No matter how much you like dogs, when they’re trying to kill you, the love affair is over. All cyclists face a snarling dog at some point, and it’s not clear why it happens. One minute the dog is peacefully sleeping in the yard, the next minute he’s snapping his salivating teeth at your feet, a terrifying monster trying to tear your flesh off. What went wrong?
Natural Instinct
It’s not clear why a loveable, warm, furry dog can turn into a snarling beast just because you ride by on your bicycle. Some say that it’s the dog’s natural instinct to chase things running away from them. The dog’s natural instinct is to bite and shake prey that it has caught.
Territorial Defense
Others say it’s the sound of a bicycle that drives them mad. Some think it’s a territorial defense of the dogs property. Others contend that it’s just a bad dog, trying to bite anyone they can, bike or not.
Dogs are Fast
Dogs can hit 20-to-25 miles per hour much faster than you can on a bike, and hold it for at least a few hundred yards. If you’re coming to an intersection or otherwise slowing down, they can easily outsprint you from a slow start. If they catch up, you can’t outrun them fast enough to get out of danger.
The Ambush
Dogs often wait in ambush hiding, only to come up from behind and lock their teeth onto your ankle. This type of dog has likely done it before, and will do it again. Think of them as the stealth dog, staying in your blind spot until it’s too late.
A Few Tips
With all the rural, country miles cyclist do routinely, it’s a safe bet you’ll have dog encounters. But there are good and bad ways to deal with it. What works in one situation may not work in another. Cyclists have mixed results with dogs, because for the most part, they’re unpredictable. Understanding how they think is sometimes helpful.
The Broadside Hit
If it’s not his intent to bite you, there’s maybe even worse danger lurking: When a dog sees you, he typically comes running at you from the side, and turns parallel with your bike at the last second. Many cyclists go down hard when the dog skids on the pavement, and plows into your bike from the side, and then becomes entangled with the snarling dog. Its’ ugly. If traffic permits, drift over to the side, and give him room. It might be just enough margin of error to keep him from hitting you and sliding under your wheels.
Tail Up or Down
You may be able to out-sprint a bad dog if he is only guarding his territory, you can sometimes tell this by an easy gait, with lots of barking, ears and tail up — he only want’s to keep you away. A full on sprint with ears back, teeth out and tail down means he isn’t going to stop any time soon. If you’re going downhill, you may be able to outrun him, but he’s likely going to stay in pursuit.
The Stern Warning
Most dogs know when humans are angry. A stern shout of ” Get back!” “Bad dog!” “No!” “Stay!” or “Go home!” is sometimes enough to surprise them, making them hesitate just enough for you to get some distance between you and the dog.
The Side Kick
Even though it’s tempting, and you’d like nothing better than to kick the dog, it almost never works, and if you do manage to make contact, it typically never even bothers the dog anyway, and just offers him your foot and angle for him to bite. Besides that, you’ll have to unclip one foot from your pedals, which means slowing down and prolonging the confrontation. The other thing is, if you intentionally harm the dog, you could face potential liability.
The Rock Trick
If you have enough time to pick up a rock, or pretend that you’ve picked up a rock, raise your hand back like you’re going to throw it. This simple gesture seems to be recognized by most dogs and will stop some of them dead in their tracks. If you do have a rock, use it at your own risk, hitting a dog with a rock is almost impossible when you’re mad or agitated, and only makes things worse.
The Chase
It’s been established that the main motivation for the dog is the chase. If there is nothing to chase, the dog should lose interest. It is best to defuse the situation by removing the dog’s motivation to chase if possible.
The Most Common Option
If all else fails, you’ve lost too much speed, and it appears that the dog has the upper hand, stop and get off the bike as fast as you can. But make sure to stop in the road. Stopping on the dogs property will only make him more determined to get at you. Put the bike between you and the dog. Use your bike like a shield or weapon and start calling for help, cursing the dog loudly. Someone may eventually come out of the house, or keep the dog at bay. Call the police if you have to.
Eye Contact
The jury is out on this one. While eye contact may work on some dogs, immediately backing them down, others consider it a challenge, and it will only make things worse. If there’s more than one dog, this option is out the window.
Report It
In the event that you are attacked, bitten or injured by a dog, report it to the authorities as soon as possible. Include the location, an account of what happened and a description of the dog. Try to get the owners address and name, and seek medical attention without delay.
The Same Dog
If you’re intimidated, attacked or chased by the same dog in the same location every single time you ride, report this to authorities as well. You have every right to use public roadways free of fear. If it happens again, report it until steps have been taken to keep the dog where it belongs.
More Liability
In some jurisdictions, the law allows one “free bite.” This means that the owner won’t be held liable for the dog’s misbehavior until he’s made aware of the problem. After the first bite, the owner can then be held liable for any future attacks. But do not stray beyond any reasonable self-defense that would not be allowed against a human attacker. It’s tempting, but never retaliate against a dog.
Group Rides
Most dogs prefer to attack from behind like wolves taking down the weaker prey. Use this to your advantage in group rides by outsprinting your fellow cyclists — just kidding.