vicious dogs? big problem or rare?

jamieh5463

I was cycling through a local village today (Adisham) and saw a Jack Russell on the opposite side of the road, now i like dogs i have one myself so my opinions aren't biased against dogs, as i came closer to the dog it started viciously barking and chased me, if i was going up the hill and not down it i'm sure the dog would have bitten me. Are vicious dogs a regular problem or not, maybe owners should just take a bit more care?.

downfader

I think its pretty rare, most wont go near my bike when I ride through the common.

JRs can be funny. Theres a guy in Shirley here in southampton that has one and it really goes for cyclists. I think he's trained it to do for pavement cyclists though as I've never seen it lunge for anyone on the road.

Eat My Dust

I have more of a problem with dogs when out running rather than cycling.

kingstongraham

I don't find vicious dogs a problem when cycling - or running really. Cycling it is more dopey dogs that are a problem.

Jack Russell's can be a bit funny - ours has some Jack Russell in him, and that gives him the 'never ever give in' type attitude. So if they are not well trained, they can be a nightmare.

I can't understand how an owner could let a dog that is like that loose in the road. I know my dog is an idiot and will chase any animal, so he doesn't go off the lead anywhere near cars.

beverick

KingstonGraham wrote:

Jack Russell's can be a bit funny - ours has some Jack Russell in him,

Ironically, and according to his reputation, most of the bitches near us seem to have had a bit of our Jack Russell in them....

Bob

JesseD

I find a blast in the face or the chasing dog, with the contents of your water bottle do the trick, especially if it's energy drink. If you get them in the eyes and nose it usually renedrs them useless for 30 secs which you can use to get away

cyclingmev

I have more of a problem with sheep. Their road sense is quite shocking... :roll:

stevenmh

Here in Thailand dogs can be a problem for cyclists. It is really the dogs that you do not see which cause me the most problems. When one suddenly jumps out at you it can make you jump enough to make you swerve or worse. If I see some in the distance then I can give it enough space, and if it does begin to chase I just speed up as the dog is smart enough to know it is far to hot to chase a silly English man on a bike!!

I like the idea of squirting them with something - I will have to try that.

I do growl at them occasionally which also seems to work.

alex16zx

came to the top of a hill on sunday to find a cow standing in the middle of the road, and another cyclist stopped coming the other way at about 20 metres, waiting for the farmer to come and coax it back into the field! I was glad of the break tbh, after that hill.

Ollieda

My dad used to train dogs so I've grown up with dogs all my life

I think vicious dogs are quite rare. A lot of the dogs that make a large noise and fuss will chase and then just stand there barking when they have caught up. Dogs normally need a reason to attack someone, i.e. you invaded their territory (broke into house), you took something from them, you hurt/threatened them or owner and rarely - the owner commanded them.

If you have seen a dog actually catch up with a cat its chasing then most of the time it will just stand around and bark and growl at it. Only if its provoked or really hungry will it actually attack the cat!

Obviously these points apply to trained dogs and domestic dogs....the main problem with vicious dogs is where a owner has trained the dog to be vicious, like for dog fighting or just to look "hard". Unfortunately there are a lot of people who breed and train dogs to be like this which led to dogs like the PitBull Terrier getting banned which is a shame as well brought up pit bull terriers are actually really loving dogs, but can easily be led astray by an owner with bad intent

As for dealing with dogs that chase you if you don't like it. First try just getting away! If not try stopping sharply turning to wards the dog and shouting "NO" in a commanding voice. It should stop or confuse the dog long enough for you to get away or the owner to regain control. As a last resort give the dog a spray as mentioned by others, dogs hate it! just remember that the dog is a living thing so don't spray a sports drink into its eyes as it can cause them harm.

If you do get chased by a dog that seems intent on causing you harm, or the owner has commanded it to (i.e. the owner doesn't seem bothered by the fact their dog is running off after you and causing distress) then report it to either the RSPCA or the police. If they keep getting reports about the same animal then they should pay the owner a visit and just check there''s nothing bad going on.

Oh and report any strays to the dog warden/RSPCA! It could be someone's lost pet afterall!