jbeattie writes:

On Monday, July 13, 2020 at 5:21:49 PM UTC-7, Mark J. wrote:
On 7/12/2020 11:59 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Sunday, July 12, 2020 at 1:09:11 PM UTC-4, bob prohaska wrote:
Sepp Ruf wrote:
AMuzi wrote:
On 7/12/2020 9:57 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:


My wife once rode the front seat of our tandem with one of
our kids as the stoker. A dog came out (very rare around
here) and my wife managed to spray both the dog and our kid.

You've got to be careful with that stuff!

Difficult choices. But it's never to early to teach your stoker to hurl
rocks at misbehaving dogs and not fall off the seat.

An excellent argument against cyclists carrying pistols.

Should stoker kids be restricted to throwing flash-bang toys? I don't know.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2181552/When-grenade-fishing-goes-terribly-terribly-wrong.html


Wouldn't a ballasted swagger stick be more useful? At least it
allows multiple defensive attempts.

Back when we lived in the southern U.S. and dogs were a real and
constant problem, I researched tactics. _Bicycling!_ magazine(in its
exclamation point days) had articles on tactics. Some advocated
swinging pumps, or carrying a car's telescoping radio antenna to
extend and swing.

Others pointed out that's likely to throw the rider off balance,
perhaps get in the spokes and cause a crash, and is unlikely to deter
the dog because of limited range.

This is yet another situation where (perhaps hypothetical) benefits
need to be compared with detriments. Dog deterrents should work
against dogs but not harm riders. IME, "Halt!" spray makes more
sense than pistols or sticks.

- Frank Krygowski

Suddenly pointing at the dog when it gets close and shouting "Go Home!"
is fairly effective for me. I can shout quite loudly.

Last week I had a more persistent case (farmhouse on remote gravel
road), and I went to "Stage 2" deterrents; wait 'til they get close and
spray 'em with a water bottle.

I hadn't done that in a long while, and I was surprised at how
effectively it stopped the dog in his tracks - and I don't think I even
hit him. I think spraying up their nose is very effective if your aim
is good enough. Mine usually isn't. Not sure how much a dissolved
electrolyte fizzy tablet would sting, if at all.

This method is problematic if your water supply is low.

Mark J.

I had a girlfriend who was amazing with dogs. A couple of giant rabid
hounds were chasing us through the Ozarks, I sprinted, and she just
said "no!" The dogs turned around and went home. She spoke dog.

Most dogs have boundaries -- its those marauding country dogs with no
lot lines or neighborhoods that are scary.

I got chased by a chicken last summer. And the new stupidest road
animal -- bunnies. I about ran over a bunny last weekend. I did run
over two little snakes, but I'm pretty sure they were pre-squashed.

I avoided running over a turtle yesterday. He was new this year,
smaller than my palm. He was lined up on the fog line, facing into the
roadway, so I stopped and schlepped him across. No idea whether I did
him a favor, but I hate to see flattened turtles.

I also avoided a pre-squashed raccoon, bloated perfectly cyclindrical in
the heat. I hate to think of coming home smelling like dead raccoon.