From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech
In article <
trr9dkpo7je4qoljtj0kfifrghnbmii67r@4ax.com>,
Catrike Ryder <
Soloman@old.bikers.org> wrote:
I've known Pit Bulls that are as gentle as kittens and Yorkies that
attack every stranger they see.
Safe thing is to not trust any of them. I was riding last winter and
passed a jogger with a 40 lb dog on a leash. The dog was a little
uppity, so I gave a little space and the owner pulled the leash, but it
wasn't enough. Damn thing jumped up in the air and attached itself to my forearm.
I had two layers of jacket on, so I think the lacerations were from
cloth on skin. Still had to go to urgent care for assessment and
antibiotics. (They were confident rabies wasn't a factor, and apparently
it wasn't. But I was too shaken up at the time to ask if the dog was vaccinated--if it happens, definitely verify the dog has an up-to-date
vaccine. This was a nice area of town, and I like to think everyone is responsible, and this was a well-dressed jogger, but you never know with vaccine attitudes these days.)
Then about three months ago some aggro medium-sized dog bolted out of a
yard toward me, barking and snarling, looking for blood. You can tell
when a dog is just barking for fun or to herd you. This wasn't that.
This time I didn't mess around and got off my bike putting it between me
and the dog. Now, I own a dog and I love dogs, but I was going pummel
this one with my u-lock before I'd let it get a bite out of me. (Or,
more likely, after--dogs are good fighters.) Fortunately, and happily
for everyone, the owner came out and recalled it before the fight
commenced.
The one thing about a motorcycle or a powerful ebike in this situation
is that you can outsmart and outrun angry dogs. They suck at dealing
with acceleration--they only aim where you're at right now. Approach
them slowly at a shallow angle then turn away and gun it.
--
Brian "Beej Jorgensen" Hall |
beej@beej.us
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