Attacked by a dog!
903
Member
1067 days
PJT posted 52 weeks ago.
Very sorry to hear about your crash. Glad you're OK, even if the bike is hurt. Maybe an investment in some pepper spray is in your future?
Don't be too angry at the dog. Be very angry at jerk owners who let their dogs run loose. You may want to even consult a lawyer about the situation if your bike repair and medical bills are high.
3311
Member
1276 days
RV posted 52 weeks ago.
Glad you survived relatively unscathed. As far as not busting up any bones that is. Ya, the dog is just doing what a dog does. It is the owners that need to control and be responsible for the pup.
I know it certainly gets the HR up when I hear or see a dog near by. Time for an impromptu sprint.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
1039
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1260 days
Tikal Dog posted 52 weeks ago.
Sorry to hear that man!
Glad you are in one piece. (more or less)
Hyperactive Trifueler!!!! (I refuse to let the status go :p)
92
Member
389 days
Sloswimr posted 52 weeks ago.
Sorry to hear about your run in. I live on the west side of Atlanta and have had many close calls. In the deep south, a dog is supposed to be off a leash and your wallet is supposed to be on one.:mad:
I have found just yelling "NO" at them will cause them to slow or stop and give you time to get away. I'm always scanning for dogs when I'm out. If you see one, they usually wait until you are almost past them to begin chasing. If you time it right, you should be able to out-sprint any dog.
Hope you get better soon.
174
Member
1022 days
Ultrarunner posted 52 weeks ago.
When I lived in Warrensburg, MO I used to run on a gravel road that had a dog come at me almost every time. I started taking dog treats from my parents house and running with them when I took that route. After a few times the dog still came after me but he was friendly and wanted his treats. I don't think the owner ever knew what was going on. He scared me the first couple of times he came after me barking and running full speed to the edge of the road.
Glad to hear you're OK!
588
Member
1312 days
qb ant posted 52 weeks ago.
Glad to hear you're okay. Has anyone found the dog/owner? Hate for this to happen again.
"90% of the game is half mental" Yogi Berra
747
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1032 days
dr_rios_ec posted 52 weeks ago.
Sorry my good friend...
I wish you a speedy recovery....
-Santiago
"Man!! Defeat is worse than dying, cause´you have to live with it" -My Dad
"It ain´t about how hard you can hit...it is how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward"-Rocky Balboa
56
Member
1185 days
cg posted 52 weeks ago.
Yikes. Similar experience, but i saw the dog coming. I was doing hill work on my road bike in a huge cemetery (hey its Indiana you can be too choosy about where you find steep hills) where there are lots of woodsy patches. This ugly dog comes charging at me from about 50 feet away - I was moving along at close to 20mph so I didnt think it would get to me ... i was wrong ... it closed on my in a second! I had to jump out of the saddle and sprint to get away. After I was at a safe distance I looked back and saw 3-4 other dogs in the woods behind it ... yikes I think it was a quazi pack of abandoned dogs. My friends tease me about the ghost dogs that chase slow riders in the cemetery.
I read that if a dog knocks you off your bike get up as quick as you can and get your bike between you and the dog. Good advise for triathletes training and kids too!
820
Member
1352 days
catwood posted 52 weeks ago.
Yikes! That is practically my nightmare. I've had a couple of close calls with dogs like that on the country roads that I bike on. Some of them can run really fast! I am always scanning for dogs when I am riding on new road in particular. I also mark where they are on a map and build my routes to avoid them... I'm glad that you are ok.
3910
Member
1508 days
kylie posted 52 weeks ago.
Owww! Glad you are (relatively) ok. I'm also curious about follow up with the dog's owners.
Miles of Life --- Powered by MarkyV
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681 days
Apons posted 52 weeks ago.
Hey all,
Thanks for all the well wishes!
As far as the dogs owner, I never could tell which way the dog went after I threw the helmet at it so I don't know which house it came from. Also this particular part of Georgia is pretty rural and poor. Even if I could find the dogs owner I may not even want to approach the house for fear of Bubba coming out with a shotgun!!!:eek:
I've talked to the local police and warned our tri club. We use this particular road pretty regularly so it may happen again.
Thanks again and be careful out there!
Apons
3311
Member
1276 days
RV posted 52 weeks ago.
I know some people will clip out of the pedal on the side with the dog and kick at it --- I think that is more likely to put you on the ground. Typically dogs don't seem to account for speed or acceleration real well on their angle of attack - so I am usually able to sprint away from them. Just one more thing to watch for.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
4094
Member
1590 days
beads1985 posted 52 weeks ago.
I would try yelling "No" at the dog, while doing a sprint on the bike(if you can) Maybe use a water bottle to squirt at the dog to distract it.
28
Member
1051 days
Ken B. posted 52 weeks ago.
I had a run-in with a largish dog a few years ago. It happened a few weeks after I was chased by a couple of other dogs, so I was pretty much primed to be PO'ed. So now this big black thing is chasing after from the side and I'm thinking "blast it! not again!" I slowed a little and the dog got in front of me and, but now first a disclaimer: I don't advocate hurting animals, but if I'm attacked that's a different situation. So the dog is ahead of me, teeth bared, I thought "frick it! I'm fighting back". Steered into it and barreled right over the beast. Surprisingly I stayed on the bike, and the dog ran off howling like a banshee.
Again, I don't like hurting animals, but I like even less being hurt by them.
3311
Member
1276 days
RV posted 52 weeks ago.
Ken B.;73740 wrote:
... Steered into it and barreled right over the beast. Surprisingly I stayed on the bike, and the dog ran off howling like a banshee.Again, I don't like hurting animals, but I like even less being hurt by them.
Pretty amazing that you stayed on and upright - did you see what happened in the TdF when someone hit a dog? The front wheel collapsed and he went down pretty hard.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
4094
Member
1590 days
beads1985 posted 52 weeks ago.
When this kind of thing happens it might be time to practice the "peeing while riding on your bike" thing!
You might have the pooping while riding down too :D
132
Member
1232 days
watrbg2 posted 52 weeks ago.
Yelling "Sit!" when a dog is coming after you sometimes works... well, it least it confuses them a little, giving you a chance to get away.
'In a world that tries its hardest to separate us from what matters, the Ironman helps us to reconnect with the pulse of our lives." - Scott Tinley
108
Member
773 days
hakadoru posted 51 weeks ago.
Out in the urban area of this green fertile valley we call Las Vegas, I don't have to worry about dogs being unleashed and running about...not like where I grew up in rural Ohio. So, I can only offer theoretical advice, not necessary advice that's been proven on the mean streets of cyclist vs. canine.
I'm wondering if a little Bad Guy Breath Spray (pepper spray) would do the trick? There's a small unit that could be attached to the top of the top tube with one piece of masking tape. One quick yank and the tape will brake free and you can give Fido a squirt. No permanent damage done to the dog and you just quietly ride on your way.
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/urdefense_1955_328371
hak
The Outdoor Journey: Exploring the multisport life through the crucible of endurance
Hey everyone,
Gotta relay my story about getting attacked by Cujo two days ago. For you youngsters Cujo was a great movie in 1983 about a rabid St Bernard that attacks a woman and her child. Now the dog that attacked me wasn't a St. Bernard but it was big and brown and it scared the holy crap out of me!
Anyway the ride started normally. I was planning on doing about 25 miles through my hometown here in central Georgia. Two lane roads with no shoulder but the drivers are generally pretty good about giving me enough room to ride. Not a hard ride just nice and easy. My first bike ride since the past weekends Olympic race in Chattanooga, TN. Weather was great, temps cool but humid. No cares in the world just loving life. I was on about mile 18 in the aero position. Pumping along at about 15-17 mph.
All of a sudden, literally out of no where, there is this brown and white blur with large teeth coming at me from the left. It's running full bore at me barking getting ready to sink his teeth into me!:eek: It is just below my left foot when I swerve to the right to avoid it. The shoulder was soft and sandy and since I was in my aero position I didn't have much control. Needless to say this all happened in a millisecond and HOLY S**T I'm lying in the middle of the road writhing in pain!!!! I've busted up my hip and elbow and I'm trying to scramble out of the road with the fast moving cars coming at me. I can hear the dog barking but I can't see him. I'm waiting for him to sink his teeth into me. Luckily he never did...I threw my helmet at him and he took off.
By now cars have stopped. One lady has called 911 and another is trying to calm me down. I am so PISSED :mad: at that dog I can hardly see straight. I'm stomping around trying to relieve the pain and swearing at that f***ing dog!! My elbow is all torn up with road rash and I think it's broken. My hip is badly messed up too and I think it's broken. Somehow I also tore my groin muscle but I can't figure that one out. My fairly new bike is a mangled too....damnit!!
In the end the pain subsides a little and I call off the paramedics. One of the ladies calls my wife to come pick me up and she takes me to the emergency room. After many xrays I'm told no broken bones....thank God! Just a ton of road rash that has to be cleaned up. Nurse Ratchet and her "soft" brush cleans out the many rocks and pebbles imbeded in my skin...OUCH! She also gives me a tetanis shot beacause of the rash. I'm back home after about 2 hours with lots of pain medication but thankfull I'm okay.
A couple of lessons learned:
- I should have never called off the paramedics. I should have let them evaluate me. Since I'm sweating, bleeding and in a lot of pain, I'm in no condition to do a self-evaluation.
-A tetanis shot for road rash??? Apparently there are a lot of polutants on the road that can cause problems.
- Don't have your wife and kids watch Nurse Ratchet clean out your wound with her "soft" brush. Kids don't need to see there Daddy in that much PAIN!!
- Be careful out there....things happen fast!
Apons