For the second time on the tandem this month, we have been chased by a terrifyingly large dog (this one escaped the grasp of a 5 yr old). This one bit on to our pannniers, circled in front of our front wheel and chased us from 5mph up to 20mph along narrow road. Not only did it look hungrily at my partners knee, it also looked at my calf, for which it recieved a shove from my foot. ( dont worry dog lovers, I don't think it noticed :-(
Our only defence was to yell at the thing and try to run away - which worked on this occasion, but if it had mistaken my leg for the pannier, I might not have been writing this now! Does anyone have any experiance with dog deflecting gizmos that I have seen advertised in the CTC? or any other ideas?
"Hake" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hello,
For the second time on the tandem this month, we have been chased by a terrifyingly large dog (this one escaped the grasp of a 5 yr old). This one bit on to our pannniers, circled in front of our front wheel and chased us from 5mph up to 20mph along narrow road. Not only did it look hungrily at my partners knee, it also looked at my calf, for which it recieved a shove from my foot. ( dont worry dog lovers, I don't think it noticed :-(
Our only defence was to yell at the thing and try to run away - which worked on this occasion, but if it had mistaken my leg for the pannier, I might not have been writing this now! Does anyone have any experiance with dog deflecting gizmos that I have seen advertised in the CTC? or any other ideas?<<
That sounds quite frightening - another of the drawbacks of cycling?
I find that I don't get pestered by dogs very much these days - probably something to do with me patronising a better class of wine bar.
"Hake" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hello,
For the second time on the tandem this month, we have been chased by a terrifyingly large dog (this one escaped the grasp of a 5 yr old). This one bit on to our pannniers, circled in front of our front wheel and chased us from 5mph up to 20mph along narrow road. Not only did it look hungrily at my partners knee, it also looked at my calf, for which it recieved a shove from my foot. ( dont worry dog lovers, I don't think it noticed :-(
Our only defence was to yell at the thing and try to run away - which worked on this occasion, but if it had mistaken my leg for the pannier, I might not have been writing this now! Does anyone have any experiance with dog deflecting gizmos that I have seen advertised in the CTC? or any other ideas?
Here (in Mid-Wales) the farm dogs often like to chase, usually only with barking and running along. I find shouting GET ON DOG very loudly sends them scurrying off. That's what farmers shout at them when they are harrying the sheep to closely. The farmers also sprinkle their shouts with assorted swear words as well. This shout also worked in Virginia USA - and I wasn't in sheep country at the time. You might try stopping and getting off, then the thing will know you are a human and may calm down - you can then take opportunity to talk to/abuse the owners.
Here (in Mid-Wales) the farm dogs often like to chase, usually only with barking and running along.
Farm dogs in North Wales seem to just go for full-on attack. I still have teeth marks in the back bumper of my car from being chased and attacked by one. Thank god I wasn't walking or cycling on that road.
Here (in Mid-Wales) the farm dogs often like to chase, usually only with barking and running along. I find shouting GET ON DOG very loudly sends them scurrying off. That's what farmers shout at them when they are harrying the sheep to closely. The farmers also sprinkle their shouts with assorted swear words as well. This shout also worked in Virginia USA - and I wasn't in sheep country at the time. You might try stopping and getting off, then the thing will know you are a human and may calm down - you can then take opportunity to talk to/abuse the owners.
John
I did fair bit of rural shouting :-/, but im not sure it was a rural dog. Getting off may have calmed it down, but it was one of the very bulky dogs, im sure it weighed more than me (10 stone, rake!) and if it hadn't calmed down, I would have been out of options.
I have done a fair bit of cycling on cycleways and generally I give dogs & owners a wide birth, and up till now have never had real problems - maybe just a spate of bad luck.
On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:12:38 +0100 someone who may be Paul Boyd <[email hidden]> wrote this:-
Quoted message said:
Farm dogs in North Wales seem to just go for full-on attack. I still have teeth marks in the back bumper of my car from being chased and attacked by one. Thank god I wasn't walking or cycling on that road.
A dog that bites the rear wheel of a bike will rapidly find it has less teeth, when its snout makes contact with the frame of the bike.
On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:12:38 +0100 someone who may be Paul Boyd <[email hidden]> wrote this:-
Quoted message said:
Farm dogs in North Wales seem to just go for full-on attack. I still have teeth marks in the back bumper of my car from being chased and attacked by one. Thank god I wasn't walking or cycling on that road.
A dog that bites the rear wheel of a bike will rapidly find it has less teeth, when its snout makes contact with the frame of the bike.
"Hake" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hello,
For the second time on the tandem this month, we have been chased by a terrifyingly large dog (this one escaped the grasp of a 5 yr old). This one bit on to our pannniers, circled in front of our front wheel and chased us from 5mph up to 20mph along narrow road. Not only did it look hungrily at my partners knee, it also looked at my calf, for which it recieved a shove from my foot. ( dont worry dog lovers, I don't think it noticed :-(
Our only defence was to yell at the thing and try to run away - which worked on this occasion, but if it had mistaken my leg for the pannier, I might not have been writing this now! Does anyone have any experiance with dog deflecting gizmos that I have seen advertised in the CTC? or any other ideas?
Thanks
Colin
I use an air horn in a water bottle carrier that is tie-wrapped to the handle bars/stem. works on numpty car drivers, peds and dogs.
In article <[email hidden]>, Hake [email hidden] says...
Quoted message said:
Hello,
For the second time on the tandem this month, we have been chased by a terrifyingly large dog (this one escaped the grasp of a 5 yr old). This one bit on to our pannniers, circled in front of our front wheel and chased us from 5mph up to 20mph along narrow road. Not only did it look hungrily at my partners knee, it also looked at my calf, for which it recieved a shove from my foot. ( dont worry dog lovers, I don't think it noticed :-(
Our only defence was to yell at the thing and try to run away - which worked on this occasion, but if it had mistaken my leg for the pannier, I might not have been writing this now! Does anyone have any experiance with dog deflecting gizmos that I have seen advertised in the CTC? or any other ideas?
If assertive shouts don't work then a good squirt in the face from a water bottle can distract it. If it's getting close enough to snap try giving it something like a pump to chew on - preferably rammed hard down its throat. But in this case where you were initially going slowly it would probably have been better to stop - nothing for the dog to chase, and you can put the bike between it and your tender bits.
Dogs understand commands in whatever language they're spoken to.
Here in Ireland I yell in my sergeant major's voice "Get in" repeatedly at them. They almost all stop and scurry off. They apparently cannot tell who's yelling at them. Read this on the net years ago. If this doesn't work I get off with the bike between me and them. I then give chase. They run.
If assertive shouts don't work then a good squirt in the face from a water bottle can distract it. If it's getting close enough to snap try giving it something like a pump to chew on - preferably rammed hard down its throat. But in this case where you were initially going slowly it would probably have been better to stop - nothing for the dog to chase, and you can put the bike between it and your tender bits.
When I was recently attacked by an alsatian dog I planned in my mind to follow this advice to stop, dismount and place bike between me and dog. I then discovered that a) alsatian dogs are very fast and b) I am not quick at dismounting and putting bike, etc, etc.
The bruises on my bum have just about faded away now, thanks for asking.
Does anyone have any experiance with dog deflecting gizmos that I have seen advertised in the CTC? or any other ideas?
There are dog dazers (or similar) which seem to produce an annoyingly loud noise out of our range of hearing. I dunno if they work (similar things are made for getting rid of mice/rats - they definately don't work).
Most dogs will just want to play, even when they're 'biting' it's normally just play. Consider encouraging the thing along with you then, when out of sight, getting it to roll in the nearest muddy puddle/pond/lake. The owners may keep better control of their dog next time.
Mark T pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid said:
Quoted message said:
Does anyone have any experiance with dog deflecting gizmos that I have seen advertised in the CTC? or any other ideas?
There are dog dazers (or similar) which seem to produce an annoyingly loud noise out of our range of hearing. I dunno if they work (similar things are made for getting rid of mice/rats - they definately don't work).
Most dogs will just want to play, even when they're 'biting' it's normally just play. Consider encouraging the thing along with you then, when out of sight, getting it to roll in the nearest muddy puddle/pond/lake. The owners may keep better control of their dog next time.
I cycle regularly in Greece where dogs are a major problem. (There's information about this on my cycling page http://www.acampbell.org.uk/cycling.)
Generally I try to outrun them or, if that is not possible, get off and swear at them very loudly (English will do; they seem to understand). Throwing stones is another possible tactic.
I've used a Dazer at times; sometimes it works, sometimes not. A friend who has cycled in many alarming places in the world (eastern Turkey and Uganda among others) tells me she has found it to be good. One problem with it is that it takes a certain amount of time to get it out from your back pocket or wherever and point it at the offending animal. If the first thing you hear is the scampering of its claws on the road this is not really feasible.
-- Anthony Campbell - [email hidden] Microsoft-free zone - Using Linux Gnu-Debian http://www.acampbell.org.uk (blog, book reviews, on-line books and sceptical articles)
For the second time on the tandem this month, we have been chased by a terrifyingly large dog (this one escaped the grasp of a 5 yr old). This one bit on to our pannniers, circled in front of our front wheel and chased us from 5mph up to 20mph along narrow road. Not only did it look hungrily at my partners knee, it also looked at my calf, for which it recieved a shove from my foot. ( dont worry dog lovers, I don't think it noticed :-(
Our only defence was to yell at the thing and try to run away - which worked on this occasion, but if it had mistaken my leg for the pannier, I might not have been writing this now! Does anyone have any experiance with dog deflecting gizmos that I have seen advertised in the CTC? or any other ideas?
Thanks
Colin
On slightly different note, was there anyone to complain to? If you have been bitten by a dog, and you can tell where it has come from, are you supposed to report it to someone? I seem to remember (from a dim and distant past) that dogs who bite people/have bitten people are supposed to be muzzled? Should you report them to the police? Mine was a Jack Russell looking thing, got hold of my ankle and gave me a good nip. Thought about reporting to police, remonstrating with owners (was crossing a farm, on a bridleway) but eventually did nothing.
For the second time on the tandem this month, we have been chased by a terrifyingly large dog (this one escaped the grasp of a 5 yr old). This one bit on to our pannniers, circled in front of our front wheel and chased us from 5mph up to 20mph along narrow road. Not only did it look hungrily at my partners knee, it also looked at my calf, for which it recieved a shove from my foot. ( dont worry dog lovers, I don't think it noticed :-(
Our only defence was to yell at the thing and try to run away - which worked on this occasion, but if it had mistaken my leg for the pannier, I might not have been writing this now! Does anyone have any experiance with dog deflecting gizmos that I have seen advertised in the CTC? or any other ideas?
Thanks
Colin
um voice, and attaully stop. sound angry not afraid. direct stare. you are the alpha. the shouting while still riding particuly as it can tell your afraid will be triggering the chase responce.
i know it can take some doing, but if you can do it, it works.
"Mark T" <pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
Does anyone have any experiance with dog deflecting gizmos that I have seen advertised in the CTC? or any other ideas?
There are dog dazers (or similar) which seem to produce an annoyingly loud noise out of our range of hearing. I dunno if they work (similar things are made for getting rid of mice/rats - they definately don't work).
Most dogs will just want to play, even when they're 'biting' it's normally just play. Consider encouraging the thing along with you then, when out of sight, getting it to roll in the nearest muddy puddle/pond/lake. The owners may keep better control of their dog next time.
-- Mark T
I have been generally sceptical of those dog dazers for that reason also.
But play??!!
Had the dog in question decided to play with my leg, it would not have been play, it would have been hospital - assuming it stopped with my leg!! :-/
If assertive shouts don't work then a good squirt in the face from a water bottle can distract it. If it's getting close enough to snap try giving it something like a pump to chew on - preferably rammed hard down its throat. But in this case where you were initially going slowly it would probably have been better to stop - nothing for the dog to chase, and you can put the bike between it and your tender bits.
On previous occasions, I too have used the 'bike in between me and it', however in this case, there was no posiblity of the thing being restrained & also, it would have been quite capable of jumping up at me over the bicycle. Neither did we have an anti-tank missile to attempt to restrain it with:-).
um voice, and attaully stop. sound angry not afraid. direct stare. you are the alpha. the shouting while still riding particuly as it can tell your afraid will be triggering the chase responce.
i know it can take some doing, but if you can do it, it works.
roger -- www.rogermerriman.com
I agree, but I was afraid !- had I had a club strapped to my frame (instead of a flimsy alumnium pump). I would have been better off, then I could have discused with the dog which one of us would be alpha :-).
More seroiusly though, with no other help around, I was reluctant to chance whether or not it would get bored if we stopped
I cycle regularly in Greece where dogs are a major problem. (There's information about this on my cycling page http://www.acampbell.org.uk/cycling.)
Generally I try to outrun them or, if that is not possible, get off and swear at them very loudly (English will do; they seem to understand). Throwing stones is another possible tactic.
I've used a Dazer at times; sometimes it works, sometimes not. A friend who has cycled in many alarming places in the world (eastern Turkey and Uganda among others) tells me she has found it to be good. One problem with it is that it takes a certain amount of time to get it out from your back pocket or wherever and point it at the offending animal. If the first thing you hear is the scampering of its claws on the road this is not really feasible.
-- Anthony Campbell - [email hidden] Microsoft-free zone - Using Linux Gnu-Debian http://www.acampbell.org.uk (blog, book reviews, on-line books and sceptical articles)
Thanks Anthony - interesting cycle page.
On this occasion, as we approached I gave thought to stopping and getting the cycle pump in hand before passing it, but as I have passed a lot of dogs* and only rarely had to even shout, I decided the pump was a silly idea.- next time i will be more cautious..
