Dogs?

Walter Mitty may have said:

"Greg P." <[email hidden]> brightened my day with his incisive wit when in
"]news:[email hidden] he conjectured that:

Quoted message said:

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

Just keep riding. They will stop chasing you (if in the city) once you pass a few homes next to
them. As someone else said, they are territorial and will return once you are out of the
vicinity.

If you are in the woods (mtb'ing): Carry a colt .45 (or .22 if you're a wimp) in your saddlepack
with a round loaded in the chamber. If the dog threatens you beyond any possible escape, smoke
it. Then keep riding. It works well.

[censored]. And don't forget to send a card to the distraught kids who are meanwhile
looking for it.

In rural areas, kids become accustomed to this sort of thing very early. That's because even if a
dog has a collar and tags, it can still be a dumped city nuisance animal, and the rural folks know
that when you're alone and in danger, the danger is what has to be addressed. If that dog's willing
to be aggressive with people, it's probably a hazard to livestock as well...and if you think a dog
can be territorial, you haven't seen a farmer do it.

Caveat: When riding on private land, *always* inquire about the possible presence of animals.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Yes, I have a killfile. If I
don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy.

I mount the pepper spray right on the top tube with some velcro. You also need a loose strap ready
to pull off to make sure it doesn't fall off. Also, don't leave it there if you park your bike while
getting food/drinks etc.

Don't get the wimpy kind in the lipstick sized can. Get the next larger size, about 1 inch in
diameter and 3-4 inches tall. In this area (Portland, OR) it's available at GI Joe's. More
capacity and it's more of a spray rather than a narrow stream, your aim doesn't have to be as
good, but wind is a bigger risk. You need to be very careful about wind direction and the dog
needs to be quite close so you get it in the face.. REI has the huge size for bears with a 20-30
foot range. I carry one of those when I mountain bike out in the boonies but I'm way more worried
about cougars than bears.

I've used it maybe 10 times and it discourages the dog but does not seem to be as disabling as
it's supposed to be on humans. I've also read about tests done on attack dogs where it works 1 out
of 3 times.

A gun is a more sure solution, but there are many issues and risks involved. A local cop out running
shot a dog that attacked him and was prosecuted but I never heard the outcome of the trial.

Rocky

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

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] (Douglas

Landau) said:

I have always had success squirting water from the bottle at them. Maybe I just haven't
encountered many tough dogs.

We tried that with a pack of three Rottweilers that came after us out of a farm in Greenleafton
MN. Didn't even phase them. You need to just outrun them or cause them significant pain to get
dogs like these- who were clearly chasing "with intent."

Quoted message said:

I remember as a kid being chased by dogs as I rode. I'm just getting back into bikes again and
really don't want to get bitten or worse, crash trying to avoid getting bitten.

I'm thinking of attaching a can of pepper spray on the off chance I might get chased again as I
cruise around the neighborhood.

Good idea, the pepper spray. I've been wondering what to do too. Any other ideas would be welcome.

--

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##2077 #'Mandrake Linux.'

Quoted message said:

I remember as a kid being chased by dogs as I rode. I'm just getting Has anyone else had this
problem? What methods have you tried?

groups.google.com can tell you all about it, if you search within rec.bicycles.misc and
rec.bicycles.tech.

Solutions include but are not limited to: Squirt with water bottle Race the dog Whack dog with frame
pump Get off bike and use bike as weapon Give treats to dog Pepper spray Firearms Squirt gun full of
<insert annoying or dangerous chemical here>

Quoted message said:

Jim

--
Rick Onanian

RE/

Quoted message said:

I'm thinking of attaching a can of pepper spray on the off chance I might get chased again as I
cruise around the neighborhood.

Has anyone else had this problem? What methods have you tried?

I used to use the industrial-strength Mace that the sell at police supply stores.

Never had to hit a dog with it - just layed down a quick line of spray between me and the dog. Dog
would lose interest immediately. With most dogs I don't think it's a matter of principle or anything
- they're just cursive hunters doing what they do...
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

Quoted message said:

I remember as a kid being chased by dogs as I rode. I'm just getting back into bikes again and
really don't want to get bitten or worse, crash trying to avoid getting bitten.

I'm thinking of attaching a can of pepper spray on the off chance I might get chased again as I
cruise around the neighborhood.

Has anyone else had this problem? What methods have you tried?

Usually, a VERY commanding, at the top of your lungs: NO!, BAD DOG!, GO HOME! works. Point at the
dog and look it in the eyes. Don't look away -- keep challenging it.

If that doesn't work, I keep pepper spray clipped to the strap of my hydration pak. It doesn't send
'em running, but they lose interest quickly. I'm considering getting the super strength stuff.

David

Greg P. said:

If you are in the woods (mtb'ing): Carry a colt .45 (or .22 if you're a wimp) in your saddlepack
with a round loaded in the chamber. If the dog threatens you beyond any possible escape, smoke it.
Then keep riding. It works well.

Consider, when doing this, that you may need to have a license to carry a concealed weapon. Check
your local laws.

Around here, it's illegal to carry a weapon on a bicycle most of the ways you might want to; I'm not
sure what you have to do for it to be legal -- licensing, make sure it's not concealed, etc. The
same laws apply to airguns, too, so a CO2 pistol could get you in trouble the same.

--
Rick Onanian

RE/

Quoted message said:

Unless you're out in the boonies where they let dogs run free, you probably won't encounter too
many loose dogs.

I've had encounters with packs of domestic and wild dogs in the suburbs of Philadelphia Pa and in
Philly's Fairmount park.

In the suburbs, I think it was a bunch of dogs whose owners put them out to [censored] at night and who
got in the habit of hooking up and roaming together. I was jogging and the next night a wrist rocket
slingshot and a 3/8" hex nut got me instant respect. The night after that, whe whole pack took off
running in the opposite direction as soon as they saw me.

Like with Mace, you don't have to hit them - just get close enough so they can perceive that you're
not an easy mark (not that I wasn't trying...).

In the Fairmount park, I think it was pet dogs gone feral. The pack sort of hung back while the
boldest one would make repeated forays, running in barking and snapping until I landed a lucky kick.

Told somebody close to law enforecment about it and they replied to the effect of "Yeah, the
occasional pack of wild street dogs is a fact of life in the large city parks and they can
definately be a problem if the happen on somebody at the wrong time."

-----------------------
PeteCresswell

(Pete Cresswell) said:

I was jogging and the next night a wrist rocket slingshot and a 3/8" hex nut got me instant
respect. The night after that, whe whole pack took off running in the opposite direction as soon
as they saw me.

I was going to suggest that, but decided it was too akward on a bicycle; you have to dismount,
retrieve the slingshot, load and shoot before the dog gets to you.

Marbles make good slingshot ammo, as well as (of course) the steel balls sold as slingshot ammo.

Quoted message said:

-----------------------
PeteCresswell

--
Rick Onanian

RE/

Quoted message said:

Caveat: When riding on private land, *always* inquire about the possible presence of animals.

Once I was out walking at night during a visit to the in-laws in rural Germany.

Walking through a field on a fairly dark night, I stopped for a minute to look up at the stars.
Something snorted about two feet from me and there was 2,000 pounds of milk cow. Geeze, I hear the
expression "..almost [censored] myself..." and I almost did...
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

Rocky said:

dog needs to be quite close so you get it in the face.. REI has the huge size for bears with a
20-30 foot range. I carry one of those when I mountain bike out in the boonies but I'm way more
worried about cougars than bears.

Hmm..how about hornet spray? That comes in spraypaint-sized cans, and shoots a thick, volumous
stream that's easy to aim, and is cheap enough that you could leave it velcroed to your bike even
when you go into a store for a few minutes.

Quoted message said:

Rocky

--
Rick Onanian

RE/

Quoted message said:

I was going to suggest that, but decided it was too akward on a bicycle; you have to dismount,
retrieve the slingshot, load and shoot before the dog gets to you.

Marbles make good slingshot ammo, as well as (of course) the steel balls sold as slingshot ammo.

Definately not an option while biking IMHO.

I had the hex nuts just because they were there on my workbench...would have taken marbles or ball
bearings if I had 'em. However an unexpected benefit of the hex nuts was the noise they made. Not
real accurate (sort of like a halfball) but they make this moaning/whining sound as they go through
the air...definately an attention getter if one goes past you.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Rick Onanian

BOn Tue said:

dog needs to be quite close so you get it in the face.. REI has the huge size for bears with a
20-30 foot range. I carry one of those when I mountain bike out in the boonies but I'm way more
worried about cougars than bears.

Hmm..how about hornet spray? That comes in spraypaint-sized cans, and shoots a thick, volumous
stream that's easy to aim, and is cheap enough that you could leave it velcroed to your bike even
when you go into a store for a few minutes.

Quoted message said:

Rocky

--
Rick Onanian [/B]

Ammonia in a bike bottle might work. Dilute as much as you want. Easy to store if you have an extra cage - easy to squeeze and aim - just remember not to open the valve with your teeth. Probably use a dedicated bottle - might ruin the taste of you next Cytomax.

Quoted message said:

Walter Mitty said:

"Greg P." <[email hidden]> brightened my day with his incisive wit when in
"]news:[email hidden] he conjectured that:

Quoted message said:

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

Just keep riding. They will stop chasing you (if in the city) once you pass a few homes next to
them. As someone else said, they are territorial and will return once you are out of the
vicinity.

If you are in the woods (mtb'ing): Carry a colt .45 (or .22 if you're a wimp) in your saddlepack
with a round loaded in the chamber. If the dog threatens you beyond any possible escape, smoke
it. Then keep riding. It works well.

[censored]. And don't forget to send a card to the distraught kids who are meanwhile
looking for it.

John Everett said:

Like the kids who were sitting on their front porch as I rode by one day and were yelling to their
dogs, "sic'im, sic'im"?

Just wondering - "with a round loaded in the chamber"? I was taught never to carry with a shell in
the top chamber. . . That one would be the fifth shot, anyway.

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971

"A Muzi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
| Just wondering - "with a round loaded in the chamber"? I was taught never to carry with a shell in
| the top chamber. . . That one would be the fifth shot, anyway.

What do you mean by fifth shot? My M1911A1 Colt .45 ACP magazine holds 7 rounds. You can pre-load a
round before loading the full magazine, thus getting a possibility of 8 total rounds (so 7+1).

I am not sure about other caliber guns, as I only have/want .45's and a rare .50 (yes it kills the
wrist). In general, smaller caliber pistols contain many more rounds than their larger equivalents
(with internal magazine chamber height being the same). Most common 9mm Parabellum Beretta clone
magazines can hold 15+1. So you can figure the capacity of a wimpy .22.

Quoted message said:

I remember as a kid being chased by dogs as I rode. I'm just getting back into bikes again and
really don't want to get bitten or worse, crash trying to avoid getting bitten.

I'm thinking of attaching a can of pepper spray on the off chance I might get chased again as I
cruise around the neighborhood.

Has anyone else had this problem? What methods have you tried?

Jim

I was attacked by a dog one time while out riding at night. The joker came out of the weeds in the
side ditch and got a good sized bite on my right ankle. This infuriated me to say the least. I
jumped off the bike on the left, came around it in a flash, and kicked rover right in his throat as
hard as I could while screaming some pretty nasty choice words. When he ran I chased him up into his
yard and got him a good kick in the ass to remember me by. As I did this I heard laughter like you
wouldn't believe. Two guys where sitting on the porch drinking beers. One yelled out, "Hell, kick
the SOB again! He deserves it!" It turned out the guy owned the dog and he and his buddy thought the
scene was the funniest thing they had ever seen. I ended up sitting on the porch with them for
awhile drinking free beer and took home a six for my troubles.

Shannon Reynolds

On 24 Sep 2003 12:22:28 +0950, DiabloScott

Quoted message said:

Ammonia in a bike bottle might work. Dilute as much as you want. Easy to store if you have an extra
cage - easy to squeeze and aim - just remember not to open the valve with your teeth. Probably use
a dedicated bottle - might ruin the taste of you next Cytomax.

Wow! I had no idea my newbie question would generate so many good and varied responses. There are a
bunch of really good ones here.

Thanks guys! Jim

That's hilarious =)

"Shannon Reynolds (Tefl)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
| On Tue, 23 Sep 2003 02:08:46 GMT, [email hidden] wrote:
|
| >I remember as a kid being chased by dogs as I rode. I'm just getting back into bikes again and
| >really don't want to get bitten or worse, crash trying to avoid getting bitten.
| >
| >I'm thinking of attaching a can of pepper spray on the off chance I might get chased again as I
| >cruise around the neighborhood.
| >
| >Has anyone else had this problem? What methods have you tried?
| >
| >Jim
|
|
| I was attacked by a dog one time while out riding at night. The joker came out of the weeds in the
| side ditch and got a good sized bite on my right ankle. This infuriated me to say the least. I
| jumped off the bike on the left, came around it in a flash, and kicked rover right in his throat
| as hard as I could while screaming some pretty nasty choice words. When he ran I chased him up
| into his yard and got him a good kick in the ass to remember me by. As I did this I heard laughter
| like you wouldn't believe. Two guys where sitting on the porch drinking beers. One yelled out,
| "Hell, kick the SOB again! He deserves it!" It turned out the guy owned the dog and he and his
| buddy thought the scene was the funniest thing they had ever seen. I ended up sitting on the porch
| with them for awhile drinking free beer and took home a six for my troubles.
|
| Shannon Reynolds

DiabloScott said:

Rick Onanian said:

Rocky said:

dog needs to be quite close so you get it in the face.. REI has the huge size for bears with
a 20-30 foot range. I carry one of those when I mountain bike out in the boonies but I'm way
more worried about cougars than bears.

Hmm..how about hornet spray? That comes in spraypaint-sized cans, and shoots a thick, volumous
stream that's easy to aim, and is cheap enough that you could leave it velcroed to your bike
even when you go into a store for a few minutes.

Quoted message said:

Rocky

--
Rick Onanian

Ammonia in a bike bottle might work. Dilute as much as you want. Easy to store if you have an extra
cage - easy to squeeze and aim - just remember not to open the valve with your teeth. Probably use
a dedicated bottle - might ruin the taste of you next Cytomax.

Bausch & Lomb Eyewash bottle. Small, fits into jersey pocket, Holds about 4 ounces. Foolproof and
error-proof flipoff cap, one thumb opens it, won't spill or leak. Easy to aim a big solid stream.
Ammonia-water mixture.

But please save this strong deterrent only for the rare dogs who you think are really going to bite
you. Most dogs won't as others here point out. However I've been bitten myself and said to myself
"Never again." In each case I've seen, it was in irresponsible owner who was at fault, at bottom.

You DO have the right to walk and ride on public roads unmolested. Where I live there are no leash
laws, it's mostly rural, and it seems every house has one of these simpleminded creatures. And when
two or more get together, their boldness factor increases disproportionately, same as teenage boys.

Quoted message said:

Ammonia in a bike bottle might work. Dilute as much as you want. Easy to store if you have an extra
cage - easy to squeeze and aim - just remember not to open the valve with your teeth. Probably use
a dedicated bottle - might ruin the taste of you next Cytomax.

I tried it once, or at least started to, but my aim was poor and my test was inconclusive.

I did notice some other problems though:
- it takes up a precious water bottle cage.
- you can forget and go to take a drink from it
- when it is off the bike it can leak or pop open getting ammonia on everything

Doug