Bloody dogs!

[Gixxerman]

Just got back from a 50 miler. Was OK but a bit cold and wet and the bike is a right state.
What is it with dogs chasing / barking at bikes?
You could go past on any other form of transport whether it be pogostick, spacehopper, motorised lawnmower - not a murmer. But go past on a bike and they want to kill you.
If the hound is on walkies with their dimwit owner they normally trot out the usual excuse of "He's only playing" as the thing tries to bite your leg off.
Arrrggghhh! Rant over. I feel better now.

 

[Bman]

Yesterday as I rode past a woman walking her dog, she says "Don't f**king bark!"

To the dog of course

 

[potsy]

This was one of the things I was wary of when I 1st started riding,but in nearly a year it hasn't happened to me yet.
Remember years ago when I did a paper round,this one dog would go manic everytime I walked past,absolute terrified me the 1st time then a mate showed me the newspaper bag barrier technique and it became a bit of 'fun' then.Like a Stockport version of a matador

 

[Arch]

I discovered today that my new trike puts my face at exactly border-collie-licking-height.*

I expect it could smell the bacon sandwich I had for brekkie....

*that's the collie licking me, not me licking the collie...

 

[Crackle]

I discovered today that my new trike puts my face at exactly border-collie-licking-height.*

I expect it could smell the bacon sandwich I had for brekkie....

*that's the collie licking me, not me licking the collie...

Oh what a shame. I can just imagine a dog scoop on the front of the trike, SCOOP-LICK-EJECT and aim for the next one.

 

[Arch]

Oh what a shame. I can just imagine a dog scoop on the front of the trike, SCOOP-LICK-EJECT and aim for the next one.

I could be the phantom dog licker of olde yorke towne....

 

[zacklaws]

Many years ago when I used to go fishing a lot on my bike, every morning when I went to the river I had to pass this farm, no other way past it, soon as I got about a couple of hundred yards away I would start to wonder if the farm dog was going to appear and sure enough it would trot out into the middle of the road and stand looking at me approaching, that would be the cue to hammer it, then the dog would try and get me as I passed and then chase me for a good way before it gave up. The biggest problem was the farm was on a junction with a sharp right handed bend which I had to slow down for which gave the dog plenty of time to go for my ankles. I hated that dog.

One day though it was a bit different, no dog, but a flock of geese went for me instead and that was just as bad.

 

[Arch]

One day though it was a bit different, no dog, but a flock of geese went for me instead and that was just as bad.

Geese are worse, they can fly after you and bite your head!

 

[TheDoctor]

I could be the phantom dog licker of olde yorke towne....

You have no idea how very, very wrong that sounds...

 

[Gixxerman]

Yes I expect geece would be quite menacing. Never happened to me though. The only birds that I seem to have trouble with is partridges and pheasants that turn all suicidal the moment I get near them and try to impail themselves on my head. I once had a suicidal hare run out in front of me when I was going down a hill at a good rate of knots. Only just missed it; If I had hit it, it could have been serious for us both.

But you see what I mean, animals of all sorts seem to want to kill you when they spot a cyclist. I just can't fathom why.

 

[just jim]

One chased after my tasty spinning legs last week on the way back from the cinema.
You know what? Shouting "GET BACK!" as forcefully as I could actually worked.

 

[Arch]

But you see what I mean, animals of all sorts seem to want to kill you when they spot a cyclist. I just can't fathom why.

The wild ones don't really want to kill you, but their mental instincts haven't caught up with the invention of the bike, so they have no idea which way to run and they panic. Their evasion tactics are all to do with evading foxes or polecats or stoats, and bikes don't play the game right.

Dogs are often protecting territory - they really just want to chase you away - the thing is, it often works, so they think, ah, I'll do that again. The fact that you are only passing anyway doesn't occur to them.

There are theories that the flashing of the spokes, or some noise the spokes make that is inaudible to us, drives them nuts.

 

[zacklaws]

All birds are trouble!

 

[MichaelM]

Just got back from a 50 miler. Was OK but a bit cold and wet and the bike is a right state.
What is it with dogs chasing / barking at bikes?
You could go past on any other form of transport whether it be pogostick, spacehopper, motorised lawnmower - not a murmer. But go past on a bike and they want to kill you.
If the hound is on walkies with their dimwit owner they normally trot out the usual excuse of "He's only playing" as the thing tries to bite your leg off.
Arrrggghhh! Rant over. I feel better now.

IME it's usually the smaller dogs get away with this behaviour as the owners of the bigger dogs (GSD, Rottweiler, Doberman, Malamute etc etc) feel a sense of resposibility to their dogs. It's a shame that some dog owners don't take the time and effort to train their dogs, as we all get tarred with the same brush.

A Shitzu snapped at one of mine the other day (GSD-Husky x), the owner found it absolutely hilarious (until I asked her how she'd feel if mine had retaliated) - some of the owners really do need educating, though how you'd go about this I don't know.

What sort of dog was it? (I'll hazzard a guess at none of what I've listed).

 

[Arch]

I was watching some lovely dog/dog interaction today. Stopped off at a friend's shared house, and we all sat outside while he made us tea. His German Shepherd, a lovely soft thing, kept fetching rubber toys from indoors for people to throw for her. But everytime she picked it up, she was mugged for it by the resident spaniel puppy, all big feet and inside out ears. Literally grabbing it out of her mouth. Watching her get increasingly evasive was hilarious, and not a snap or growl the whole time....