Dealing with aggressive dogs while riding

In article <[email hidden]>,

necromancer 55_sux@worldofnecromancer_nospam_noway.org said:

Looking for some advice. Here's my situation: Over the last week,
when I'm out riding I have encountered this pair of dogs, one's a pit
bull and the other, I believe, is a chow. These two will immediately
chase after me and will chase me for well over a block or more
barking and otherwise acting aggressively. They don't get close
enough to bite (at least not yet), but I am afraid that soon, they
will. I've already reported these two dogs to the local police twice,
but unless they see the dogs themselves, there's not much they can
do.

What are some effective ways of dealing with attacking dogs while
riding? The police officer I talked to today said their Chief
instructed them to shoot any dog posing a threat, but for me that's
not really an option as I don't want to carry a gun while riding for
obvious reasons. Is there an aerosol repellant that would be
effective for such a situation. Avoiding the area is not an option
since both incidents occurred within a block of my home.

Have you tried contacting the owner? It is possible- although IMHO
unlikely- that the owner doesn't know the dogs are chasing people on
bikes, and they may very well be chasing others as well.

Most cities have ordinances about dogs running loose. Check on those.

Another option is to directly contact the animal control authorities
directly.

A third option would be to contact your city council member and raise
the issue. Especially given that the breeds in question are a pit bull
and a chow, both of which are breeds that tend to be aggressive and are
known to maul people. Most city councils are concerned about this and
most city council members will act as a mediator to prevent problems, if
given the opportunity.

necromancer said:

Looking for some advice. Here's my situation: Over the last week, when
I'm out riding I have encountered this pair of dogs, one's a pit bull
and the other, I believe, is a chow. These two will immediately chase
after me and will chase me for well over a block or more barking and
otherwise acting aggressively. They don't get close enough to bite (at
least not yet), but I am afraid that soon, they will. I've already
reported these two dogs to the local police twice, but unless they see
the dogs themselves, there's not much they can do.

What are some effective ways of dealing with attacking dogs while
riding? The police officer I talked to today said their Chief instructed
them to shoot any dog posing a threat, but for me that's not really an
option as I don't want to carry a gun while riding for obvious reasons.
Is there an aerosol repellant that would be effective for such a
situation. Avoiding the area is not an option since both incidents
occurred within a block of my home.

Thanks.

--
"Breathe in. Breathe out. Move on."
--Jimmy Buffett

If you have exhausted all legal and peaceful options and the threat
still exists, may I suggest some nice homemade meatballs laced with
agricultural strength anti-varmint toxins. Works on coyotes, wolves,
rabbits, prairie dogs and home grown variety dogs.

On Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:24:36 -0400 in rec.bicycles.rides,

necromancer 55_sux@worldofnecromancer_nospam_noway.org said:

I've already
reported these two dogs to the local police twice, but unless they see
the dogs themselves, there's not much they can do.

carry a cell phone. call animal control. tell them you are
waiting there to point out the dogs to the officer, since they
are illegally running loose and are a threat to pedestrians and
cyclists.

after the dogs get locked up a few times, the fines will be high
enough that the owner will keep them tied up.

"necromancer" <55_sux@worldofnecromancer_nospam_noway.org> wrote...

Quoted message said:

Is there an aerosol repellant that would be effective for such a
situation. Avoiding the area is not an option since both incidents
occurred within a block of my home.

Dog spray. It's a low concentrated form of pepper spray and works like a
charm. The brand I use is Dog D'Fense, made in USA (I live in Canada).
It's $20 here but probably cheaper in the US. It stops dogs absolutely dead
in their tracks without hurting them. They withdraw right away. The only
times it isn't quite as effective is in the wind or in rain, but it can
still be effective.

I'm a dog lover, and we have a great black lab, and as I approach farm dogs
in this rural community I'll size them up because many dogs aren't
aggressive. But I keep it right in my jersey pocket, and if a dog runs out
after me, I can pull it out, or have it ready if I know the house. Great
stuff.

JF

In article <[email hidden]>, 55
_sux@worldofnecromancer_nospam_noway.org says...

Quoted message said:

Looking for some advice. Here's my situation: Over the last week, when
I'm out riding I have encountered this pair of dogs, one's a pit bull
and the other, I believe, is a chow. These two will immediately chase
after me and will chase me for well over a block or more barking and
otherwise acting aggressively. They don't get close enough to bite (at
least not yet), but I am afraid that soon, they will. I've already
reported these two dogs to the local police twice, but unless they see
the dogs themselves, there's not much they can do.

What are some effective ways of dealing with attacking dogs while
riding? The police officer I talked to today said their Chief instructed
them to shoot any dog posing a threat, but for me that's not really an
option as I don't want to carry a gun while riding for obvious reasons.
Is there an aerosol repellant that would be effective for such a

Haltz is a pepper spray designed for that exact purpose. Even a shot of
water from your water bottle into their face can be effective for some
dogs.

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

Tim McNamara:

Quoted message said:

Have you tried contacting the owner? It is possible- although IMHO
unlikely- that the owner doesn't know the dogs are chasing people on
bikes, and they may very well be chasing others as well.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to determine who the owner is, yet.

Quoted message said:

Most cities have ordinances about dogs running loose. Check on those.

Another option is to directly contact the animal control authorities
directly.

I've done that also and will be doing so in the AM (both of my incidents
with these two dogs have been after hours). The animal control officer
stated that when they catch these dogs, the owner(s) will be cited if
they can be identified. I know the pitbull had a collar and tag, so
someone owns atleast one of the animals.

Quoted message said:

A third option would be to contact your city council member and raise
the issue. Especially given that the breeds in question are a pit bull
and a chow, both of which are breeds that tend to be aggressive and are
known to maul people. Most city councils are concerned about this and
most city council members will act as a mediator to prevent problems, if
given the opportunity.

I'll keep that inmind, and if something isn't done, that will be my next
step. In the mean time, I've ordered a can of "Halt!," from Amazon so
that next time I encounter these two, I have a means of hopefully
disabling the dogs if necessary.

--
"Breathe in. Breathe out. Move on."
--Jimmy Buffett

A wonderful new product I use is "Dog b Gone".

This highly poisonous dog bone is small enough for a chow, yet kills a pit
bull before he/she can bark.

Next time you are biking that way, take two DBG's with you.

The little [censored] go for the poison bone every time.

On one trip, I threw one bone and two pits fought over it. Then, they both
died at once.

I call this the Michael Vick move. A kind of pass and pitch, then in the
ditch.

Don't hang around after tossing the DBG. The look on a drug dealer's face
as his two bodyguards
start foaming at the mouth, [censored] coming out, the loud screech, can sometimes
bring out the worse in Mr Drug Guy.

One DBG thrower tossed the "bone" but the drug dealer picked it up before
the pits could get to it.
Mr drug guy starts doing the "ya want a nice bone, beg, beg, beg" thing with
his pits.

Then he starts to laugh and puts the bone under his nose, he then licked the
bone as he said "yum, yum" ..

Last I heard the authorities called his death a sudden unexplained sickness.

I still haven't figured out how they accounted for the five dogs that were
dead all around him.

Oh well....

This is called a "sack" in the Michael Vick dog obedience school.

I hope this helps.

Bret Fare.

"necromancer" <55_sux@worldofnecromancer_nospam_noway.org> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Looking for some advice. Here's my situation: Over the last week, when
I'm out riding I have encountered this pair of dogs, one's a pit bull
and the other, I believe, is a chow. These two will immediately chase
after me and will chase me for well over a block or more barking and
otherwise acting aggressively. They don't get close enough to bite (at
least not yet), but I am afraid that soon, they will. I've already
reported these two dogs to the local police twice, but unless they see
the dogs themselves, there's not much they can do.

What are some effective ways of dealing with attacking dogs while
riding? The police officer I talked to today said their Chief instructed
them to shoot any dog posing a threat, but for me that's not really an
option as I don't want to carry a gun while riding for obvious reasons.
Is there an aerosol repellant that would be effective for such a
situation. Avoiding the area is not an option since both incidents
occurred within a block of my home.

Thanks.

--
"Breathe in. Breathe out. Move on."
--Jimmy Buffett

I was told once that the way to deal with an aggressive dog is to, first of
all, slow down your bicycle (believe it or not) so the dog stops seeing you
as a potential "playmate" and then FIRMLY order the dog to SIT! or GET OUTTA
HERE! But the trick is to be as firm as possible - to establish yourself as
the "Alpha Dog." Dog trainers might advise against staring an attack dog in
the eye, but I was told this was the best way to initimidate one.

Regardless of whether this is responsible advice or not, it worked for me
when I was being chased by a large German Shepherd in an unfamiliar
neighborhood up in Rhode Island. I really thought my leg was going to be
chopped meat. Then I stopped my bike, stared this ferocious creature right
in the eye and, in a rare out-of-character moment for me, raised my voice to
an atypical volume and ordered him to STOP! NOW! GET OUTTA HERE! As my
face faded to pure white and my stomache turned for the fourth time,
miraculously, this fuming monster suddenly stopped barking, turned around
and went home. Of course, I felt like the meanest, baddest guy on Earth for
the rest of my trip back to New York!

"Sir Thomas of Cannondale" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:RIyGi.13$Ij2.3@trndny06...

Quoted message said:

A wonderful new product I use is "Dog b Gone".

This highly poisonous dog bone is small enough for a chow, yet kills a pit
bull before he/she can bark.

Next time you are biking that way, take two DBG's with you.

The little [censored] go for the poison bone every time.

On one trip, I threw one bone and two pits fought over it. Then, they
both died at once.

I call this the Michael Vick move. A kind of pass and pitch, then in the
ditch.

Don't hang around after tossing the DBG. The look on a drug dealer's face
as his two bodyguards
start foaming at the mouth, [censored] coming out, the loud screech, can
sometimes bring out the worse in Mr Drug Guy.

One DBG thrower tossed the "bone" but the drug dealer picked it up before
the pits could get to it.
Mr drug guy starts doing the "ya want a nice bone, beg, beg, beg" thing
with his pits.

Then he starts to laugh and puts the bone under his nose, he then licked
the bone as he said "yum, yum" ..

Last I heard the authorities called his death a sudden unexplained
sickness.

I still haven't figured out how they accounted for the five dogs that were
dead all around him.

Oh well....

This is called a "sack" in the Michael Vick dog obedience school.

I hope this helps.

Bret Fare.

"necromancer" <55_sux@worldofnecromancer_nospam_noway.org> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Looking for some advice. Here's my situation: Over the last week, when
I'm out riding I have encountered this pair of dogs, one's a pit bull
and the other, I believe, is a chow. These two will immediately chase
after me and will chase me for well over a block or more barking and
otherwise acting aggressively. They don't get close enough to bite (at
least not yet), but I am afraid that soon, they will. I've already
reported these two dogs to the local police twice, but unless they see
the dogs themselves, there's not much they can do.

What are some effective ways of dealing with attacking dogs while
riding? The police officer I talked to today said their Chief instructed
them to shoot any dog posing a threat, but for me that's not really an
option as I don't want to carry a gun while riding for obvious reasons.
Is there an aerosol repellant that would be effective for such a
situation. Avoiding the area is not an option since both incidents
occurred within a block of my home.

Thanks.

--
"Breathe in. Breathe out. Move on."
--Jimmy Buffett

Once, while bicycling in the Boston area, I was pursued by a large,
agressive German Shepard. I slowed down,
yelled STOP, SIT, STOP.

The dog actually stopped.

This made my death shot much easier.

Killed the furry [censored] with one shot.

Since no one was around, I cut off the ear for a souvenir.

I still get that "good" feeling as I ride by that street.

==================================

"Papa Tom" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was told once that the way to deal with an aggressive dog is to, first of
all, slow down your bicycle (believe it or not) so the dog stops seeing you
as a potential "playmate" and then FIRMLY order the dog to SIT! or GET
OUTTA HERE! But the trick is to be as firm as possible - to establish
yourself as the "Alpha Dog." Dog trainers might advise against staring an
attack dog in the eye, but I was told this was the best way to initimidate
one.

Regardless of whether this is responsible advice or not, it worked for me
when I was being chased by a large German Shepherd in an unfamiliar
neighborhood up in Rhode Island. I really thought my leg was going to be
chopped meat. Then I stopped my bike, stared this ferocious creature
right in the eye and, in a rare out-of-character moment for me, raised my
voice to an atypical volume and ordered him to STOP! NOW! GET OUTTA HERE!
As my face faded to pure white and my stomache turned for the fourth time,
miraculously, this fuming monster suddenly stopped barking, turned around
and went home. Of course, I felt like the meanest, baddest guy on Earth
for the rest of my trip back to New York!

"Sir Thomas of Cannondale" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:RIyGi.13$Ij2.3@trndny06...

Quoted message said:

A wonderful new product I use is "Dog b Gone".

This highly poisonous dog bone is small enough for a chow, yet kills a
pit bull before he/she can bark.

Next time you are biking that way, take two DBG's with you.

The little [censored] go for the poison bone every time.

On one trip, I threw one bone and two pits fought over it. Then, they
both died at once.

I call this the Michael Vick move. A kind of pass and pitch, then in
the ditch.

Don't hang around after tossing the DBG. The look on a drug dealer's
face as his two bodyguards
start foaming at the mouth, [censored] coming out, the loud screech, can
sometimes bring out the worse in Mr Drug Guy.

One DBG thrower tossed the "bone" but the drug dealer picked it up before
the pits could get to it.
Mr drug guy starts doing the "ya want a nice bone, beg, beg, beg" thing
with his pits.

Then he starts to laugh and puts the bone under his nose, he then licked
the bone as he said "yum, yum" ..

Last I heard the authorities called his death a sudden unexplained
sickness.

I still haven't figured out how they accounted for the five dogs that
were dead all around him.

Oh well....

This is called a "sack" in the Michael Vick dog obedience school.

I hope this helps.

Bret Fare.

"necromancer" <55_sux@worldofnecromancer_nospam_noway.org> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Looking for some advice. Here's my situation: Over the last week, when
I'm out riding I have encountered this pair of dogs, one's a pit bull
and the other, I believe, is a chow. These two will immediately chase
after me and will chase me for well over a block or more barking and
otherwise acting aggressively. They don't get close enough to bite (at
least not yet), but I am afraid that soon, they will. I've already
reported these two dogs to the local police twice, but unless they see
the dogs themselves, there's not much they can do.

What are some effective ways of dealing with attacking dogs while
riding? The police officer I talked to today said their Chief instructed
them to shoot any dog posing a threat, but for me that's not really an
option as I don't want to carry a gun while riding for obvious reasons.
Is there an aerosol repellant that would be effective for such a
situation. Avoiding the area is not an option since both incidents
occurred within a block of my home.

Thanks.

--
"Breathe in. Breathe out. Move on."
--Jimmy Buffett

"Papa Tom" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was told once that the way to deal with an aggressive dog is to, first of
all, slow down your bicycle (believe it or not) so the dog stops seeing you
as a potential "playmate" and then FIRMLY order the dog to SIT! or GET
OUTTA HERE! But the trick is to be as firm as possible - to establish
yourself as the "Alpha Dog." Dog trainers might advise against staring an
attack dog in the eye, but I was told this was the best way to initimidate
one.

Regardless of whether this is responsible advice or not, it worked for me
when I was being chased by a large German Shepherd in an unfamiliar
neighborhood up in Rhode Island. I really thought my leg was going to be
chopped meat. Then I stopped my bike, stared this ferocious creature
right in the eye and, in a rare out-of-character moment for me, raised my
voice to an atypical volume and ordered him to STOP! NOW! GET OUTTA HERE!
As my face faded to pure white and my stomache turned for the fourth time,
miraculously, this fuming monster suddenly stopped barking, turned around
and went home. Of course, I felt like the meanest, baddest guy on Earth
for the rest of my trip back to New York!

"Sir Thomas of Cannondale" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:RIyGi.13$Ij2.3@trndny06...

Quoted message said:

A wonderful new product I use is "Dog b Gone".

This highly poisonous dog bone is small enough for a chow, yet kills a
pit bull before he/she can bark.

Next time you are biking that way, take two DBG's with you.

The little [censored] go for the poison bone every time.

On one trip, I threw one bone and two pits fought over it. Then, they
both died at once.

I call this the Michael Vick move. A kind of pass and pitch, then in
the ditch.

Don't hang around after tossing the DBG. The look on a drug dealer's
face as his two bodyguards
start foaming at the mouth, [censored] coming out, the loud screech, can
sometimes bring out the worse in Mr Drug Guy.

One DBG thrower tossed the "bone" but the drug dealer picked it up before
the pits could get to it.
Mr drug guy starts doing the "ya want a nice bone, beg, beg, beg" thing
with his pits.

Then he starts to laugh and puts the bone under his nose, he then licked
the bone as he said "yum, yum" ..

Last I heard the authorities called his death a sudden unexplained
sickness.

I still haven't figured out how they accounted for the five dogs that
were dead all around him.

Oh well....

This is called a "sack" in the Michael Vick dog obedience school.

I hope this helps.

Bret Fare.

"necromancer" <55_sux@worldofnecromancer_nospam_noway.org> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Looking for some advice. Here's my situation: Over the last week, when
I'm out riding I have encountered this pair of dogs, one's a pit bull
and the other, I believe, is a chow. These two will immediately chase
after me and will chase me for well over a block or more barking and
otherwise acting aggressively. They don't get close enough to bite (at
least not yet), but I am afraid that soon, they will. I've already
reported these two dogs to the local police twice, but unless they see
the dogs themselves, there's not much they can do.

What are some effective ways of dealing with attacking dogs while
riding? The police officer I talked to today said their Chief instructed
them to shoot any dog posing a threat, but for me that's not really an
option as I don't want to carry a gun while riding for obvious reasons.
Is there an aerosol repellant that would be effective for such a
situation. Avoiding the area is not an option since both incidents
occurred within a block of my home.

Actually, "NO!" is pretty universally understood as well.

I always stop, put the bike between me and the dog and firmly say stop
or go home, pepper spray if that doesn't work. But the bike makes a
fairly safe barrier between you and those teeth.

"necromancer" <55_sux@worldofnecromancer_nospam_noway.org> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'll keep that inmind, and if something isn't done, that will be my next
step. In the mean time, I've ordered a can of "Halt!," from Amazon so
that next time I encounter these two, I have a means of hopefully
disabling the dogs if necessary.

Make sure you're not spraying into the wind or you may end up disabling
yourself.

"cmcanulty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I always stop, put the bike between me and the dog and firmly say stop
or go home, pepper spray if that doesn't work. But the bike makes a
fairly safe barrier between you and those teeth.

I'd rather spray the varmint and maintain my cadence, especially if I'm
training. Teach it and his owner a lesson.

Jim Flom:

Quoted message said:

"cmcanulty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I always stop, put the bike between me and the dog and firmly say stop
or go home, pepper spray if that doesn't work. But the bike makes a
fairly safe barrier between you and those teeth.

I'd rather spray the varmint and maintain my cadence, especially if I'm
training. Teach it and his owner a lesson.

In my case, putting the bike between me and the dogs would be difficult
as there has been two of them in all incidents. I'd much rather
temporairly disable one or both of them and then get out of the area
ASAP, then contact animal control (or the police if after hours) and let
them deal with the offending animals and their owner(s).

In article <DeTHi.67371$bO6.29965@edtnps89>,

Jim Flom said:

"cmcanulty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I always stop, put the bike between me and the dog and firmly say
stop
or go home, pepper spray if that doesn't work. But the bike makes a
fairly safe barrier between you and those teeth.

I'd rather spray the varmint and maintain my cadence, especially if
I'm training. Teach it and his owner a lesson.

More that one dog would have had me as soon as I tried to stop and get
off the bike. Especially the pack of three Rottweilers that chased us
several times.

What a bunch of wusses. Have some fun with them. Hammer, stay ahead and
encourage them to keep following you ..... .... right into the next
county (where'd Rover go?).

--
*****************************
Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO
http://www.CycleTourist.com
The world is my country,
Science, my religion.
*****************************

On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:27:12 -0500 in rec.bicycles.rides, Tim

McNamara said:

More that one dog would have had me as soon as I tried to stop and get
off the bike. Especially the pack of three Rottweilers that chased us
several times.

get a concealed carry permit. if the owner finds his dogs dead
in the ditch and they cost a lot, he won't let the replacement
dogs out.

cmcanulty said:

I always stop, put the bike between me and the dog and firmly say stop
or go home, pepper spray if that doesn't work. But the bike makes a
fairly safe barrier between you and those teeth.

Good for what it is, but it really just postpones the issue. You're now
in a standoff with a dog. If the owner isn't home (or, as has happened
around here, insists the dog won't attack and refuses to bring it under
control) you're going to be standing there awhile.

Especially frustrating when (as the original poster says) the offender
lives near your home, and you can't just avoid them.

At least around here, one does need a method that works permanently - that
ensures the dog will not attack in the future.

Doug Smith W9WI said:

At least around here, one does need a method that works permanently - that
ensures the dog will not attack in the future.

I haven't yet tried this, because I have relatively little trouble with
dogs, but this occurred to me. How 'bout getting a cheap squirt gun from
the toy department of your favorite store, and filling it with the liquid
from a jar of nice, hot chili peppers? Salt, vinegar, and capsicum sounds
like it might work if you're a good enough shot with it.

Bill

__o | Patriotism is supporting your country all the time
_`\(,_ | and your government when it deserves it.
(_)/ (_) | --Mark Twain