Cyclists - Being chased by dogs

[Nonny]

I just had my first run in with being chased by a dog on my bike, and nothing happened thankfully, but I'm wondering what the best course of action would be in the future.

In this case, the dog was small (probably a Chihuahua mix), and it came racing out at me (no leash or person, coming from a partially fenced yard) as I was kind of cruising past the house on a downslope.  Since I was going slightly downhill, was at the start of my ride, and was very fresh, I just sped up a bit, and after a couple of houses with much vicious yapping and snapping at my back tire, it gave up and went away.

But if it had been a bigger dog, or I'd been going up hill, I could very well have been in serious trouble.  Even with this dog if it had managed to catch me it still could have done damage to my calf.  My neighborhood is *very* hilly, and there are definitely places where I'd have zero chance of outracing a dog.  There are also a few places where there are dogs that throw themselves at the fences as I ride past, and a handful of dogs that roam off leash (one who is at least quite content with just sniffing and peeing, who thus far gives zero shits about chasing bicycles or cars), so I know this will come up again.  I'm actually a little surprised it hasn't come up before today.

[Susie]

I don't have any wonderful suggestions, just agreement that it sucks. I have had a few chase interactions with pretty large dogs, and they have been scary. Sometimes the dogs might be within an electric fence, but there's no way to know for sure (whether it's there or not, whether it's on or not, whether the dog will respect it or blow right through it); other times I'm pretty sure there's no deterrent for the dog at all. I'm more afraid of a dog that could come at me from the side and run in front of me and cause a crash than the chase from behind scenario. At least with the chase from behind I have adrenaline on my side. Unfortunately I have found certain towns/areas that seem to have more loose dogs than others, it just seems to be the norm in certain areas. Even though they are otherwise nice roads, I find myself avoiding those routes. It hasn't been a pervasive enough problem for me to consider whether carrying some kind of spray would be worth it. I'm not sure if I could get it out fast enough anyway (or whether it'd be worth the speed sacrifice to do so).

[itsme]

I don't have any suggestions either. I've had one chase encounter which happened to have been a little dog as well. The poor thing almost got run over as it ran across the street to chase me while I ran. Thinking about a big dog chasing me is terrifying. I saw a big dog wandering on a run and thankfully it was across the street and headed the other way but I sped up. I think pepper spray may be a good idea. I don't know if it would help any but it something to look into.

[Nonny]

I'm a klutz, so if I had a spray I'd either crash trying to get it out, or I'd spray myself in the face with it, or I'd crash after having sprayed myself in the face with it.

[kams]

We have this issue in certain areas outside of town, too. I think carrying spray might work.

I've thought about, if I can't outrun it, just getting off my bike and putting the bike between me & the dog. Maybe someone can school me on why that is/is not a terrible idea. Thankfully I've never had a close call, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

[oswin]

My Dad has this problem sometimes and his strategy is always to squirt the dog with his water bottle. They don't like being squirted and it makes them back off. No pepper spray required and as long as you carry water with you you're good.

[katinthehat]

Probably the best thing to do is to stop or slow your roll and unclip the foot closest to the dog and prepare to kick the crap out of them. Most of the time (most), if you stop, make yourself bigger than the dog and yell super loud at them "BAD DOG GO HOME" it at least will discourage them and they'll turn around. Roll on slowly until they've lost interest.

I've also ridden with rocks in my pocket when I ride where I know there are dogs.

[farfalla2011]

I can also relate. I wish I had a good answer because those situations make me very nervous. My biggest fear in that case is hitting the dog and making me crash. I wish people would just keep their pups contained properly or at least trained to ignore people on the streets.

[awick14]

I'm sorry, being chased sucks.

A cyclist in my city was chased by a large dog this weekend, it was in a rural area.

The city put out earnings to make sure you have your dog under control. Hopefully it doesn't happen again.

[sadlebred]

HALT may work, but it may blow back on you. I've done what katinthehat said a few times--unclip and got ready to kick. I'm a good aim and usually make contact. Aim for their snout. It's sensitive and will most likely take the dog down momentarily but do no lasting harm (sort of like kneeing a guy where the sun doesn't shine). I've also squirted water at them and even thrown a water bottle.

If you have to get off your bike to confront the dog, get off on the side OPPOSITE the dog. Put the bike between you and the dog. Yell in a LOUD, DEEP voice "No! Bad Dog! Go Home!"

[Deleted]

Do you know which house it was? I would go back there and let them know that their dog got out and chased you. If you'd been a child on foot it would have been a whole other matter. Having a dog uncontained with that demeanour is not okay. I have a dog and though he is more likely to lick you, he is fully contained at all times. (Actually he's likely to get distracted and try to cross a road on his own and meet his furry end).

Anyway, I'd let the owners know.

[sadlebred]

Aug 4, 2015 5:00:17 GMT -5 @cheshire said:

Do you know which house it was? I would go back there and let them know that their dog got out and chased you. If you'd been a child on foot it would have been a whole other matter. Having a dog uncontained with that demeanour is not okay. I have a dog and though he is more likely to lick you, he is fully contained at all times. (Actually he's likely to get distracted and try to cross a road on his own and meet his furry end).

Depending on where you are, this may not be a good idea. I know in some parts of Atlanta and Georgia, the owner is likely to assault you, too. If there is a local leash ordinance you could call the police or animal control. If there isn't a leash law, you are probably out of luck unless you were actually bitten.

[Deleted]

Aug 4, 2015 5:19:36 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

Aug 4, 2015 5:00:17 GMT -5 @cheshire said:

Do you know which house it was? I would go back there and let them know that their dog got out and chased you. If you'd been a child on foot it would have been a whole other matter. Having a dog uncontained with that demeanour is not okay. I have a dog and though he is more likely to lick you, he is fully contained at all times. (Actually he's likely to get distracted and try to cross a road on his own and meet his furry end).

Depending on where you are, this may not be a good idea. I know in some parts of Atlanta and Georgia, the owner is likely to assault you, too. If there is a local leash ordinance you could call the police or animal control. If there isn't a leash law, you are probably out of luck unless you were actually bitten.

Oh wow!! Really? That's horrible! I think I must live in the safest part of the world, I would never feel threatened going to someone's front door to let them know their dog was able to get out. I'd genuinely do it out of concern for the dog getting hit by a car, but also mention that it gave me a bit of a fright on my bike.

[mrshandy]

Aug 4, 2015 5:00:17 GMT -5 @cheshire said:

Do you know which house it was? I would go back there and let them know that their dog got out and chased you. If you'd been a child on foot it would have been a whole other matter. Having a dog uncontained with that demeanour is not okay. I have a dog and though he is more likely to lick you, he is fully contained at all times. (Actually he's likely to get distracted and try to cross a road on his own and meet his furry end).

Anyway, I'd let the owners know.

Thankfully, I don't have this problem where I live very often. But I did have a dog chase me when I was in Arkansas running in the country. I was scared at first since it was a pit bull. I kept telling it to go home, but it wouldn't stop following me. Eventually I kept the dog with me on my run for the rest of the way. Then when I got home, I put it in our car and drove it back to its home.

The same thing happened the next day and this time I knocked on the people's door to let them know their dog was following me and I didn't want her to get lost. They were a little bewildered, but nice about it.

[Nonny]

Aug 4, 2015 5:00:17 GMT -5 @cheshire said:

Do you know which house it was? I would go back there and let them know that their dog got out and chased you. If you'd been a child on foot it would have been a whole other matter. Having a dog uncontained with that demeanour is not okay. I have a dog and though he is more likely to lick you, he is fully contained at all times. (Actually he's likely to get distracted and try to cross a road on his own and meet his furry end).

Anyway, I'd let the owners know.

I'm pretty sure I know which how it is, but not 100% sure, because I was already past the house when the dog came flying out and across the street to chase me.  I've ridden past this same house dozens of times, and drive past it regularly as well, and I've never seen this dog before.

Also, I'm not entirely sure that the leash laws are applicable out where I live.  I looked it up, and it says that they apply to urban areas, and in rural areas dogs must be under "voice control," with urban areas being defined as 15,000 sq. ft or smaller.  All of the lots in my neighborhood and the surrounding areas are all that size or bigger, so I think we're considered rural.

[Deleted]

Very scary. I'd carry pepper spray with you. DH has one of those little retractable work badge clip things. If yo udon't want to be holding onto the bottle during your ride, I'd get something similar to that to clip onto your shorts that you can just pull and spray and then it just retract back to your waist.

Either that or what @saddlebred suggested about getting off the bike and putting the bike between you and the dog. And then spray the dog. I'm not one for harming an animal but if it comes to my safety I will.

[tacosforlife]

Aug 4, 2015 6:29:12 GMT -5 @cheshire said:

Aug 4, 2015 5:19:36 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

Depending on where you are, this may not be a good idea. I know in some parts of Atlanta and Georgia, the owner is likely to assault you, too. If there is a local leash ordinance you could call the police or animal control. If there isn't a leash law, you are probably out of luck unless you were actually bitten.

Oh wow!! Really? That's horrible! I think I must live in the safest part of the world, I would never feel threatened going to someone's front door to let them know their dog was able to get out. I'd genuinely do it out of concern for the dog getting hit by a car, but also mention that it gave me a bit of a fright on my bike.

I was once running and when a guy's dog nearly ran me over, I told him to leash his dog. He started SCREAMING at me. I ran away. I'm pretty sure if I hadn't, he would have assaullted me.

I despise off leash dogs, but now I just try to cross the street or turn around rather than confront anyone.

[foundmylazybum]

Aug 4, 2015 5:00:17 GMT -5 @cheshire said:

Do you know which house it was? I would go back there and let them know that their dog got out and chased you. If you'd been a child on foot it would have been a whole other matter. Having a dog uncontained with that demeanour is not okay. I have a dog and though he is more likely to lick you, he is fully contained at all times. (Actually he's likely to get distracted and try to cross a road on his own and meet his furry end).

Anyway, I'd let the owners know.

Don't do this.

[biomaj5]

I was on a group ride in a rural area on July 4, and there were 3 of us together (the rest were further ahead). We were about 45 miles into a 65 mile ride. We noticed several dogs in someone's yard, and made the comment that they were safely contained. No, they were just going around the trees in the yard so they could come down the driveway at us. There were 6 dogs total, including 2 Great Pyranees. The entire pack ended up chasing us uphill. I have never ever climbed a hill in the big ring as quickly as I did that day. I paid for it 15 miles later with completely dead quads, lol.

Dogs terrify me. I don't know that I would be able to let them get close enough to squirt with my water bottle, or if I would have the coordination to avoid falling over or something like that.

[shorewife]

I like the idea of squirting them with water because it doesn't feel as dangerous to you as trying to kick or even get off your bike. However the idea of standing still does tend to work if a dog doesn't have anything to chase - as long as you don't get bit trying to dismount!

I've had this running before and luckily the one time I just got jumped on and licked but the other time I was told by a neighbor that I was lucky because the dog that ran after me does bite! In that case I had just stopped and stood still and he got bored and went home.