Have you ever been chased by a dog

[deaksie]

A few weeks ago my bike buddy Helen and I were out on a country lane - we spotted a couple of border collies in the road (entirely loose, no people around) at the entrance to a farm.
Helen said "oh god, should we turn around?" I said nope, just ride straight through, keep going.
Sure enough they were farm dogs not pets came up to us barking pretty ferociously, ruffs up, heads down (not a good sign!)
Helen kept on riding, so did I, but I looked straight at them and shouted "HOME" with complete conviction, in the deepest and loudest voice I could muster - pointing back to where they had come from. After a couple of goes, one of the dogs sloped off, the other one thought about it but thought he would see if he could get to my back wheel one last time. I looked directly at him and again shouted "home" as loudly as I could (very authoritative).
The dog turned around like he'd been shot.
I grew up on a smallholding with loads of animals and I'd forgotten I could do that.....
Helen says she's scared of me now

My advice is to try that - most dogs have never had proper discipline and the sheer astonishment when someone gives them some is enough to allow you to get away.

 

[Norm]

I had one by the Thames about a year ago, some yappy little thing.

If my boot had caught it 2" further back, it would have gone straight into the river rather than just cracking it one across the nose and making the little bastid yelp.

 

[Bodhbh]

Not really been chased alot. Most serious single incident was some mutt trying to pull off my trainer, while waiting to pass the owner on a path over a cow field. The owner was on his mobile and took over a minute to notice despite me shouting. Mostly I worry that a stupid one will stick it's nose in the wheel and it'll be in a mess.

Biggest dog related irritation is the amount of dogs**t on bridlepaths, and tbh all over the place. Not funny on the MTB with no mudguards and not always easy to spot. If you get it on you and don't notice it immediately it gets everywhere. Notice nowadays people use those stupid bags to put it in, then just throw them in the hedge or leave them in neat parcels by the track. rofl doing their bit for the environment then, at least outside the bags it degrades. In the future archeologists will wonder what all these of perfectly preserved parcels of dogs**t are all about.

 

[Norm]

Most doggie poo bags are biodegradable.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

Many times when I was a kid delivering papers many years ago. For some reason the people that lived at one particular house used to leave a horrible very viscous cocker spaniel in the garden. It always used to wait until I got on my bike after delivering the paper then run after me biting at my ankles. It drew blood on 2 occasions. The owner apologised once but still left the stupid thing out. After the second time I got bitten and the owners crap attitude I just used to kick the dog as hard as I could when it was biting at my ankles, it eventually got the message. I love dogs, but that is one of the few I used to hate with a passion.

 

[oliglynn]

You think dogs are bad, try a herd of angry bulls in a field. Serious brown pants moment as I realised that the only way out of said field was to ride to the edge, ditch the mtb, climb over a barbed wire fence and jump into a patch of nettles.

1 ripped pair of shorts and 2 stung legs later I escaped, but had to go back for the bike when the bulls got bored of trying to kill me and wandered off.

 

[Firestorm]

I have had them go for me whilst on the motorbike too.

My old dad bent his aluminium pump over a dogs head once, the mutt never trouble him again

He did get knocked off by a dog once. The dog was obviously a sensible hound as it hesitated at the kerb when it saw the bike and adjusted its run accross the road so it would go behind the cyclist. Not so intelligent to know what a tandem was though.....

 

[Norm]

Ooo, I had a JRT once from the motorbike too.

As it heard me coming up behind, it started running straight forward.

I couldn't figure out what it was doing at first, it was only as I got level with the old boy walking it that I realised it was on an extending lead and it was getting as much free-play as possible. The old boy locked the lead off as I passed, but the dog had given itself enough room to swing into the road and aim for me. I just extended my leg, hitting it square in the forehead with the heel of my boot.

It was a heck of a jolt on my leg, but I think the dog probably came out second best.

 

[Kirstie]

It's a worry when touring and it's always a good idea to have a some decent sized stones in your back pocket to hurl at them. It's only happened to me once by a farm. A muzzled dog came hurtling out at me, and when it realised it couldn't bite me because it was muzzled it proceeded to hurl itself at my leg. i say 'muzzled' - it had a dirty piece of cloth tied around its chops, holding its mouth shut. The sensation was of a soft squidgy nose pressing itself repeatedly into my calf! the owner swiftly came out and I very politely asked them 'if they could stop their dog from trying to bite me please'. I got home and reported them to the RSPCA - I've no idea what happened as a result.

 

[Woz!]

one of my rides takes me past a farm and one time as I passed it their border collie spotted me and gave chase. The farm was on the brow of a hill so thankfully I was just starting to down hill and managed to pedal like mad to get out of there !

I heard its paws padding about 3 ft behind me but again thankfully I heard them get further and further away.

It only happened the once but I know pedal like a loon as I pass it just in case

I think collies have a very developed chase instinct. Ours certainly does - she's a rescue pup and is very shy, but would always try and 'round up' cyclists when we first got her. We've trained her out of the habit and she never got to the point of bothering anyone as she was on a lead.
They also try and round people up too - she gets quite upset if the family are out walking and my kids run off to look at something!

 

[benb]

I don't think collies make very good pets - they're working dogs, and the herding and chasing instinct is so strong with them. Also they're all slightly insane.

I really want a Newfoundland, but don't have the time what with working.

 

[PoliceMadAd]

Never been chased by one whilst on the bike, i do tend to go past them with quite a lot of care though.

 

[Zoof]

I don't think collies make very good pets - they're working dogs, and the herding and chasing instinct is so strong with them. Also they're all slightly insane.

I

will vouch for that, highly insane, but good fun.
I take next doors collie out for a run with the bike.
It loves it; on the usual trail I take, we have got steep bank then a long flat bit.
As soon as a I reach the brow it's off full pelt, because it knows I will be in top gear
and away.
I can only pass it at 30mph then it starts growling and trying to nip me.
If it was a Tour rider it it would be head butting, and swearing.
It's just highly competitive, and wants to be in the lead all the time.
When I finally outpace it, I really piss it off, it sulks like a top rider
losing out to a novice.
Zoof

 

[Hont]

Happened to me twice.

An old black lab that was being walked off the lead on a country road. Should have b*llocked the (completely ineffectual) owner but sprinted away instead.

A Rotweiler who had escaped and threatened to charge at me. Bike between me and it and edge carefully away. I avoided that spot for about a year.

 

[Scoosh]

Not specifically chased - but knocked off my bike - yes.

Riding downhill on a quiet country road outside Kirriemuir last April, I espied 2 small King Charles Cockers barking a bit ahead. I watched them carefully, feathering the brakes, then, at the 'point of no return', I reckoned I was OK to go .....

... so puppy of the 2 makes a direct line for my front wheel, causing me to fall off on my right side at about 40kph.

Road rash, blood etc from knee, hip and elbow. Lady owner from nearby house came out most apologetically, offered first aid stuff (gratefully accepted), cup of tea and to take me and bike back to wherever I wanted.

I seemed OK after I was patched up, as was bike, so continued on my way. 5 mins later I reached down for my water bottle - OUCH ! - and found that my right shoulder had sustained more damage that I initially thought.

Still having physio on it now ...

Dogs and ice - my two 'watch for very carefully' items when cycling