Dog Attack

Dog Attack:

Sadly, unlike most animals dogs no longer exist in any form other than something bred and distorted by humans. Usually for the narcissistic pleasure of the breeder. So while there are still a few breeds which retain the beauty of a true dog, they are unfortunately few.

But there are many dogs bred for viciousness, especially in the farming communities here. Aggressive dogs often have aggressive owners - don't confront the owner should he be watching all this. Call the police instead. At any rate I carry two canisters of pepper spray held by a loop from the spot where my panniers attach to the seat. I can grab one with my good hand and deploy it very quickly. Many of the farm dogs here have been very badly treated by their owners and will attack to kill.

The pepper spray can only be used from a few feet away, so the trick is to come to a stop and wait for the snarly barking fury to get within two arms lengths of you. Then spray straight in the eyes. If there is more than one dog, do the same thing again. I have seen on several cycling forums that you should stand up and kick - difficult of impossible to do quickly from a low trike, particularly if you have health challenges like me. I have also seen that you can outrun most dogs - again, not possible for me. Especially if you are in a hilly location.

Others say make a loud noise - I have a 110 db horn on the trike which I have used on attacking dogs... but to no avail. The horn does help if you see them in time, as they tend to recognize the sound as car like, and slow down to look around. The bottom line is that if like me you cannot get up quickly or move quickly, try to protect you neck since you are low and most attacking dogs will go right there for the kill.

In a pinch you are stronger than most dogs - be as vicious as they are and do not hold back. Punch the dog with everything you have hard on the nose. Pull its ears, hard. Go for its eyes. Go for the the rib cage. Don't hold back! If you see a dog biting at stationery objects, wild-eyed, with thick saliva on it's chest, then it may have rabies.

If you are bitten, rabies will kill you unless you seek treatment right away. Any dog bite which breaks the skin is potentially infections, so get medical help as soon as you can. I always carry a complete (but very light) medical kit in my panniers, complete with antiseptic, antibiotic, and pain killers. Common sense when riding in the country.