Dog Bite

scruff64

Hello all,got clawed and bit by a dog that ran from behind whilst out riding.Wondered if anybody else might have suffered ,and if theres anything has a community we should be trying to do about it.

cooldad

Short of killing all dogs, what do you suggest?

Or what, where, how, what did the owner say, are you hurt, did you report it?

Etc.

JBA

I'd start by getting a tetanus jab if you haven't had one for 10 years.

batmo

Can you give some more details? In particular, at what point did you become aware of the dog and what did you do?

I won't judge you (I have people to do that for me on this forum!) but there is something about the pedalling action that some dogs find irresistible to bite, so often stopping pedalling and taking your feet off the pedals can help. Usually I come to a halt too as that stops the chase, but you would have to judge whether this would defuse the situation (or just leave you in the clutches of a ferocious dog) on a case by case basis!

_jon_

I've been bitten once but luckily it was just one of those little terrier type dogs and it was my foot he bit so I didn't feel it through my shoe. I've read it's best not to make direct eye contact with them. I also slowed right down so it didn't see it as a game of chase (not sure if that helpded or not as the little b***** did get me).

cooldad

Kick the dog and D lock the owner. Job done.

snowster

cooldad wrote:

Kick the dog and D lock the owner. Job done.

+1

kajjal

Unless you are used to dogs they can be difficult to deal with and read what they are up to but they should not be biting and clawing at you. The owners need to control them and train them properly.

I normally stop and talk to them like you would a young child which does the trick most of the time. The other thing with dogs is they are very good at reading people so when two terriers charged out of a driveway to get me on the way past they knew I meant it when I told them where to go and ran off. Riding past a dog at anything but a calm slow speed is not a good idea.

LimitedGarry

Dogs on the loose are a major pain in the ass everywhere. Problem is that even a properly trained dog can get startled or scared when you're passing by at 50kmh over bumpy road making a lot of noise and just like humans, startled dogs can behave unpredictably. So it's best to slow down when you see it. Also, some dogs aren't aware of the danger of rolling wheels, they just see a human going really fast and must think it's cool if they run along and play.
But the worst thing is dogs that start to chase you for the same reason they start to chase a deer or any other animal. I was once riding on a semi-legal trail (ok, illegal) on a very rarely used path. Lots of loose stuff on there, very hard to steer properly and sometimes easy to lose track of where the trail actually goes. A rode that path many times but one day, some dipshit let his dog to run around the area (despite there being signs all over the place not to let dogs run freely). I rode the path as usual, probably around 25kmh, when I heard a dog bark (once) behind me. I looked briefly and knew immediately it was chasing me. The thing that I thought of doing in that moment was to stop abruptly, take my folding lock and give it a beatdown if it attacks. Before I made up my mind, I rode over a lose rock, which got catapulted and as soon as I heard a loud squeal, I knew exactly what it hit.
Can't overstate how relieved I was at that moment. Probably the best case scenario for both me and the dog, and especially the owner. I'd certainly hold him down on the spot and call police should the dog attack me, even if it meant getting a fine for riding there.

To be fair, there's not much that can be done about that on a larger scale. People will let their dogs run loosely despite strict bans... Just like mountain bikers will keep on riding where they're not supposed to be riding :oops:

dinyull

LimitedGarry wrote:

Dogs on the loose are a major pain in the ass everywhere. Problem is that even a properly trained dog can get startled or scared when you're passing by at 50kmh over bumpy road making a lot of noise and just like humans, startled dogs can behave unpredictably. So it's best to slow down when you see it. Also, some dogs aren't aware of the danger of rolling wheels, they just see a human going really fast and must think it's cool if they run along and play.
But the worst thing is dogs that start to chase you for the same reason they start to chase a deer or any other animal. I was once riding on a semi-legal trail (ok, illegal) on a very rarely used path. Lots of loose stuff on there, very hard to steer properly and sometimes easy to lose track of where the trail actually goes. A rode that path many times but one day, some dipshit let his dog to run around the area (despite there being signs all over the place not to let dogs run freely). I rode the path as usual, probably around 25kmh, when I heard a dog bark (once) behind me. I looked briefly and knew immediately it was chasing me. The thing that I thought of doing in that moment was to stop abruptly, take my folding lock and give it a beatdown if it attacks. Before I made up my mind, I rode over a lose rock, which got catapulted and as soon as I heard a loud squeal, I knew exactly what it hit.
Can't overstate how relieved I was at that moment. Probably the best case scenario for both me and the dog, and especially the owner. I'd certainly hold him down on the spot and call police should the dog attack me, even if it meant getting a fine for riding there.

To be fair, there's not much that can be done about that on a larger scale. People will let their dogs run loosely despite strict bans... Just like mountain bikers will keep on riding where they're not supposed to be riding :oops:

Hahahaha, complaining about dogs off leads whilst riding on land your not supposed to. Brilliant. Could it have been the the landowner's dog that chased you?

dinyull

Irresponsible dog owners will be continue to be irresponsible dog owners, no matter if a community gets together.

I would have been having words with the owner - unless I'd been riding irresponsibly. A dog shouldn't be off the lead if it's prone to chase bikes, horses etc and it could have been a child riding their bike.

LimitedGarry

Dinyull wrote:

Hahahaha, complaining about dogs off leads whilst riding on land your not supposed to. Brilliant. Could it have been the the landowner's dog that chased you?

It wasn't a privately owned land, but a public forest/park which forbids riding a bike on unmarked pathways, off trails, or creating new trails by any means. Where I live, there's only handful of private forests and the owners generally just don't want people to ride motorised vehicles and cars in there. Very rarely do they forbid anyone from entering.
Full disclosure though - that was the last time I rode that trail.

cooldad

OP can't be too concerned about the 'community' as he/she hasn't been back since posting.

LimitedGarry

Maybe he's in the hospital with an infection.

_jon_

LimitedGarry wrote:

Maybe he's in the hospital with an infection.

Maybe. If so, he's probably feeling a bit woof.

scruff64

Haven,t had time too come back the forum "community", been busy trying to get cashback of Samsung.Anyhow if anyone is still interested ,I rode up a track (legal) and seen the owner of 3 spaniels.They were off lead so he called them to him which they did straight away.I said thanks for that and went on my way.Seconds later i felt a pain at my calf and only to see one of the dogs and blood pouring out of my leg.The one gash in particular was deep so i knew i need to get to hospital.This was totally out of order.I didnt startle the dog or look it in the eyes.Had no chance to shout cause i didnt know it was chasing.Going back to the same track same time this weekend,hopefully owner will be there!

OMark

JBA wrote:

I'd start by getting a tetanus jab if you haven't had one for 10 years.

You're right about getting the jab, but I think you mean rabies

JBA

OMark wrote:

JBA wrote:

I'd start by getting a tetanus jab if you haven't had one for 10 years.

You're right about getting the jab, but I think you mean rabies

No. I mean tetanus. There is a risk of contracting tetanus from a dog bite. There is no rabies in the UK.

LimitedGarry

So you were riding by a dude with a bunch of dogs. You rode past them and a bit later one of the dogs bit you.

What I don't get is:
Did the owner not notice?
Did you not talk to the owner?
Did you actually go to a hospital?
Did you talk to the police or something?

scruff64

Yes the owner noticed.Yes i talked to owner.But thought it best to get to hospital rather than have a conversation.yes i went to hospital.Yes i have had a tetanus.Hope all clearer now

poah

did you report it to the police?