Interesting (to me, anyway) dog chase tale.

I have four different loop routes I use for my morning rides because I know all the dogs on them. Today I encountered two chow looking dogs I've not seen before, and they wouldn't give up the chase, staying about 2 car lengths behind. A passing motorist saw my plight, eased directly in behind me, and slowed down, allowing me to gain some distance on the dogs. He then pulled back out, tooted his horn, and was on his way.

I've only been chased a couple of times and with the help of my electric motor, I was able to outrun them. :hi:

When I was trekking up the east coast, they'd always lounge out at me. Only one chased me up the road. A truck a ways behind me gave his horn some loud honks. Suddenly, the mutt realized it was way out of its territory, with "oh shit" expression and hightailed back.

With my two sisters and a large German Shepherd barked and started to charge us while we biked by his home. I yelled at him and he stopped in his track with an expression like "What are you yelling at me, I am a good dog who just like to play chase". My sisters were shocked at how fast the dog started his charge AND quit it when I yelled at him. The comment was they now saw why they brought a male along with them on their bike ride.

Now when I go by a dog that barks at me I generally turn my head to them and say "Nice Puppy". This throws them off, for most dogs know or remember that term as a "good name" from their days as a Puppy. by the time they recover I am long gone.

It also gives me a chance to see where they came from or went back to so I know what address to give animal control. I'm tired of being sport for some rude person's dog and that is what I tell them when or if they check to see what their untrained loose dog is up to. Owners must be educated one way or the other. Getting a visit from animal control hardly ever works the first time but repeated complaints by several people sometimes solves the problem.

went by a neighbor who was out mowing his yard and had his rottweiller running loose. The dog gave chase, and to my dismay I discovered that a rotty CAN INDEED take down a cyclist. Don't know why this happened, the dog knows me and has simply watched me ride by previously. Don't know who was more scared/surprised - me, dog, or neighbor. I suffered only minor road rash and three puncture wounds in left hip. Otherwise, an excellent morning ride.

My last chase was after dark in the old West Bottoms of KC, three feral dogs against a gimp on the flatlands.

Fortunately, this gimp was a sprinter in a former life, and was riding a fairinged SWB bent. It might have been a personal best.

However, that is in counterpoise to the time I had to fight an AmStaff mix off with my gloved fist while climbing a hill. That is both the problem and advantage with bents... you are closer to the dog in a lot of ways. A back fist from someone who can lean into it attached to a bike can stagger a fairly large dog. I hit him twice, and my sweetheart got to ride by him unchallenged while he stood in the road, rebooting.

I now carry a spring baton and a knife. No pepper spray anymore, that's another story.

From the long ago paper-route days:

1) Buy a small plastic sprayer bottle from beauty or hardware store.

2) Buy a big bottle of cheapest Real-Lemon clone the store has. (Bottled lemon juice)

3) Mix. You can dilute it a bit to make it go further, or use full strength.

4) Adjust nozzle to "stream" (or better yet a broken stream to get a spray pattern) and aim for pooch's

mouth/eyes.



Makes even the nastiest cur think twice about malice toward the nice 'bent rider.

Nothing illegal or anything that can be construed as a "weapon" by the local constabulary.