Dogs and bicycles!

[tubenit]

I love dogs!!! I think they are great animals.  I would NEVER want to hurt a nice dog.

Having said that, I am so tired of being chased by dogs on my bike. The last 10 yrs, at least 50% of them have been pit bulls. I've had some very very close calls with them trying to take me down off my bike.  I don't like pit bulls. They have not been nice to me.  I had two come after me like pack animals trying to circle me before when I got off my bike. I had to use my bike and water bottles to defend myself. Ugh!

Had another one today with another pit bull coming head on straight at me. He almost got me and would have if I had not swerved at him going 22mph.  (It was too late to stop the bike and use the bike as a shield)  He jumped to the side, for a second and I poured it on to outrun him.  I was stunned at how far he chased me at 20+ mph.

The owner stood there and watched the whole thing as I was yelling at her to get her dog. IF the dog and I had hit each other it would've been a 35+ mph impact at least.

She had the gall to tell me "he's really a friendly dog".  He was all instinct killer in that moment and had no intent to make friends with me.  She made NO effort at any level to intervene or help. Unbelievable!!!

I feel blessed to type this and not be at an emergency room!    Jeff 

[sluckey]

Get your wife to ride shotgun!

[tubenit]

Get your wife to ride shotgun!

 

GREAT idea!   Thanks!  Jeff

[Willabe]

I love dogs!!! I think they are great animals.  I would NEVER want to hurt a nice dog.

Me too, we have a Golden and a Beagle, dogs are a great blessing to man kind, but;

I DO NOT TRUST ANY DOG THAT HAS ANY PIT BULL IN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

People try to say their pit bull/mix is 'nice, sweet', bull pucky!!!!!!!!

Pit bulls where bread to be the meanest, strongest most aggressive that they could be as killing machines to throw several down in a pit with a full grown bull or bear to kill it. This was a 'sporting' betting entertainment event in the old days. Now they have them fight against each other. This was done over several centuries!!!! Generation after generation. You can't breed that back out over a litter or 2 or 3.

They can 'snap' in a heart beat and go wild!!!! The records of them doing this compared to other dog breads is off the charts.

You can find story after story on line about a pit bull in a neighbor hood that maimed or killed someone, often a child where the neighbors say 'he/she was so sweet, we don't understand'!!!!!!! Wake up!!!!!!!!!

For some reason people want to defend these dogs. More and more people buy them as a pet too.

Why?????? 

There's dozens and dozens of other dog breads that can offer protection for your family and home with out taking the risk of them snapping.

Look up the yearly dog bite numbers and the home insurance numbers, pit bulls are far and away the #1 every year by a huge factor compared to all the other breeds. They dwarf Mastiffs, German Shepherds and Doberman pinchers for attacks/bites. Those 3 breeds were/are breed for military and police duty and can be good dogs but you have to know how to train and handle them, best left up to the pros IMO. (In fact most if not all home owners insurance companies will not give you/sell you home owners insurance if you own a pit bull/mix. The other 3 you have to pay extra.) 

I see NO reason to keep this breed preserved. If people would just stop breeding them they would go the way of the dodo bird and become a part of past history.
 

I had two come after me like pack animals trying to circle me before when I got off my bike. I had to use my bike and water bottles to defend myself. Ugh!

The reports of pit bull attacks clearly indicate that when 2 or more pit bulls are out together they are more aggressive then they are alone.


Brad   

[DummyLoad]

glad yer OK. shoot the dog next time.


--pete

[sluckey]

glad yer OK. shoot the dog next time.

We think alike. But I know you've seen this...

     http://el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=13936.msg176108#msg176108

She can cover his getaway too.   

Seriously though Jeff, consider a water pistol filled with a nasty brew. Maybe have two pistols on the handlebars. One loaded with juice for the nice dogs and one loaded with the really nasty stuff. Aim for the eyes.

[tubenit]

I thought about this and I have been attacked by 5 different pit bulls all in or near my neighborhood. NONE of them were on a leash!

I already resolved for mace or pepper spray.  I am going to start carrying it.  True story, my wife was attacked walking in our neighborhood about 9 yrs ago. The only thing that got the dog off her arm was the spray.  She was bit all the way thru a coat and a sweatshirt. We had to get both police and animal control involved to get the dog quarantined to make sure it didn't have rabies.

Not a good experience. Cops almost arrested the crazy belligerent owner of the dog.

Jeff

[Ritchie200]

I carry a 24" hot shot cattle prod.  Looks like an air pump.  You can discharge it to spark like a stun gun and that usually scares the crap out of anything close.  I live out in the sticks and there are some wild dog packs out here.  Been chased several times while mountain biking.  Your neighbors and law enforcement may frown upon you using it.  Eric H may request you prove you were dead before justification in defending yourself with one....  But I digress....  You can also get some citronella repella-spray from Petsmart, aim for the eyes.  They will shoot about 10-12ft.

Jim

[dude]

When I was around twelve living in Hagerstown, Maryland there was this big boxer that every time you rode by his house you knew he had a good few blocks in him.  He'd see you coming his way and charge you head-on always going for your ankles "biting", we raised our feet till we passed him in a few blocks.

After a while we got an idea, remember I was only twelve. We filled squirt guns with ammonia, three of us rode by, he tore off after us right for our ankles, a few squirts and that dog ran away yelping, never again did he chase us.

Al 

[Platefire]

Tubenit

  I ride a bicycle  pretty regularly. The dog issue has caused me to quit riding some routes that I use to go. I've had a lot of close calls but so far only had one that actually tried to bite me. He got hold of my paints leg. I've got this spray can called "HALT" especially made to stop attacking dogs. It says to spray them right in their eyes---so that's what I did and he stopped immediately. It must of made an impression on him because when he sees me, he never barks or chases me anymore. 
  Also there is one house that has a German Shepard tied with a chain. Everytime I pass by he runs at me until he runs out of chain and then jerks the daylights out of himself. I'm always braced and prepped for action in case the chain breaks. Got to be pretty serious about bike riding to brave all the situations you might encounter--dis-respectful vehical drivers, dogs, rain, head winds, heat, cold and flat tires. I live in the country and have a paved frontal road I ride on but have unpaved backroads I like to ride. I have one backroad route that is 12 miles. On that road I've encountered bobcats, panthers, deer, foxes and cyotes. When I ride the 12 mile route I usually stick a pistol in my pocket. Hope I never need it, but it's better to be prepared than sorry. Happy Biking, Platefire

[EL34]

Pepper spray and Halt is what I would use

Hopefully you spray it the correct direction and the wind is not a factor

[Voxbox]

I love riding bikes.
I have a Labradoodle too.

There was an American cyclist and author well known here in the UK, Richard Ballantyne, who was infamous for his advice on dealing with dogs whilst on the bike, from his obituary in the Telegraph -
"Nor would animal lovers necessarily appreciate his advice on what to do when faced with an aggressive dog. If the cyclist does not have a pepper or ammonia spray to hand, Ballantine playfully suggested, he or she should try to ram a bicycle pump down the animal’s throat."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/sport-obituaries/10092280/Richard-Ballantine.html

As it caused an uproar, the advice was removed from later editions of the book.

We dont carry guns in the UK so have to make do with bicycle pumps instead 

Cheers, VB

[tubenit]

On that road I've encountered  panthers

Bob,  that is one fearsome dangerous creature to say the least!!!!  Everything I've read about those leads me to actually be afraid of one.  I know several cougars/panthers have attacked people in California and when I read the accounts of those attacks, it just left me with chills.  Something that powerful, agile and quick .......... could make short work of a person.

Everyone described how unbelievably powerful the animal is and that they helplessly felt like a "ragdoll" in the mouth of the cougar.  Someone was totally ripped right off their bicycle by one while cycling.  Apparently, the strength they have must be beyond anything we are familiar with.  I'd carry a pistol also if I thought a panther was around. With their stealth, speed and stalking ability ......... I don't know if a pistol would actually keep one safe BUT I'd sure carry one.

Many, many years ago,  I tried to call up a panther in Texas just west of Possum Kingdom lake. It was killing the deer and small cattle in the area and wrecking havoc. The ranchers were wanting this thing killed.  I tried this at night during the dead of winter using a "dying rabbit" call.  Got the panther to come close & respond at the edge of the woods but I could not coax it out from the woods to shoot it.  The panther has a noise that it makes like a screaming woman that is totally creepy. It was quite a sound to hear!!

Stay safe!

With respect, Jeff

[Platefire]

Hi Tubenit

  Thanks for the advice! I say the animals I seen were panthers simply because I don't know what else to call it. I'm familiar with bob cats because of their bob tail and are rather small with dark fir. The panther like animals I seen was small like a bob cat with redish type fir and had a long tail that curled up like a hook and pointed back toward his backside. The time when these sitings occurred was during a severe drought several years ago and I haven't seen them since. I think because of the drought they were foraging for food and maybe traveling out of their normal habitat to find it. Thank the Lord they didn't try to take me on.
  A couple of summers ago I had a fox that would come up in my yard during the time of drought and eat bugs under my security light. I could get within about 30 feet from him before he would depart. I started feeding him dog food and for about two months he kept coming and I would talk to him and play my mandolin/sing for him while he ate. I called him Foxy. When fall came he departed not to return. Guess he didn't like my mando playing:)
  Another memorable bike ride was I came up on two bobcats in the road. When they seen me coming, one went to the right side of the road and the other to the left. When I got up to where they left the road, the cat on the right side had stopped about 50 feet off the road. They were about the size of a large house cat. I began talking to him and he held his ground. Every now and then he would let out a low growl but never moved. I finally decided that he was mating with the other cat and was wanting to continue in which I was interfering with. So I moved on and let them get back to it. That's kind of a memorable experience with my cat sittings.
  On the panther you were calling, did anybody ever get him? I've heard that kind of scream at night from my house before. Pretty chilling sound. Platefire

[tubenit]

On the panther you were calling, did anybody ever get him?

My understanding is that he was around for the following year also after I attempted to get him.  Don't know beyond that?

Harrowing story about the 110-122 lb. panther/cougar/mountain lion (all same thing) killing a cyclist Anne Hjelle in California (scroll down for Jan 8th 2014 story):

http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks_ca.html

There is a possibility another cyclist  Mark Reynolds may have been attacked by the mountain lion and killed also?  Anne Hjelle was literally ripped off her bicycle while riding.

Bobcats are typically are nocturnal and are afraid of people and will flee when they can.

With respect, Jeff