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Bikes and Dogs--Ideas???

Good morning everyone. Well, the leg is still pretty painful and bruised from the dog bite. I was going to sit with my foot up on a pillow but my 15yo daughter asked if I wanted her to go walking with me. Hmmm. I can't refuse, so I went and did a nice 30 minute walk. I thought I was going slower, but when we finished, it was the same time as usual. So that was good. But it's throbbing now...so I'm just gonna rest it now.

So what does everyone else here do if you are riding bikes to protect yourself from dogs...I used to have a portable air pump that I had handy, but I don't do that anymore...my friend suggested a whistle to stop a dog...anyone have other ideas???

(I don't like the idea of 'mace' style sprays really)

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Comment by Keem on September 14, 2012 at 12:30pm: Hmmm-it would have to be something that would scare them and not make matters worse. The airhorn might not be bad. The dog whistle (or a regular whistle) won't do a thing to help you.

Comment by Jessica Green on September 14, 2012 at 2:31pm: The airhorn is definitely going to be your best bet. Whatever you do do NOT try and hit the dog. It will become even more aggressive and they can run faster than you can pedal. You could also try a bottle of ammonia jsut barely diluted with water.

Comment by Paula on September 14, 2012 at 8:02pm: Dogs and bikes do not mix. If one gets caught up it can throw you off your bike! The airhorn idea is your best bet.

Comment by Cindy on September 14, 2012 at 11:17pm: I shudder at the possibility of getting chased by a dog on my bike. I don't really know what I would do, to be honest. There don't tend to be any dogs (or very rare) on the roads we ride so I guess we're lucky. I like the bottle of diluted ammonia but how to carry that around?

Comment by Lynette S on September 15, 2012 at 12:44am: Ugh, I still can't believe that this is even a problem! Grrr! I agree with everyone else, airhorn is your best bet, you don't want them to get close enough to spray mace.

Comment by fit4life on September 15, 2012 at 7:01pm: Thank you everyone for the suggestions...The other day I was reading suggestions online and I read one about using vinegar in a spray bottle (maybe with a little added food color so the owner KNOWs dog got into something) and spraying Fido in the face. I told my son I thought that would be a good idea (an alternative to pepper spary) and he says "The owners wouldn't appreciate that" What!!!! I was like I don't care, if their dog is trying to bite me I'm not going to try to remain sensitive to what the owner think!

My husband suggested maybe a large hammer....

I think I might go with the airhorn idea--although I don't know if I want to carry it all over while I'm trying to ride.