To paraphrase Toby Keith, I ain’t as fast as I once was, but I’m as fast once as I ever was. Especially when a dog pops out of nowhere in hot pursuit.
I’m not talking fast as in cranking up my speed. My days of outrunning canines left the building with Elvis. Truth is, when a dog bolts from its yard headed my way, my dismount is as fast as it ever was.
Just the other day a young pup, maybe a year old, sounded vicious as hell — you always hear ‘em before you see ‘em — and then came sprinting out to the road.
I almost laughed before shouting “GO HOME!” He took one good look, three hard barks, and sauntered back to his yard.
I don’t run into many dogs here in Oregon. In 10 years riding in SoCal I had about four dogs chase me. In Tennessee? I had about four dogs chase me EACH RIDE!
Now them dogs that live down in the hollers ain’t cuddly puppies. They be dogs from hell. They are fast and mean.
Back then I had the fitness to punch it. As long as I had a good 30-40 yard jump, I’d get far enough away for them to give up.
Except that one persistent SOB, who appeared to be in it for the long haul. I was holding just enough lead to feel way too confident, so I decided to add insult to injury and squirt the pest to get him to cease and desist. That’s when I learned he had another gear and was just toying with me.
I could go on and on. And I will, in one of my Hey, Just Ride columns that I’ll devote to dogs.
But for now, this week’s question: How often do you get chased by dogs? And what’s your tactic? Run or stand your ground?
I stand my ground with dogs. I’ve had very few continue to appear aggressive once they get inside 10 feet or so. I smile and say Hi! And usually I end up petting them. My sense is that on neutral ground, i.e. away from their homes, they’re pretty unlikely to do more than bark. But that’s me.
I could say your theory holds true for 2 out of 3 dogs because at one house three came after me — well maybe 2.5 because one was pretty damn old and didn’t get out to me til the damage had been done — anyways, one stopped and barked and as I tried to block him off the other whipped around the backside and nipped me on the calf. That’s when the real dance began
Where I ride loose dogs are a rare occurrence. Rare enough that no matter how much I mentally plan my response, I’m always unprepared. I find I’m most likely to encounter dogs when I’m riding gravel roads in farming areas and the houses are within 50 feet of the road and the dogs are allowed to roam free. The less smart dogs probably get killed by automobile collisions, and the smarter ones stay away from cars. They’re left to defend their territory from these strange 2-wheeled “pedalers” who come by very rarely and appear to be a mortal thread to the dog. Every time I approach a house like this I try to keep alert for dogs, I make eye contact and wait to see if the dog is going to bolt out from their shady spot. I never know what to do. But, I alter my routes to avoid these places if possible. So far never been bitten.
Not many loose dogs here. The only 2 encounters that come to mind ended in broken ribs: once for the dog, and once for me (which also resulted in a broken ti frame). Not sure what is different between here and say, the South, that there are not many loose dogs here.
Rarely run into loose dogs and when I do, the Emlyn Method usually works as once I stop, they stop pursuing and kinda say “now what”?
Worst thing that ever happened to me vis a vis dogs actually happened to the dog. There was a dog that used to chase cars, bikes, and motorcycles near my parents home in Western NY. One time when I was headed home from college on my motorcycle, it barrelled out of the bushes. I couldn’t avoid it, and it glanced off of my boot and was knocked cold.