Bit by a dog!

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Slam dunk suit on the homeowners insurance. This is the only thing that get's careless people's attention; a big financial loss. You got pictures mate! You weren't even on their property. You could use the money to get a nice small gun to put in a nylon pouch slung in frame triangle, and good training so you know when to un zip ect. AND a vacation somewhere nice! :evil:
 
While I hate to promote suing, I think that Gordon has a point. Besides, it puts money into the gun fund! :evil:
 
I completely disagree that any dog big enough to get somebody off a bike cannot run for longer sprints!!!

I now have an 89 lbs Doberman that is extremely fast and can run not just faster but longer than any man, I know of. I also had a female Great Dane of 135 lbs that was a tireless by-the-side-of-a bicycle-runner.

My Doberman male is very aggressive and I would never let him run outside of my property unleashed. I could never understand people that let dogs over 50lbs roam, having had dogs all my life, I got exposed to unpredictability, when dogs feel they have to protect their "pack". That is particularly obvious, when they are around my kids. I would pursue legal action against such reckless owners, if their negligence would cause me harm.

If an aggressive dog of over 70lbs attacks, it can get very nasty because of the speed and power with which they strike. Many years ago, when my male Great Dane was young, I took a large male Rottweiler in for a few days.
When they started fighting, it came suddenly, without growling and only lasted three or four seconds until I had emptied the first 5 gln bucket of water over them, that I had prepared for just that. I had not really seen anything but a wild melee and had to treat quite a few bitewounds afterwards. I boxed all my youth and was heavily into martial arts, but had one of the dogs attacked me...I would have had nothing to match that speed.

On a bicycle, a 5 gln bucket will probably be awkward ( though enhancing the training effect tremendously, especially uphill) so pepper spray is at least offering some protection.
 
I hope the dog has at least been quarantined to keep it under observation for signs of rabies. Even vaccinated animals have been known to contract rabies on rare occasion. My guess is that the animal was being territorial but if I had bee bitten I would be concerned until I knew rabies was not a possibility.

Lessons learned: Not all dogs respond to authority
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As for the statement you made and, if I understood you correctly, what on earth would make you think that you appeared to be an authority figure to this dog? The dog biting you was probably more likely its way of showing you, whom it believed to be an intruder on its territory, that the dog was the authority on said territory. Remember the children were able to get the dog to back off where you had not been able to do so. Even if they did so by physically restraining their dog, they probably were not bitten because the dog respected their authority. As far as the dog was concerned, you were not an authority figure at that point in time, the dog was boss and showing it. That is my guess anyhow.

Hopefully you are healing well and still riding. A pepper spray bottle on the frame of the bike would be nice or a very small one on a neck chain would be likewise. A small .22 or .25 would be nice as would a light weight .38 - all also easily concealed in a secure on the body location. Avoiding dogs like that - priceless.
 
I know this sounds counter intuitive, but the one thing that always worked for me was to get on the bike, and charge straight at the dog. Everytime I did this, the dog backed off.

Dogs have their own sense of self preservation too.

I would not do this with a pit bull, they don't seem to have a sense of self preservation.
 
I'll ignore the pit bull remark Ham Hock, PM me if you're interested in the real deal on pit bulldogs.

That being said any dog that bites a human, especially one off property and a non threatening person should be considered unstable and put down. This dog was in prey drive, he was in pursuit of an animal that runs. If it runs, chase it down, grab it, and bring it to ground. The fact that it came back after the initial scare is disturbing and atypical behavior for a dog, any dog.

Now, 100+ pound dogs can pursue and take down larger animals than you. Great Danes were used for hunting wild boar. Olde English Mastiffs, the largest breed of dogs, (the largest single example being Zorba, an OEM that topped 300 pounds) had to have their center toe struck off under ancient English law so they would not chase and kill the king's deer.

It's possible that a 100 pound dog could catch a cyclist, certainly one trying to climb a hill.

Unfortunately if the animal control officer or animal control board in your area won't seize the dog or the owners won't do the right thing there is little recourse. I would file suit against them out of course. From the picture the dog sank a canine into your ass, that's a lot more serious than a scrape. In fact, given you were probably wearing spandex it probably would have been worse if you hadn't been wearing your cycling gear.

Now, as far as defense goes, pepper spray is like a bomb going off to a dog's nose. Another viable option is a cattle prod/stun gun. An animal control officer with over 20 years of experience I know uses one to break up altercations and fend off hostile dogs. Though if you decide to go this route get the highest voltage unit you can find.

Good luck!
 
It sounds like you did good with what you had available. I howe the arse start to feel better. How does it feel to sit down??
 
Isn't open carry legal in Utah ...?
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Not in most incorporated cities, so it depends where you're at. If you're out in the country, yes. Not that that wouldn't stop someone from calling in a "man with a gun." Officer response would vary from making you eat pavement to telling the caller "so what?", depending on the location.
 
Oh yeah, when I was a kid I had a 130+ Great Dane that would run down and kill deer then drag them into the house as a gift. (mom always loved that :D )
So I think it could have caught an unprepared cyclist no problem. Luckily it never had the desire to.
 
Or Utah isn't that far away for a visit by uncle Bear. I could visit the puppy for you! :evil:

BTW for folks who think that big dogs cannot run fast or far. Muddy the wonder lab weighs in at 125. His favorite hobby in the winter is chasing my snowmobile for miles at speeds approaching 20mph.
 
I've got a Beagle who is faster in a sprint and outlasts me over fair distances. He has no problem running at speed for 100 yards. He can usually catch me within 30 yards or so. Luckily he's friendly, but you can never tell what might make a dog snap.

The best defense I ever learned against dogs was very simple, but it works. I've been on the toothy end of angry dogs a few times and I've found that the best defense is a good offense.
Taught a 120 pound Rott that it should stop trying to hurt me by using a flurry of downward punches to its skull.
Instructed a bully breed on why I was not good game through a few well placed kicks.

I would've dropped the bike and charged the dog yelling like a crazy person. If the dog still came forward, its time to fight and I'm ready. Kicks, punches and grabbing sensitive areas work wonders.
 
Take along some hot dogs stuffed with rat poison. Throw them out at the dogs when the dogs give chase. This should solve the problem.
 
Angry dog problem huh??

Scare it off, or if it comes back for more...Kill it...Simple as that...Shoot it in the head...Hit it with a brick...Blind it with pepperspray and bash it's skull with a rock...etc...THEN cut off it's head and mount it on a stick in your front yard as a warning to OTHER dogs that you will not be trifled with!!! ahh tha might be a bit much, but that is for you to decide!

Funny story..

Happened several years ago to a bud of mine named Jason...Jason, like me lives in the country and is used to doing things a certain way...Jason liked to deer hunt (and still does!) and had land leased in several areas around the country side (and still does!)...Jason is not what you would call a "little dude" he stands 6'3" and goes around 240...Nah NOT a midget by no means...Jason being the cheapskate that he was, tended to walk to his deer stand in the afternoon after work instead of driving his truck...This envolved walking down a paved road to get to the path that he had cleared...

Sounds ok so far huh?? WELLLLL problem with this was a certain neighbor that lived on the corner of said road, hated our roaming hero(and after I kicked his son's teeth in one fine day, he didnt feel much warmth for yours truly either!)...ya know the type, moved from New York or some such place and was DETERMINED to show us po' Southern white trash how things were done...

Anywho, to get to his deer stand Jason had to walk past this guys house...Guy had this pitbull (I hate pitbulls!) that pretty much hated everyone and everything and the dude just for kicks liked telling his dog to "get'em, (with a Yankee accent of course!) his dog would run after people trying to bite them as they road there bikes down the road...AHHH for what it's worth this is NOT a good practice to follow in NC if ya like your dog...

Well it came to pass, one fine winter's day that neighbor had had enough of "siccing" said dog on Jason and calling him back when Jason pointed his shotgun at the dog (yea this happened a couple of times before the "incedent")...I didnt say ANYTHING about the guy being smart now did I?

I guess the fun of watching his dog run after people and laughing at them when they tried to get away just wasnt enough of a "rush" for said ne'erdowell!...Jason walked to his deer stand as he had always done (yea he could have went another way, but there are PRINCIPLES involved!), and yup said bad neighbor sicced the dog on him again!...This time however he didnt call him back, and Jason was bitten on the leg...Well he did what any fine southerner would do, he screamed like a woman and then put the shotgun to the dog's head and pulled the trigger! YES WHILE THE DOG WAS STILL ATTACHED!!! I tell you my friends, that puppy had had better days...Evil dog was DRT of a massive and i mean MASSIVE attitude adjustment by a Remmy 870 loaded w'OOBuck!!

Man and his wife were SHOCKED that this happened and of course threatened Jason's life (NOT a good idea when he stands 6'3" and is holding a loaded shotgun!) BUT called the police instead of taking the field of honor to avenge there proud pooch!!!

Cop said that there wasnt anything that he could do, Jason was defending himself and let it go at that...

I later asked him, was he scared that he would shoot himself when he shot the dog...he said and I quote " Dude I didnt care if I blew my F'N leg off, as long as I got that dog off of me!, it felt like my leg was in a vice being crushed!*...He also said that the guy was LAUGHING at him up until he blew the dogs head partly off!... LOTS of profanity have been omited
 
I have been a avid runner for over 10 years now and I can't even tell you how many times I have been chased by dogs. I usually scream or bend down like I am picking up a rock. Both have worked so far to chase off unruly dogs. I tell you though when I was a kid I used to be the biggest dog lover but now after 10 years of near attacks I can't stand them. Only a matter of time till I am bitten like James I am sure. The funny thing is I have outrun a few but others have caught me from a block away even when I am at full speed. I hate it when there is more than 1 because they get the pack mentality and they never seem to back off.
 
I have been a avid runner for over 10 years now and I can't even tell you how many times I have been chased by dogs. I usually scream or bend down like I am picking up a rock.
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I dunno if bending down, thus putting your face in easy reach, is such a good idea.
 
Azrael,
A few comments,..

1)A-hole from NYC should have been shot next. :fire:

2)The only flaw in the makeup of the pit bulldog is the overwhelming desire to do what their masters teach them is good behavior, and keep on doing it until they die. If their masters teach them to chase and bite people, bad human. The dog winds up paying the penalty, but that human should be fixed or put down so they can't keep polluting the gene pool. :cuss:

3)Having lived in NC for a couple of years the only fault I can really lay at the foot of southerners in general is the misuse of the word "Yankee". In my experience southerners use the word Yankee to describe anyone from a snowbelt state. The word Yankee actually means those people native to New England. Just because some miscreant from NY used it as the name of their baseball club doesn't mean a thing. If you're not from New England you're not a Yankee. If the cat has kittens in the oven, it doesn't make 'em biscuits. ;)

And for jeff-10 and RyanM, Ryan is absolutely right. Never lower yourself if attacked by a dog. I have seen newspaper articles telling readers to lay down and roll up in a ball. Congratulations, you have just put all your vital organs and vulnerable points the dog is programmed by nature to go after in reach of the dog. Try running with a light baton or mace/pepperspray clipped to your shorts. If you can find it artificial skunk will punish the owners of the dog too. :what:
 
Update, Long....

For some reason I stopped getting updates on the thread.... :confused:

Anyways, here is an update:

The dog was quarantined and put down. It was current on its rabies vaccinations. I plan on calling to make sure the owners were citied for the incident, I forgot to ask that last week.
My bum is doing better, but I'll have a great scar to show off. You can clearly see the upper teeth marks, plus the big gouge where the canine dug in. Currently, I've got a big bruise above the wound, possibly from the medical treatment.
It was very uncomfortable to sleep the first night, and sitting hurt, too. It isn't quite on the sitting portion of my bum, but it put alot of pressure on it. After the first day, it started feeling better fast.
Yesterday I went for my first ride since the incident. I took the boy out in his trailer for almost 40 minutes, then I went solo and rode past the attack location. Knocked down a pretty hard ride for 1 1/2 hours. The muscle is a little sore forward of the bite location, especially when up and out of the saddle in a hard effort. I'm skipping my local race this week.
I don't intend to sue. If the attack had been worse, or another body part (hand, face, leg etc), or if the dog wasn't current on rabies vaccinations then I would be suing. I believe the attack was just below my sue threshold.
I don't plan on carrying on the bike, but I did dig out my pepper spray. In the future, I might purchase a lightweight poly or alloy carry piece for cycling, but I just don't feel the need. Your mileage may vary, but for now, I'm not changing much of how I do things. I just don't see a practical solution to carry. That bike frame holster is neat, but it would interfere with my two water bottle cages. A fanny pack would be uncomfortable in the aero position, although I still might consider it for some rides (still gotta get something lightweight and sweat-resistant). My jersey has pockets, but I'd be afraid of a piece bouncing out, or flying out if I go down.
No, open carry is not legal in most incorporated areas in utah. Out in the boonies is a different story. However, I'm not interested in strapping a hogleg to my spandex.
 
I don't intend to sue. If the attack had been worse, or another body part (hand, face, leg etc), or if the dog wasn't current on rabies vaccinations then I would be suing. I believe the attack was just below my sue threshold.
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I have mixed feelings about your decision not to sue, but it's your a$$ that was bit. And it is a far more standup attitude than most people's recently. At the very least you should send ALL medical bills and the receipt for a new pair of speedos to the ex-dog's owner.
 
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At the very least you should send ALL medical bills and the receipt for a new pair of speedos to the ex-dog's owner.
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The weird thing is, it didn't even puncture my shorts.
No, they are not speedos, that would be just plain gay (or tri, so to speak). They are just-above-the-knee length bicycle shorts.
I recived payment today for my costs. I guess my attitude would probably be different if I didn't have good health coverage. If my Ins Provider wants thier money, its now between them, the homeowners, and thier insurance.
Just what do they do if it doesn't work? Send a refund to your widow?
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Now that's just plain funny.
 
Glad you are OK!

I use a neoprene belt pack designed to carry a walkman with a keltec .32 in it while riding. I have a small foxlabs spray under my short leg, near my knee.

Regarding lycra, I follow the bike proximity rule. If I am within arms reach of my bike, lycra ok. The gay meter rises as the distance from the bike increases. I try to keep one hand on the bike.

I used to live in north central Florida and had to shoot a dog from a pack that was continually crossing my land. I walked out to shoo them (9 out of 10 dogs respond when not in their territory right?) The lead dog turned with his teeth bared and ran at me from about 20 yards away. I had a beretta .25 (don't ask) in my hand and hit him in the right shoulder, he sat down, then dragged his ass away too fast for me to finish. When I called the sheriff to inform them they only asked if I buried the dog or not and that was about it.

I'm in democratic South Florida now, I'd probably be in deep doo doo for defending myself here.
 
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