You’re riding along nicely when you hear barking …coming at you loud n fast. You turn to see a dog coming at you with, what you think, is a clear intention of having a piece of you. You calmly unfasten a piece of wood ( sawn-off broom handle ) from your top-tube and **** the little bastard with it.

can you carry pepper-spray legally?

😆 Iv’e been tempted many times….

I did kick one on a ride as it was snapping at my heels. Owner shouted, just rode off……

“….owner shouted….” At you or the dog?

😆

I was riding my bike on Corstorphine Hill on Sunday there and had a group of 8 dogs run at me. They were all being walked by the same person and there was not a lead in sight.

I can only assume that they were a ptofessional dog walker and have not signed up to the council’s code of conduct.

Tymbian – at me, for kicking the dog

Pepper spray is illegal, classed as a firearm I believe. If your bit of wood was intentionally carried as a weapon then thats an offence as well. So yes you might get in trouble. Not to say you can’t defend yourself though. Somehow !!!

Hmm. You could get in trouble for having a weapon.
So beat seven shades of shit out of it with your old school roadie pump.

@ taxi…carrying for self-defence. Legal?

What are you supposed to do against one big dog let alone 8?

Frame fit pump – with added lead.

I reckon you should make like the Hulk and do [video]http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=2uaPZdhxnek&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2uaPZdhxnek[/video]

I’m an animal lover, so i would **** the owner, not the dog.

Pepper spray is illegal, but Biteback isn’t
http://www.vonwolf.co.uk/shop/product.php/10

Carrying a piece of wood to defend yourself from dogs is not illegal, as long as you have no intent to use it to attack, or defend yourself from people.

move behind your bike then deal with the owner

Report it to the Ranger Service.

handyandy – Member
I’m an animal lover, so i would **** the owner, not the dog.

I’m not sure anyone said they were going to **** the dog 😯

i would **** the owner, not the dog

In the moment, though, it’s not the owner threatening to take a chunk out of your leg, is it…

I thought you were going to throw the bit of wood for the dog to run after while you made your getaway!

In the old days there was an offence of assault & battery.

Assault was the threat of violence, battery was the carrying out. Assault bore the greater sentence.

It was possible to get convicted of assault even if you didn’t actually hit the victim.

So the threat of a biting is reason to get your retaliation in first.

A 14 year old was brutally killed by savage dogs a few days ago. If 8 dogs are coming at you with pack mentality you need to crank as hard as you can straight at them and hope to hell you dont get knocked off your bike.

If you can bite your tongue then you will get into a lot less trouble. With the influx of Eastern Euros out in the sticks you need to be very carefull. You should always be taking defensive precautions. Especially if you have kids. If that means packing then so be it.

Whilst out riding you have to be vigilant more than anything. On one of my tracks there are plenty of Poles getting leathered and that can be a little unnerving. I also pass a traveler camp and on more than one occasion have been threatened.

I’ve had close calls with dogs that belong to farms that are on local bridleways.
I chose to pedal really frickin fast and to not use the route anymore.

My Dad used to run alot and once got bitten by a dog that belonged to a group of “travellers”, it ran up and bit him then came back for more. He had to go to hospital for a tetanus injection and to have his foot checked out because he said when it came back for more he kicked it so hard that he couldn’t believe he hadn’t smashed bones in his foot.

packing?ffs

Do you get the daily fail every day, or just the weekends?

With the influx of Eastern Euros out in the sticks you need to be very carefull. You should always be taking defensive precautions.

What does this mean? Is there a Polish brigade of militant dog walkers roaming the berkshire countryside looking for cyclists to attack?

Everyone is packing down the backs.

Bushcraft guys are packing. Axes,knives, the lot.

Carp fishermen are packing. Usually air guns, massive knives, phat banksticks.

Walkers and trekking poles sharpened at the ready.

The vast majority of people in the woods are packing to some description and to say otherwise is completely naive. Bless.

Its a dangerous place to be on your own. If you go down to the woods today. lallalalal.

Just be safe.

I knew this would get into racist debate. All i know is that there have been incidents on my trail regarding alcohol, illegal fishing, fighting and the like. Witnessed first hand by myself. Drugs and misconduct that doesn’t go unnoticed. Talk to any angler on the trails and the stories you hear will make your stomach churn.

Swans, and carp bones being left by certain groups and its not big Barry and his mates I can assure you.

Does bite-back work on humans? …just curious!

The last time I had any trouble from a dog while out cycling was when I was doing the Lon Las Cymru trail through Wales. A big Alsatian type thing that bounded out of a garden and chased me along the road for a good quarter of a mile, barking and slabbering away. Probably about as fast I went on the flat for the entire trip.

The town I was just cycling into?

Porthmadog.

If you find yourself in a place where pepper spray is allowed, don’t use it on a day without wind when there’s another group of riders a short distance behind you…

forexpipz – Member
I knew this would get into racist debate.

Well to be fair you did take it there

With the influx of Eastern Euros out in the sticks you need to be very carefull. You should always be taking defensive precautions. Especially if you have kids. If that means packing then so be it.

I’ve never come across many people “packing” or did you just stumble across a group of friendly guys putting the fudge into boxes?

Which part of the ghetto are you hanging round in?

Aggressive dogs that are coming in for a chew either get to wear my bike or 12 lace holes whichever’s closest. Trying to keep a bicycle between you & the dog doesn’t work for long. Dogs are pretty agile & soon find a way round. I don’t carry any equalisers though. It’s the laughable reactions of the owners after the dog’s had a go that makes me laugh.

He’s being friendly
He’s only playing
He’s frightened of bikes
He hates the noise that the spokes make !
A cyclist kicked him
He’s a guard dog
He’s a rescue dog
He’s old
He’s young
He’s never done this before
He’s done this before
You frightened him
You frightened me
He was protecting me 🙂
He thought you were going to hit him
You kicked my dog
He thought you were somebody else

Ad infinitum.

D.

I’d stop and stroke the owner.

>Carp fishermen are packing. Usually air guns, massive knives, phat banksticks.<

Aye, nothing worse than being slapped by a wet fish. And these Carp – well they can turn real nasty.

tymbian – Member
Does bite-back work on humans? …just curious!

No. It smells like a pleasant mix of mint and cloves. Dogs absolutely hate it, but for humans it’s really rather nice.

forexpipz – Member
Everyone is packing down the backs.

Goodness me, what a terrible place we live in, and we hadn’t even noticed. Thanks for the warning, I shall go and prepare immediately. Anyone in particular I should be looking out for?

Some standard STW bullshit going on in here. Good work people.

Bunch of wimps. It’s not you the dog doesn’t like. Stop, get off the bike, make friends with the dog! Have a nice chat with the owner who is very apologetic and pedal off on your way once the dog has calmed down. It’s not difficult.

Shortcut later on today: