Safely Escaping an Aggressive Dog While CyclingThis is a rather long article because there are so many variables associated with an aggressive dog and a cyclist. Each situation has its own 'plan of approach'. The following information can not only help you as a cyclist but can also help you with any encounter with an aggressive dog, whether your cycling, jogging, or just walking down a road.
"A soft answer turns away wrath" says the book of Proverbs in the Bible. This may also be true concerning the animal kingdom, especially the canine kingdom. With two different trips across America and a life style of cycling, I consider myself an expert on the subject - especially because I've never gotten a dog killed and have never been bitten, not even once.
I have been approached by chasing dogs from every angle in all different kinds of situations. First, there's the scariest kind of dog chase, that's when your cycling along at a pretty good pace and you think you hear something like a chain rattling. You look down near your feet and see a dog running full-speed, growling, drooling, and just beginning to open his mouth for the initial bite.
Then, the other end of the spectrum is where you hear distant dog barks from an upcoming home and actually get to see them begin to run toward you - this kind of approach gives you plenty of time to think. On our bicycle trip, we actually had 14 dogs come running out from a farm house, all at once, and they were all after us - some were mean and some where not.
Here are some steps that must be taken to avoid everything from the dog owners shotgun to a dog attack:
1) Asses the Situation
2) Devise a Plan of Approach
3) Talk to the Dog
4) Analyze the Dogs Temperament
5) Decide to Stop or Go
6) Please the Dogs Owner
1) Asses the Situation: I would say the first thing you need to think about is what side of the road is the dog coming from. If your cycling down the road and the dog is coming from the left (of course you always cycle with the flow of traffic), then he has to cross the road to get to you. You need to ask yourself, 'Can this dog get hit by a car while he's crossing the road to get to me?'. If that dog crosses the road to get to you, and then gets hit by a car, the owner will loose a good friend or have to spend a lot of money at the vets office. After that, he's probably not going to like cyclist too much and he may talk to you about it to prove it.
Here's what I do if the dog is approaching from the left side of the road: I look at the flow of traffic and get over onto the other side of the road, the left side, if at all possible - I do this every time and right away (unless I'm sure that they'll be no traffic throughout this whole episode). Your first thought may be 'Why should I get closer to the dog, on his side of the road, I'm trying to get away from him - not go over to his home and say hi.' Well, actually, you are going to go say hi, that's all apart of the plan. When the dog notices that your trying to be friendly, with a gentle voice, it slows down the dogs aggressive behavior.
If traffic is so heavy that there's just no way to get on the left, then I slow down and point to the opposite side of the road in such a manner that the drivers can see me pointing. At this point, the drivers probably have about 3 seconds to notice a dog beginning to run in front of them. All you can do is hope that the driver notices the dog and begins to take action. I can truthfully say that in all the miles I've covered throughout my cycling life, I have never had a dog get hit trying to get to me BUT, I was always pointing or I made it across the road. A good thing to look forward to is that by time the traffic passes you and your done with your pointing, you've sped up during the process and are now out of range and the dog gives up.
2) Devise a Plan of Approach: We've already discussed step number one above but there is more to think about. Approach the dog while coasting. It's your forward motion and the pedaling action of your legs that trigger the dogs aggressive instincts. You are also trespassing on his property and he's supposed to protect it - by instinct. So be sure to coast as much as possible and don't turn your legs. Push with your toes in order to move forward, as you would if you were on a toy scooter. Some dogs don't want to see any forward motion - then you'll have to inch your way past the dog and possibly get off your bike. If you get off of your bicycle, then be sure to keep the bicycle between you and the dog. The goal here is to move forward and get out of the dogs range - off his property. Only a time or two in my life, have I had to just stand there with the bike between me and the dog and wait for the owner - while inching my way down the road. Remember, you should be talking to the dog during the whole process, the most important thing is to talk to the dog.
3) Talk to the Dog: Remember, a gentle voice turns away wrath. Here's an example of some of the words that I say when I come upon an aggressive dog. "Hey, good boy, good girl - what a good boy." Try to look and see if you can tell if the dog is a boy or a girl and then say the appropriate words, this part is also done in step one. You can say, 'Be good now, what a good pup!'. You can even snap your fingers and try to get him to come like you want to pet him. You see, the dog will be hearing words that he's heard before from other friendly folks. When he hears these words, he's less apt to think your dangerous. Now don't stop for five minutes and pet the dog, you need to keep going and be on your way. Some owners don't want people petting and being friendly with there dogs.
Sometimes it's hard to talk kindly to a dog that looks like he's ready to lunge at your neck but it's always worked for me. I will have to remind you that Robin and I were on a mission trip on this bicycle journey. Therefore, we knew that the angels are out there protecting us and like the bible plainly says, "no weapon formed against us shall prosper", "even though I cycle or walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear NO evil..." - you get the picture. It never got down to this but if none of my methods worked (and they always did), I would hope that I would point my finger at that spirit in the dog and command it (in the name of Jesus) to leave.
4) Analyze the Dogs Temperament: Is the dog just running toward you wagging his tail or is he barking? Is he coming at you full-blast growling and snapping? Does he look well groomed and taken care of or is he scraggly and mangy? Does he have a collar and is he coming out of a real nice house or is it a shack in the hills? Is the owner standing on his porch watching you? You've got about 3 seconds to figure all of this out. Knowing these details can tell you whether you'll have to get off your bike and put it between you and the dog or if you'll be able to coast from the situation.
5) Decide to Stop or Go: We've already discussed many reasons to stop or go, coast or get off the bike and inch down the road. The worst the dogs temperament is, the slower you'll have to go.
6) Please the Owner: The dogs owner is number one, just as the driver of the automobiles that passed us every day on the trip - they are the ones you never want to get mad. If you smack, hit, kick, or hurt that dog that's chasing you, then you never know - the owner might come after you in his car or maybe he'll go get his gun then come after you. You may think you'll never pass his way again but remember, it's a small world, you reap what you sow, and never say never.
Here are some Don'ts: Don't yell, shout, or scream. Don't try to out run the dog, even small dogs can maintain 20 to 25 mph for a few minutes and you might not be able to do that. Don't hit, kick, or hurt the dog in any way. The owner might be watching and he might have a sign on his property that says, "Beware of Dogs Owner"! Most importantly, don't show fear - you've heard it before, dogs can sense fear in a person. It's hard sometimes to not show fear or hear it in your voice when deep inside your shaking in your boots (or cycling shoes).
Well, I hope this article helps you the next time you come across an aggressive dog. These are just the methods that I always use and they have always worked for me.
