I’d be reporting that! I’ve never been attacked as such but I was once chased by a dog while on my bike. I kept going, and going……………and going! Still to this day I have no idea if the dog found it’s owner again!
They have deleted my comment but it was up for a while. Hopefully folks get to read these comments.
This is hilariously cringeworthy
I was on a layover at RAF Akrotiri, out on the roof terrace in the departure lounge. Found myself sat next to an SF bloke with his dog and it was a Malinois. I asked if I could stroke the dog who was soft as you like, I then asked the handler if he was a sniffer dog? He replied, he’s a biter. Couldn’t believe it, this dog was like a pet! Incidentally the dog that went on the Osama Bin Laden raid was a Malinois.
What you met was a working dog, trained to perfection by its handler whose life literally depends on it doing what's expected of it instantly. What we saw on the video was a pack of untrained vanity pets owned by absolute throbbers.
I haven't watched as I hate dogs at the best of times and it would make me so angry I would kick any I see this morning as a preempt to an attack.
I truly hope the dogs get put down.
This is hilariously cringeworthy
/blockquote>
That's brilliant, I just wish it was longer. And I need a closer look at that moustache.
I’m a dog owner, but I don’t know how anyone could defend either these dogs or the owners. Shocking.
The dogs didn't choose their shit owners, it's not their fault.
The dogs are still young, there's hope for them if they get rehomed well away from these arseholes.
I keep coming back to this thread hoping for a police-related update.
I keep coming back to this thread hoping for a police-related update.
Me too.
This is hilariously cringeworthy
/blockquote>
Man's a ninja 😆
Actually that may be a bit uncalled for. I think he's probably just one of their students 🙁
Anyone said it the bikers fault for not knowing how to behave around dogs? Its the usual default on here
What you met was a working dog, trained to perfection by its handler whose life literally depends on it doing what’s expected of it instantly. What we saw on the video was a pack of untrained vanity pets owned by absolute throbbers.
Sums it up perfectly. 👌
I was on a layover at RAF Akrotiri, out on the roof terrace in the departure lounge. Found myself sat next to an SF bloke with his dog and it was a Malinois. I asked if I could stroke the dog who was soft as you like, I then asked the handler if he was a sniffer dog? He replied, he’s a biter. Couldn’t believe it, this dog was like a pet! Incidentally the dog that went on the Osama Bin Laden raid was a Malinois.
Not their ones as they lived in different compounds and bases, but we used to volunteer to walk the MWD's on Bastion between jobs. They love a fuss and play.
Big fan of the Mali, but would never own one though. So much work!
Anyone said it the bikers fault for not knowing how to behave around dogs? Its the usual default on here
Nope. So pop off back to whatever thread best suits your unique brand of cynicism.
Anyone said it the bikers fault for not knowing how to behave around dogs? Its the usual default on here
It was only time. I'm one of those who regularly says that there are tactics to use to avoid issues with excitable and playful dogs, and knowing them can be helpful (even though in an ideal world you wouldn't need to)
But I'm not saying it here, these are dogs that are bred / genetically disposed to the behaviours you saw, and who need proper training and handling to manage that instinct properly. Even when properly trained and managed I'm still uncomfortable with them as pets because under the wrong circumstances / provocation then that instinct can surface way more easily than breeds who don't have the same instinct. And as said, they aren't being properly trained and managed from what we saw with the results as they were.
While I don't think the recommendations of turn your back and ignore were been appropriate here, by not going into full on attack back mode the rider has in a way managed to avoid a big escalation that could have seen a far worse outcome - they were young dogs rather than fully grown but could have done a lot of damage. I don't honestly know what else / different the rider should have done here, it's very scary.
There is no excuse, the owners need prosecuting for having dangerous dogs out of control, no collars or muzzles, etc. The dogs need removing from them, they are not capable or qualified to have them. I suspect that would also mean the dogs being destroyed, such as the law is, but better would be to try to rehome them with the right people, i.e. professional handlers from e.g police or military where they may yet be salvageable and have happy and productive lives.
That video is horrendous and I'm getting more and more nervous of dogs as time goes by despite growing up with dogs in the family.
I had a surprising interaction with a lady walking a dog the other week. Dogo came running over, not particularly aggressive and it clearly just wanted a bit of a sniff up close. Lady owner immediately apologised and said "I'm really sorry, he's ok with bikes but you weren't to know that".
I nearly fell of my bike in shock!
It's a shame that pepper / bear spray isn't legal in the UK because it'd be the perfect solution in a situation like the one in the video.
t’s a shame that pepper / bear spray isn’t legal in the UK because it’d be the perfect solution in a situation like the one in the video.
There is some question as to whether it works or not.
This is, however, legal & going by the reviews works:
https://www.police-supplies.co.uk/k917-dog-deterrent-spray#review-form
I carry some but I've not had to use it - yet.
I'm surprised he didn't just stick it in turbo and blast past!
I’m surprised he didn’t just stick it in turbo and blast past!
Mali's will do 30mph easily even if only for short times but they'll tick along at 20+mph for hours on end. Not going to outrun it. Also it's kind of difficult to tell if the woman shouting "please stop, please stop!" is talking to the dogs or the biker - can understand why the guy stopped.
It's my normal reaction too if I see dogs running round all over the place - slow or stop cos otherwise I might hit it, fall off and be in a worse place or I might cause the dog some injury.
I’m surprised he didn’t just stick it in turbo and blast past!
I've been chased down and knocked off by a big poodle before now, never mind a ****ing attack dog!
(yet another case of nice enough dog, but completely untrained, and useless owner with no control)
Walking through an unfamiliar housing estate with my kids and dog a month or so ago and an American Pitbull broke a front window off its hinges and jumped out through the gap and charged 20 metres or so at us. Shit myself. It was friendly thank ****.
Terrible owners of those dogs. Must admit I thought I was good to have an incident on my last ride in the snow with a dog that actually turned out very well.
I was approached by a very large fast running pit bull looking dog which the owner later told me was an “American Bully “. It certainly looked like the body builder of the dog world. I was initially a bit nervous due to its size and jumped behind the bike, but then realised from it’s bark and snarl that it just wanted to play. It jumped up quite a bit but luckily I’m quite used to bull breed dogs after having Mastiffs years ago. When it got close I could see it’s winter dog coat had a label “friendly dog”. That was totally true and it was a gorgeous 18th old youngster who just needed to be trained not to jump up . I did advise the owner he might be better to keep him on the lead especially since there are often kids in the woods. The owner was a nice guy and friendly and we had a good chat. I also made good friends with his dog.
I'm a "dog person"and know how to behave around dogs. I can't see anything the rider could have done to avoid being attacked. They should be put down and the owners banned from keeping dogs.
I’m a “dog person”and know how to behave around dogs. I can’t see anything the rider could have done to avoid being attacked. They should be put down and the owners banned from keeping dogs.
Agree the first bit, but these dogs are bred for this sort of behaviour, and to put them down because the owners can't put the effort in to train and manage them is harsh on the dogs. I suspect that's what is likely to happen, but I'd like them to be confiscated and then at least try to retrain them and put them to work as service dogs (police, military) before taking that step.
They should be put down and the owners banned from keeping dogs.
No and yes.
The dogs just need the right owner. The current owners need a good shoeing.
Kudos to the rider for remaining calm. Some dog breeds aren’t meant to be pets and who calls a dog Walter?
Some dog breeds aren’t meant to be pets and who calls a dog Walter?
perhaps a momentary flash of self awareness?
I agree, kudos for remaining calm. Shouldn’t be put in that position though. As a dog owner and a cyclist, I don’t have my dog off the lead on a multi-user path where a cyclist or other user could appear without much notice (esp. as dogs can take off after something that an owner hasn’t even seen yet, and not all cyclists are good at shouting/using a bell). When that kind of thing has happened to me as a cyclist I’ve always reported it to the police and they’ve taken it seriously (with the thought that if I didn’t report it how wi feel it it subsequently happened to someone else).
I know it's the owner not the dog etc - but that breed is terrifying. It's effectively bred to be an offensive weapon. There's a world of difference between one of them going for someone and a normal dog chasing a bike
As an absolute dog lover and a dog owner, the guy showed far more restraint than me. I absolutely adore dogs and will always stop to say hello to any I meet whenever I can, but had those two ran at me like that, I'd have been kicking them senseless or smashing them with the bike. Kudos to the guy for maintaining his composure.
The owners are clearly arseholes and they knew what would happen, so those dogs should never be off the lead.
I get the need to exercise dogs, particularly high energy breeds. Round my way there is no shortage of proper fenced in areas purely for dog walking, that are aimed at dogs who are not good off the lead. In fact there are 3 areas like that within 10 minutes of where I live and I'm sure they're popular all over, so there's no excuse for having them off the lead in a public place when they know they can't be trusted
This video has had an effect on me. Like probably most of us I've had dog "incidents" when out riding including, on two occasions kicking dogs going for my legs/ankles as I've been riding.
Yesterday, however, I went for walk over Bagshot Heath retracing some of the trails I haven't ridden for a while. As I came out of the top of one of them there was a woman and her off the lead dog. A Bull Mastiff I think. The dog immediately turned to face me and started to walk slowly towards me with teeth starting to be bared and a slight snarl. The woman who was around 20 metres away call it but the dog ignored her. I called to her to get her dog under control and away from me. She did come over to me/the dog quickly and after it had circled me eventually managed to get it on the lead. I told her in no uncertain terms what I thought of the fact the dog was off the lead and that she had little control over it. As she started to lead it away she asked me if I wanted to "pet it". She must have been stupid, that was the last thing I wanted to do.
A bit of a ramble I know but the point of the post is that whilst I've always been aware of the danger of dogs it wasn't until I saw this video that ii came home to me just how bad these situations can become.
Never heard of that breed before, sounds like they're not meant as pets.
Hopefully the dog owners are prosecuted and people are put off owning the breed.
I once had a big rottweiler Chase after me. I spotted the owner and rode their way shouting for her to control her dog. She was a smallish slim build 20 something and had zero control of the dog. She managed to get the lead on it so I could move on.
People are so blinkered when it comes to dogs. There's plenty of stories of people being mauled by their own dogs, sometimes even being killed. So sad and unnecessary.
I had no idea they were dangerous dogs. My friend has one. She's quite small and very well behaved.
As she started to lead it away she asked me if I wanted to “pet it”
There's a bit of logic to that.
It helps teach the dog that you/people on bikes aren't a threat. Additionally if you are perhaps scared of dogs, it can help you with that. I had someone stop me when my lab was a small pup and they explained they were scared of dogs. They asked if they could pet him to help with their fear which I was more than happy to help with
My sister has Mali's that are rescue dogs, she does a lot of good work for them in China. I regularly see them off the leash and behaving impeccably
I've just watched a video she posted of a young Mali in bootcamp that had people issues after growing up through a (harsh) lockdown and then being run over by an ebike. Day 1 it was snapping at people, after 3 weeks it was sitting in a shopping mall unattended and coming to it's handler on demand
I haven’t watched as I hate dogs at the best of times and it would make me so angry I would kick any I see this morning as a preempt to an attack.
I truly hope the dogs get put down.
Aren't you a pleasant guy? Give me most dogs over most people most of the time to be frank
Day 1 it was snapping at people, after 3 weeks it was sitting in a shopping mall unattended and coming to it’s handler on demand
Waiting for the moment to become leader of the pack again, or when another primevil instinct kicks in.
My best friends partner has one. Just turned 2. My mate has had lots of ‘status’ breeds but has rescued most of them and knows how to train & look after them; Doberman, Staffy, American Bulldog, some Shar Pei cross brute who was such a softie. I’ve been very comfortable around them all and have never seen them show any aggression ever towards other dogs.
The Malinois started going to puppy daycare and it was really good for him. In fact a great thing for any dog as they socialise really well. Now he’s getting a bit older & bigger the daycare don’t want him back as he’s to unpredictable, mainly due to not getting enough strict training & task giving. He’s so clever, unbelievably inquisitive but I have never felt as uncomfortable around a dog ever. My mate doesn’t want to have much to do with him either and did advise his better half about the breed and not to get him.
I’ve always thought it was going to end in tears, and unfortunately it has as he’s just been diagnosed with cancer. I hate to say it as I’ve just lost my own much loved dog, but this is a blessing in disguise.
An absolutely beautiful animal, smartest dog I think I’ve ever met, so agile. I can see why they’re used by special forces & as personal protection dogs. Do a YouTube search for Belgian Malinois or Belgian Shepherd to see what they can do. Amazing.
tldr; if you’ve got the time, experience & space they could quite possibly be the most rewarding animal to own ever but they’re not a pet.
I start from the basic assumption that anyone who chooses to own a weapon dog is a dangerous dick until proved otherwise.
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No you’re hard.
This thread is turning into a Daily Fail comments section.
Turning? That's a standard, hyperbole and hysteria, it wouldn't be STW without it.
That's shocking, but in defence of that breed my mate has had one for years since a puppy and it's lovely, looks like a scary wolf thing but it's highly trained and constantly kept busy and really well behaved and loving, for me with dogs it's definitely the owner not the dog, he lives in Belgium and the breed are not seen as a danger over there from what I remember when living there , they were used as police dogs at the time not sure if they still are
