Dog Days

[creadinger]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gersema/7124560847/
This picture by the famous local randonneuse Mary Gersema who is also the writer of the Chasing Mailboxes blog got me thinking randomly….

Occasionally it will happen, on a quiet back road mid-way through a nice day ride, you’ll hear a bark, then a streak off to the left or right will catch your eye. You already know what’s coming, the only question is how big is it? The next thing you see is that the streak is now only a few yards behind you barking and sprinting at top speed. It’s really hard to outrun a dog, but in my limited experience they at least have some sense of their home boundaries and when you go farther than they’re willing to go, they’ll stop. I think there’s also doubt from the unresolved question in their mind of what do I do when I catch that thing?

My question is – what responsibility do we cyclists that have been chased by a dog have in making sure the dog gets back to it’s yard safely? I’m assuming we have no legal responsibility, but how guilty would you feel if as you sped away to look back and see the dog get crunched by a car coming around a corner or over the crest of a hill? It’s not necessarily the dog’s fault the owner didn’t train it properly. On the other hand, how do you shoo a dog that has just chased you like you were a tasty deer back into it’s yard?

Topic

[dbb]

I would say we have the same rights and responsibilities as a motorist. To avoid crunching the hound as it attempts to remove something tasty from your thigh and more importantly, avoid getting crunched in the process.

Because I bike in Arlington where all the dogs are handsome and well behaved (or is that Lake Wobegon?), my experience is more with dogs chasing my truck. I really don’t want to crunch the dog (I’d feel bad, the dog worse) so I attempt to accelerate/maneuver to get away. During those maneuvers, I have a much arger obligation to avoid becoming a safety hazard in my own right.

Would I feel guilty if a dog I just outran was killed or injured? Probably a bit, but not enough to risk getting bit by trying to coax the hound back to wherever it came from (likely the dog won’t offer any specifics). Anyway, from a probability perspective, that dog is likely to become roadkill much more rapidly than the dog that never leaves the yard so any coaxing efforts might just delay the inevitable.

[Dirt]

I haven’t been chased by a dog in a way that seemed like the dog wanted to do anything more than slobber on me in decades. My experience is that they have usually given up and gone home. I look back and see them trotting back to home base to wait for their next slobbering victim.

[rcannon100]

I love your compassion. I have returned many lost dogs in my time to their owners (and I encourage everyone to bike over to Lost Dog Rescue adoption events and adopt a dog).

That said, in that moment, you are confronted (a) with a dog that is demonstrating territorial aggression and (b) a negligent dog owner that has failed to keep the dog fenced in on their property.

That is a threat. Your only responsibility in that moment is for your own well being. There is nothing about that moment that suggests that it would be safe for you to turn around and attempt to ensure the safety of that dog.

That said, if the dog is not demonstrating territorial aggression, I would probably stop and try to get the dog safely home.

[JimF22003]

I’m always more worried about a dog running under my wheels than I am about getting bit. If I make it past the dog without getting knocked off the bike, the last thing I’m interested in doing is making sure the poor doggie makes it home alright…

[jabberwocky]

@rcannon100 19587 wrote:

That said, in that moment, you are confronted (a) with a dog that is demonstrating territorial aggression and (b) a negligent dog owner that has failed to keep the dog fenced in on their property.

That is a threat. Your only responsibility in that moment is for your own well being. There is nothing about that moment that suggests that it would be safe for you to turn around and attempt to ensure the safety of that dog.

This.

In my half decade+ of commuting on the W&OD, I hit or clipped nearly a dozen dogs. Every single one was either unleashed or on one of those 30 foot extendo-leashes (which, on a ten foot wide trail, might as well be unleashed for all the control the owner can exert on the dog). I’ve given a few a solid kick too (when they’ve lunged at my feet or legs). I’m totally an animal person and I love dogs (or least most of them), but it isn’t my job to keep your dog under control in the public space.

[MRH5028]

The dog is always the owners responsibility. I love dogs, and if there was no danger to myself and the dog was on a busy street, I would try and make sure it got home. But I claim no responsibility for it.

That being said, a dog biting me has never been much of a concern, a quick sprint or a squirt from the water bottle is enough to make them go away. In my opinion the real danger from dogs is them getting tangled up in my bike or me running one over.

Story time:

Last summer my Dad, an avid cyclist for well over 20 years, was out for a ride and had a dog dart out from a bush near the road, right in front of his wheel. He had no time to react and ended up flying off the bike, while going around 20mph. He landed and rolled on the pavement. The impact broke his collarbone, fractured three ribs, severely pulled his groin, and caused some fracturing in his pelvis. His helmet was cracked in several places and he would have been in a bad way had he not been wearing it. A few months of recovery and he was back on the bike. Moral of the story: The dog may be the owners responsibility, but look out for yourself.

[creadinger]

@MRH5028 19625 wrote:

The dog is always the owners responsibility. I love dogs, and if there was no danger to myself and the dog was on a busy street, I would try and make sure it got home. But I claim no responsibility for it.
That being said, a dog biting me has never been much of a concern, a quick sprint or a squirt from the water bottle is enough to make them go away. In my opinion the real danger from dogs is them getting tangled up in my bike or me running one over.

I think I identify with these statements the most. It’s clearly the owner’s responsibility but my enounters weren’t with rabid dogs trying to tear my legs off. More like chasing me just to chase more or less. No real danger except for keeping the dog away from gears and wheels. I’ve never ridden in Kentucky or Tennessee though, where I’ve heard things are a bit less docile.

Sorry about your dad’s accident. I’m glad his recovery seems to have gone smoothly! A looooong time ago my dad hit a dog at night while riding his motorcycle. Of what I can remember he came home missing a lot of skin. I think he sold the bike soon after that.

[consularrider]

A blog on bikejournal.com about a recent dog attack. Hope the link works for non-bikejournal members.

[jabberwocky]

Almost every dog I’ve had lunge at me were little yippy dogs. I don’t know if little yippy dogs are more aggressive, or their owners are just less likely to have actually tried to train and control them (I suspect the latter).

[Dickie]

I would have to assume that if you returned the dog to it’s home it would probably just chase you again the minute you pulled away. Spare the dog spoil the sprint?

[PotomacCyclist]

@jabberwocky 19641 wrote:

Almost every dog I’ve had lunge at me were little yippy dogs. I don’t know if little yippy dogs are more aggressive, or their owners are just less likely to have actually tried to train and control them (I suspect the latter).

The most aggressive dogs I’ve ever encountered were at the ends of the scale in terms of size. (Not while I was riding though.)

I once lived in a house where the landlady had a pack of ravenous and crazed chihuahuas. I’m not exaggerating when I say that their little eyes were bulging out of their heads. They looked like little Frankenstein monster dogs. They would run in a pack and try to scratch the heck out of everyone who passed by, including the tenants. They were too small to bite but if you were wearing shorts, they could do some damage by scratching. One of them had a free lane toward me one day. He came flying at me and tried to bite me. But since his mouth could only open up about an inch, he head-butted my leg. I didn’t kick him. I simply stood still, not knowing what to do. He stunned himself and turned around, dazed and confused. Oddest encounter I’ve ever had. I think he gave himself a concussion by sprinting at me and crashing into my leg head-first.

On the other hand, I knew someone back in school whose family pet was a massive Great Dane. (I guess they’re all massive.) He was kept in part of the kitchen by a 3-ft-high cabinet/bar section. He towered over that, and he was fierce. Imagine being in the same room as an incredibly angry and territorial Great Dane. It’s intimidating.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a dog run after me while I was on a bike. I don’t know why. I’ve had a few bark at me but they were on tight leashes. I haven’t ridden on the W&OD that much this year. On some of my longer rides, I’ve taken the (Arlington) Potomac Ave. paved trail into Alexandria, down through the streets of Old Town and over the Wilson Bridge to National Harbor. Many of those rides were in the evenings. Maybe people mostly walk their dogs earlier in the day.

[Author]

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