphalt they seemed to have lost interest.
~Matt
Bit in the a$$ by german shepard while running. That was at about a hundred yards from the owners,… I could have been more polite ;/
Yep. Last year, running on a popular city trail. A dog on the leash with the owner trying to do the right thing. I ran passed with the two owners and another of their dogs between me and it. Damn thing went straight through the group and bit me on the hip. Ripped the snot out of my shorts and broke the skin nicely. The owners were terribly sorry. We spent 30 minutes talking about dogs and trails and what not. In the end they sent a $50 check to replace my shorts and I finished up my run.
Nowadays I get chased by 1, 2, 3, 4, sometimes 5 dogs everytime I go riding. It’s quite the adventure. Half of them are harmless, the other half haven’t caught me yet.
The other day my wife and I were cruising a slight downhill doing 25+ and a pit bull galloped up beside us. Didn’t take much to pull away from him, but damn dogs can move.
We have two pups. They have never been outside of a fence area (dog park) without a leash. Ever. We do take them running a lot when it isn’t too hot though (on leash).
Oh…and when the dog got me…talk about bills
Ambulance ride…to the helicopter
Helicoper ride (diffrent bill than the Ambulance ride)…ER bill (over $60k for MRI,s CT, Stitches, Emergency Surgury…another surgury…PT and inpatient bills…all in all it was well over $200k for the med bills.