Bit by a dog. (Page 2)

Exactly what I would do as well. Let the owner's actions decide the next move. 

Thinking the same... it should be reported and the owner should know... IMO. 

Bummer this close to a race as well, hope you recover and have a great race!

So sorry to hear this happened to you. I live in a rural area where dogs are often off leash and will run down the road to bark/get aggressive. It's very scary, and I can't imagine what 6 dogs coming at you was like. I hope you heal quickly, and that there is a positive outcome to reporting the attack.

Like you, I have chosen to avoid areas where I know there to be aggressive dogs loose. Kudos to you for reporting the attack. Animal lover or not, owners need to be made aware of their companions' actions.

I was in a condo complex recently and was approached by a pit bull while walking to my car.  It never got within 6-8 feet of me but was barking, growling and showing it's teeth.  I carry (legally) a handgun most of the time.  I had my hand in my pocket ready to react.  Fortunately my kids were still in the condo as I had walked out to the car to grab something.

This occurred within city limits that requires a leash law.  The dog's owner finally heard it and walked outside and called it away.  Once back in the condo of person I was visiting, I mentioned it and was told the owner is a cop.  Considering the options going through my head, this could have ended poorly.  Nice that our cops follow laws.

I would encourage you to try to contact the owner first.  If he/she sounds contrite, concerned and promises to do the right thing I think you could pass on reporting it to authorities.  I think you'll be able to get a sense of what kind of owner the person is by just talking to them about it.  If the person gives you the "yeah, so what do you want me to do about it?" vibe, call the police or animal control.

I got chased twice by dogs from the same residence last summer...they never caught me, but after the second time I called them to let them know what was going on.  I was actually just as concerned for the dogs as I was for myself, as they were coming onto a road with a 50mph speed limit and a decent amount of traffic to chase me.  I certainly did not want to be the reason one of these dogs got hit by a car.  The owners had no idea the dogs were doing that and were absolutely appalled and totally apologetic and swore they wouldn't let their dogs free anymore, etc.  Of course I was never bitten, so the police probably wouldn't have cared much about my situation anyway, but I could tell the owners were going to do the right thing.

I like to try to handle things person to person when it's possible.  This is a gray area as many people will say that any dog bite requires notice to that authorities.  Maybe...but I think a call to the owner first would be prudent.

i got mauled by a tiny chihuahua last summer running. thing drew blood in multiple places and left a lot of bruises.  one of the reasons i don't run with headphones anymore; didn't even hear it coming from behind me.

nothing dog related yet on the bike.  did run into a bull that had gotten out of its fence last Friday though.  i noticed it about 40 feet out since i was zoned out. i gave it a wide berth in the road and it just kinda stutter stepped at me... that was scary.

Definitely report.

As for Mace/pepper spray, don't think of it as a be all end all.  Some dogs just get more pissed by it and definitely will attack and keep after if you spray.  Best advice is water, water bottle/squirt gun anything to give them pause and ride out.  Also whistles or noise makers work surprisingly well.  The idea is to do something that 'prey' wouldn't  so they have to reclassify you from, tasty tidbit to WTF?, without also making them think they are under attack.

Yeah, when I got chased as mentioned above, I was wearing headphones and literally didn't hear anything until the dog was RIGHT behind me.  The surprise factor of seeing a German Shepard 3 feet from my heels made my heart jump out of my chest.  I keep the volume low now, or take them off when I think I might be in dog country.

I work in public health. I don't know where you live but even the slightest potential for rabies is not something to screw around about.  Although rare, there are multiple animal cases each and every year, including domestic animals.

I carry pepper spray on trail runs as well as pepper spray on rides. Never know what will happen. But I do know that if it happens I don't know how I would react. It would happen so quickly. someone has told me to get off bike and use it as a 'shield' then spray with the water bottle or pepper. Seems good in concept but who practices that??? lol

Skip the owner and call the authorities. You don't need that kind of confrontation.

Just imagine if those dogs go after a kid.

Something, I hope. This is a terrible situation, and being chased happened to your friend, too, apparently, and who knows how many others.

Well done, and keep healing well.

Agreed.  Luckily I've only been chased while running and some quick roundhouse kicks towards their face does it.  Of course, I have black belts in two arts so my kicks are pretty....effective.

We have a leash law but it's not enforced at ALL. :-(

I would report it - and, depending upon where you live, I'd consult with an attorney about filing a lawsuit.

The problem is that a lot of irresponsible owners (and make no mistake about it, if there was a pack of dogs on the loose - 9 times out of 10 it's an irresponsible owner) won't ever learn the lesson and, to them, their dogs are their children who can do no wrong.

The ONLY way to teach them is to file suit.  In Caifornia, where I live, there is "absolute liability" for dog bites which means that an owner of a dog is liable and responsible for the dog's actions at any point at any time.  It varies from state to state but every state will find the owner responsible in the case of a pack of dogs attacking someone.

If you don't stand up for yourself, it is all for naught as the owner will never learn and the dogs will still be roaming about and will eventually bite someone else.  In my mind, you're doing the community a service by taking it to them now.  If you don't want the money that you sue for - donate it to a local animal shelter or something similar.

Best of luck in whatever you decide to do.  Good luck on your half!

This was my exact thought after reading your story.  If one of the dogs in the unrestrained pack finds and chews on an animal carrying rabies or is bit by a rabid animal, it would take little for the whole pack to be infected.  We have bats and skunks in our area that are regular harbingers of rabies (along with many other animals), if this event happened to me I would call the Sheriff's office, have their animal control investigate to see that the dogs are up-to-date, and if it could not be conclusively proven that the animal that bit was rabies free, I would go through the rabies treatment.  Who know if all of those dogs belong to the owner at that house or if some of the dogs were wild. Certainly not worth the risk.

I often think through contingency plans while riding in rural areas, but cannot imagine dealing with 6 dogs.