On this afternoons cold ride, got bitten by a springer. Luckily I pulled my leg back so no skin broken, but my nearly new Endura Big Longs now have a hole in them.

The dog owner was a complete ****, watched the dog bite me then just carried on. I had to really shout at him to get him to acknowledge what he was responsible for, he really didn’t give a sh!t and, well, lets just say he is a vile example of the human race.

Anyway, I have no idea who it is, so what next? Worth reporting (and to who – police?)

Also, how to I fix my bib longs or are they consigned to being battle scarred now?

Ta (still f’king angry, but red wine is helping!)

You need to know who it was to do anything about it. Unless you have some ID for him no point in reporting it.

If he won’t give you a name and address you have to either follow him to his car or home. thats what I would do.

I did ask his name, but he wouldn’t tell me (not surprised, he is a complete ‘c’). Only thing I could do is possible stake out the area next week at the same time, then follow from a distance. Don’t realy want to get properly bitten though

Is it worth it? No great harm done. should have given the dog a good kick tho – not out of revenge but to teach it that biting people comes at a cost of pain.

i would have bit him! 😈

Report it, giving a description of the dog and owner. It may have bitten someone else, and sounds like it may possibly bite someone again. It could bite a child’s face.

It’s also possible the dog and owner have been reported previously, and are known to police. Unfortunately, it’s ‘2 strikes and out’ for the dog, which is sad, as it’s almost certainly the owner not training it properly.

Personallly, I’d have followed him home, then garotted him, before disembowelling him.

Or maybe disemboweled him than garotted him? What do people think? Which way round?

Endura should be able to repair your leggings. Give them a ring and see. Should cost about £15

you did well not to smack the owner and boot the dog into next week..

Disembowel then garot (sp?) with own entrails

I’ll give Endura a call on Monday – ta for the tip.

I came bloody close to kicking both of them. Didn’t follow, ‘cos would have spoilt the other guys ride. Also dog wasn’t on a lead, so didn’t want it hanging off my leg

paralyse with vulcan death grip then insert said dog where sun don’t shine!

Like it, Cheesyfeet; like it….

stop wingeing for FS – if you report him then the dog will probably be put down. Is that fair enough over a pair of tights??

Just bite it back!!!

stop wingeing for FS – if you report him then the dog will probably be put down. Is that fair enough over a pair of tights??

…yeah you are right, should have kicked the owner to death.

what about letting said owner and dog past while you wait thus negating the chance of an altercation/being bitten

RR – if the dog is a danger then it needs to be put down. What if……………………….

racing ralph; if the dog has already bitten someone else, then by law, it must be put down. Or, would you just let it carry on biting people, as it’s owner seems unwilling to prevent it happening?

As I said above; what if it bit a tiny child’s face, God Forbid?

Springers can be mental bastards anyway. Need a firm hand.

I like dogs, but humans are more important. I don’t care what any dog lover says. If you think an animal should be left to bite people, then you’ve got your priorities wrong.

Had a similar encounter withan Alsation. Owner didnt dive a damn either. Now got the local Police number in my phone in case it happens again. Seems he’d attacked a number of other riders. Just a nmatter of time before he bites a child on a bike.

Do what I did when I saw a woman’s dog being savaged by two “Stray” dogs…

I punched one in the face and grabbed the others collar and sort of back handed it into the air where it did a 360 with a pike and but failed to get any points for the landing as it landed on its back.

When I went to the one I’d just punched to hurl it, it yelped and pegged it, followed by its now right way up friend.

You should have kicked the dog really really hard. You cannot let dogs behave like that.

The womans dog is a nice little spaniel, on a lead and it was clear that the other two were giving it a bit of grief. Her dog was badly bitten and it took about 6 months for it to mentally recover.

Tell the police. This dog is going to bite someone else, and has probably bitten several others.

Right, things seem to be getting a little ‘excitable’

I was stationary to let the dog & owner past. Dog went for all of us who were all stationary. It took a swipe at the guy at the front as well.

like others have said – what if it was a kid?

The dog is just being a dog. The owner SHOULD NOT BE A DOG OWNER. He is not responsible enough.

Deja vu anyone?

Unfortunatly most dog owners don’t seem to realise that they have a duty to control the mutt. I seem to remember Ralph saying how his dog jumps up at people “just being friendly” One persons friendly dog is anothers dangerous nightmare.

Hmm, difficult one. I had an experience over a year ago in the Chilterns on a solo ride. Turned onto a bridleway and was confronted with 2 large barking dogs (Great Dane puppies) that insisted on jumping up at me. I used to have a dog and I’ve worked in a boarding kennels handling all sorts of dogs so have no fear.

After a couple of hundred metres by the farmhouse, the owner was working outside and I politely suggested that, as it was obvious by their barking that someone was on the bridleway, he should call his dogs to heel. I was told that “it was my bl**dy land and they could run where they wanted”. He then turned his back on me.

I spoke to his wife and very calmly explained that some people would find the dogs terrifying. After a rationale discussion, it transpired that they didn’t like mountain bikers and apparently a mtb’er had kicked one of the dogs. Surprise surprise!

I subsequently reported him the next day to the Rights of Way people at the local council as he did not want to appear to have the dogs under any control.

Have since ridden there and, guess what, the dogs are nowhere to be seen.

So … if my clothing was torn or I fell off and damaged my bike at that time, would I be reimbursed? No. Therefore I judged that they had to be accountable and that is why I took action.

You can’t really go into “what if’s” but the problem being is, at the end of the day, will anyone do anything about it?

As a MTBer & dog owner,I’d say it’s the dog owners responsibility to stop him from biting anyone.
Our is dog only 10 mths old,at the moment he likes to jump up at people,is very rough with other dogs & chases bikes,so I won’t let him off the lead till he learns not to.I’ve got one of those bloody annoying long leads but I always reel him in when we approach anyone.We’ve also got public liability insurance with him as well just incase anything did happen.

Get other owners let there dogs come bounding over even though I ask them to control their dog.Staffy did it to him today & then went for him.I let the lead extend & he flattended the Staffy,who then went running away with it’s tail between it’s legs.Not the dogs fault I know but at least it might teach the owner a lesson for next time..

oooh been here before. I stopped to let a dog and owner walk by on a canal path. Dog starts going f###ng mental as I start to pull away. Owner couldn’t give a flip and just walked off with dog still showing me his teeth. Eventually I out ran the pouch but it was well p!ssed at me for some reason. Next week I saw the same dog’n’owner coming towards me on the same canal path. Through gritted teeth I mouthed “c’mon then!” and sped up like a mentalist. At full steam and closing down on them both FAST i noticed the owner frantically grab their mutt, who was now barking, and get out the way. As I past I uttered forth “aaah shut up!”.

I showed that chiwawa.

I have heard that if you get hold of the front legs and pull them violently apart then the dog’s no longer a problem to you or anyone else. No idea if it works but in a bad situation I’d give it a go. Frame fit pumps are pretty useful as well. I’ve never been bitten when riding but I did get a bite when I was a postman. Didn’t brake the skin but it doesn’t half hurt. Probably worth taking a picture on your phone or camera of the dog/owner. It may achieve nothing but it’s always worth trying to install a little paranoia in such people. Tell the owner your posting it on dogkillers.com. Or there’s always the option of carrying a few dog biscuits with you, ordinary ones for distracting the dog and special ones for those that don’t want to be distracted.
On a serious note I worked with a guy whose dog had bitten him but he decided it was just a one off. Within six months it had ripped his wife’s face to bits. It was a bit of a dodgy dog though, it spent a whole evening while we were at another friends house howling at a gargoyle that he had on his wall.

tj – if this is aimed at me “I seem to remember Ralph saying how his dog jumps up at people “just being friendly” One persons friendly dog is anothers dangerous nightmare. “

WTF did i say that?

under the dangerous dogs act you could have the dog put down.if that person lets his dog do this to people he does not deserve to own these animals ,springers are crazy bastards as quoted from before but thay are known for being over freindly ie jumping up on people but not biting but it does happen ps springer owner

If anything like that happens near me on the bridleways we report it straight away to Dartmoor National Park ranger for our area. We being me and my horse riding friends. If one has a go it’s often the case that it’s a regular walk for the owner/dog so it could happen again.
Had a bad series of events a long while ago when a farm dog repeatedly went for you as you walked through the bridleway that went through it’s farm. People ended up with horses rearing, bitten horses and people. It came to something when the next farmer along warned me of this dog!
Upshot was that the owner *had* to keep it chained – which he did but the chain was long enough to let him come 3/4 across the farmyard snarling and barking. You just had to remember to keep on the other side – and hope the chain was on!! ( which it wasn’t on a few occasions ). Thank goodness it’s dead now.
Yep I’d report the incident, there might have been others…..
Q

Seems like it’s not just your day for bad luck with dogs, though their owners are more dangerous!

Heading down from bonaly today I slowed down to pass a woman walking her dog: just as I was passing (about 4-5 feet) she decided to throw a stick, spun round and launched it. Caught me square in the face – tooth into front lip and another one chipped – oh and my lips look like the have been inflated with a pump! – Luckily I didn’t crash through.

Horrible situation – what can you do? She blatantly didn’t mean to hit me, so I recomposed myself (after much spluttered abuse) and stumbled home. The stupidity of some people amazes me.

Rlaph – perhaps not you then – if so my apologies. On a previous discussion about out of control dogs someone that I thought was you described how their dog had run around in a park jumping at people.

Again – if not you apologies.

I’d of given the dog a bloody good kick or run it over (I did a paper round as a kid, it was an occupational hazard so I’ve done both a few times). Generally that puts the dog off trying it again.

Not worth a second thought mind. Shit happens.

C4 – did you ring your bell to alert her?

I called out, but she had a walkman – totally oblivious…

Been in this situation many times when running and cycling, and generaly tackled it with a bit of agression but never had to resort to violence, once I have raised my voice a little and walked agressively towards the dog either the dog backs off or the owner grabs the dog and makes it safe once they realise I mean business (even though i dont!) and I usualy get an apology, which is good enough for me.

when was it? 1984

C4 – nasty / tricky one. I’d be furious about the chipped tooth tho – a bruised lip is no hassle but a chipped tooth is permanent damage. I think I would have insisted on her name and address and told her I would sue – but then not do a thing but she gets the fear of being sued to keep her a little more aware in future.

I’m not as generous as you, TJ – I’d sue for the cost of getting the tooth fixed. Doesn’t really matter whether she meant to do it or not.

aracer – I really doubt it would be worth the hassle. Just let her suffer waiting for the writ.

I spent the next half hour raging that I’d not sued – but ultimately that attitude results in no real winners.

I think I might have been a bit too modest with my first post “mutterings” translates to a (possibly incoherent) couple of minutes of sustained abuse during which time I questioned her ability to care for an animal if she was unable to maintain safe control of her own arms, and surprise at her continued existence.

The moral of the story is that £hit happens, it’s often not your fault and there is nothing you can do. Oh and Detol on your lip stings like bvggery!