Lassie Wanted Blood (Dealing with Dogs)
Posted on 21. Apr, 2009 by carlos in Tips, Touring
Luckily, it only got my rear pannier.
This Sunday I went out for a solo 67 mile ride from Austin, TX to Bastrop, TX. The scenery consisted of beautiful farm country and huge family-owned plots of land. To keep myself entertained, I made animal sounds at every farm creature I passed: I’d bark at most dogs knowing they were safely fenced in. It became a game – all the dogs gave friendly ‘hello-barks’. Except this dog.
About 10 miles into my return ride, I came to a hill. The hill screamed at me, “turn around, you should not have done this.” To which I replied, “your mom.” I put my bike in the lowest possible gear and decided this hill would either make or break my ride. One pedal-turn gained me only about 4 inches of road: a challenge I gladly accepted.
Making it to the top gave me this huge sense of satisfaction. I had not walked that bike up the hill. I was tired, worn out, and not ready to ‘Hulk smash’ Fido.
The hill-top was not as imagined…
After climbing that hill, I expected girls in bikinis to hand out water, fellow cyclists to pat me on the back , and Mufasa to smile down from the clouds.
After passing 15 fenced-in dogs along the ride, it took me a few moments and some of my own barks to understand that a pack of three (#16, #17, and #18) were charging full-speed from a non-fenced house. I pedaled like a cartoon character, finding myself still in “granny gear,” and went nowhere.
The snarling badass-of-the-pack smashed headfirst into my rear pannier, jamming my bag into the spokes and sending me into a small ditch on the other side of the street.
I composed myself, took stock of the situation, and grabbed my frame-pump in an effort to look bigger. Two of the three dogs backed off, but the head of the pack stayed for a fight.
A car passed by, the driver no doubt wondered why I was in a ditch holding a frame-pump in the air.
I tried to look big, and failed miserably.
I pulled the pannier out from my spokes and, careful to keep the bike between myself and the dog, walked to the next house. Though that hill had taken all the energy out of me, I had enough adrenaline for the next 15 miles.
Lessons learned:
- Don’t bark at dogs unless you know they can’t get to you.
- Looking bigger works for some dogs, but not insane ones.
- Walking away may be the best bet for territorial dogs.
- Dogs do not know that roads are public spaces. Someone should tell them.
Preparation for our long distance ride:
- Picking up a small can of Mace.
- Getting an air-horn.
- Not barking at dogs (as much).
- Working on the whole looking bigger thing.
Tips and tricks for dealing with dogs:
- Outrun the dog. If you already have a good speed, putting a good burst of your own energy will tire that pup out quick and it’ll realize you are the cheetah in this race. I did this with one dog, and it gave me a nice little ego boost as well.
- Air horn or ‘doggy-horn.’ Picking up a small air horn will not only scare the kibbles and bits out of the dog, but will bring attention if you are in true danger. There are some ultra-sonic dog repellents out in the market which send sound waves only dogs can hear.
- Mace the face. We are keeping mace on our bikes for dogs that get too close for comfort. Make sure you are not on private property before spraying; this will help avoid the inevitable legal issues if you attack a dog in its own yard.
- Move from their territory. Most dogs will lose interest once you pass by their territory. Use this to your advantage and just move away from their domain.
- Call the cops. If you find yourself in a life-threatening situation, such as being cornered by a pit bull or doberman pinscher, we suggest keeping the bike between you and the dog and calling the cops right away. Not only is your own safety at stake, but the owner needs to take responsibility and face repercussions.
The tips listed above are how we plan to deal with dogs. Feel free to choose your own “weapon” from any of these resources: Crazyguyonabike.com, Pearlandcyclingclub.com or by searching Google for “dealing with dogs, cycling.”
For the fun of it, here is the house where the dogs came from:
View Larger Map
Image Credit: Milqito and hand-nor-glove
Cahlen Humphreys
21. Apr, 2009
Hahaha.. Good info! i almost got killed by a few junkyard mut dogs a few days ago near my parents house out here in the desert.
Cory
22. Apr, 2009
LOL. Glad they were all bark and no bite. Good lessons for the long ride. Great post.
Cassi
23. Apr, 2009
Yes, loose, unattended dogs are the bane of my existence, living in rural area. One year ago, walking, I was attacked by three mongrels, resulting in broken wrist (and resulting surgery, off-bike time and a lawsuit, as owners refused to take responsibility). As chronicled on my blog: http://tiny.cc/elmtC … also archives of 5/24/08 and 2/7/09.
While riding, I have tried everything from airhorns to out-pedalling and yes, even calling police – to find out that despite municipal leash-laws, they can’t impound a loose dog unless it bites someone or they actually witness the animal being off-property. Basically worthless.
I was finally told by one officer (who is also a cyclist) to carry a squirt-bottle of ammonia. A small squirt will stop a dog in its tracks, and won’t cause injury. It is, by far, the simplest and best deterrent I have found. I have a travel-size contact lens solution bottle that I filled with ammonia and now always carry with me — cheap, effective, and somewhat of an insurance policy against kissing pavement.
roy
20. May, 2009
I started riding bikes in 1979 and have had more motorist confrontations than dog attacks.
The best defense against dogs is awareness and speed plus I use a small can of mace if they get near. Once sprayed, I have not had a dog return for another. I ride many loops around Winnsboro so I see the same dog packs (until they get run over).
I have had two noteworthy incidents:
1) A dog came from a driveway hitting my front wheel flipping me up onto my shoulder causing collar bone and four ribs to break. I had no time to mace the dog.
2) In 1980 I was also bitten by a mother dog and I use mace since. In Texas each muncipality governs animals and there is not a state wide rabies law. In the county to problem is exasperated the number of abandoned animals that run wild.
Daniel
21. May, 2009
I’m probably jinxing myself by saying this, but I’ve not yet run into a dog that wasn’t detered by a squirt from a water bottle. The main thing is to keep your cool, yell at them, NO! and squirt them in the face.
Watch, tomorrow I’ll get bit.
charmaine
01. Jul, 2009
I’ve done some riding out in the country. So far, I’ve been able to outrun the dogs…. However, another thing that might work is carry Milk Bones (big ones) and have them handy to throw to the dogs – they’ll probably trade you for that snack anytime.
jeremy
23. Jan, 2010
Charmaine, good point, having a treat on hand can be handy to distract a dog. As for me, I backpack more than cycle, so outrunning the dogs are not an option. I’ll be sure to have enough security pack with me, from doggy treats, to mace and a blow horn.