# The dog attack (or, possibly I was better off being phobic of canines). **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 2, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853 "2014-06-02T18:59:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/21 "2014-06-02T21:25:39Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > FYI, The part about it not barking suggests that the dog was very serious in chasing you. Dogs who are attacking seriously are usually quiet, while dogs who are playing around usually bark their heads off. Yeah, I know. > [@](#): > > If I had to guess, I would guess it was probably the bike whizzing past that set him off. Some dogs have a high instinct to chase and catch things. He was trying to hunt the bike. One more reason to hope it stumbled into a drainage ditch and drowned. > [@](#): > > Would he have really killed you once he had you down? Probably not, even though he was serious about catching you and the bike. Of course, it did keep attacking me (not the bike) once I was on the ground. > [@](#): > > Odds are the dog doesn’t have rabies. It’s really pretty rare and also because the dog ran away when you fought back. If the dog did have rabies, it’s less likely that you could have driven him off since he would be operating with brain damage. It was my every intention to beat it to death if possible. Which is not to say I would have won the fight had matters continued. > [@](#): > > All of this is meant to be informational, for what it’s worth. I don’t think you did anything wrong, Skald, and I’m glad you’re ok. It’s true that that dog may well have not been rabid, but I’m certainly not gonna operate on that assumption. I like living. And of course thanks for the well wishes > [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > I’m glad you weren’t more badly injured. It sounds like that dog was insanely aggressive. > > And you definitely shouldn’t blame yourself. No one expects a dog to leap a fence and hunt you down like a lion chasing a gazelle. Happy healing. Oh, I don’t really blame myself. I was struck by the irony, though, that my lack of terror of dogs that led to the attack. Back when I was phobic, not only would I have been compelled to cross the street as soon as I was aware of the dog (regardless of more probable dangers from cars) but I’d have been hyper-vigilant of it in the unlikely event I could have forced myself to stay on that side of the road and might have had the opportunity to kick into overdrive and escape that way. Which I would have preferred, as I am of course a coward. On the other hand, back when I was phobic I would have had a much harder time in the five-second-long fight, as I would have been busy freezing in my tracks, wetting my pants, and screaming like a little girl. (The above paragraph should not be miscontrued to imply that I did not scream like a little girl. I don’t actually REMEMBER screaming like a little girl, but we all know I probably did. 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/22 "2014-06-02T21:33:15Z")
Wow, that’s scary. Glad you weren’t injured worse, **Skald**. And add me to the list of people who think that dog needs to be terminated with extreme prejudice. I love animals, but dogs can be dangerous and if their owners don’t know that and keep them under control, then they (and the dog) need to accept the consequences. Especially since it ran out silently. That’s just chilling. And whether or not it really would have killed you when it had you down–that’s irrelevant. It knocked you off your bike. It injured you. It _meant_ to injure you. That’s enough right there, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/23 "2014-06-02T21:38:37Z")
I’ve been chased by dogs, and done what people thought was crazy, and stopped in my tracks. No more fun for the dog, and they went away. Of course, those dogs were usually being followed by horrified and contrite owners. The fact that he didn’t bite you probably means he was excited by the bike, and not so much defending his territory, not that any of that really matters now. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/24 "2014-06-02T21:43:55Z")
I love dogs. Love them. On foot, my reaction to seeing pretty much any dog is to smile inanely and pet it - if the owner’s cool with that. But I’m exceptionally wary cycling by any that aren’t behind a gate or on a short leash connected to a person paying attention. For the most part, dogs don’t understand bicycles, aren’t going to behave predictably around them, and are a danger to me if I’m on two wheels. Even the very best, friendliest doggy can be the cause of an accident. That dog needed reporting. Hopefully it won’t have a chance to attack anyone else. If there is a next time (and hopefully there’s not) cross the street or get off the bike. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/25 "2014-06-02T21:58:53Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > FYI, The part about it not barking suggests that the dog was very serious in chasing you. Dogs who are attacking seriously are usually quiet, while dogs who are playing around usually bark their heads off. Generally, I tend to agree with you, although the only dog to ever actually bite me was barking his fool head off, there is a difference between a play bark and the ones I heard that day. No stitches (since bites are “dirty wounds”) but lost a chunk of my arm that now looks like a knife wound. Slight hijack - what sounds more bitchin’ and badass: “I got attacked by a Mastiff cross…” or “I got knifed in a bar fight…” ?? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/26 "2014-06-02T22:01:00Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > I love dogs. Love them. On foot, my reaction to seeing pretty much any dog is to smile inanely and pet it - if the owner’s cool with that. But I’m exceptionally wary cycling by any that aren’t behind a gate or on a short leash connected to a person paying attention. > For the most part, dogs don’t understand bicycles, aren’t going to behave predictably around them, and are a danger to me if I’m on two wheels. Even the very best, friendliest doggy can be the cause of an accident. > > That dog needed reporting. Hopefully it won’t have a chance to attack anyone else. > If there is a next time (and hopefully there’s not) cross the street or get off the bike. 😕 How do you think getting off the bike would have helped? Do you think I can run faster than I can ride? I’ve ridden by a couple of dozen dogs in their yards since I started riding to work, and this incident is exceptional. The problem, I believe, is that particular dog, not dogs in general. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I’ve been chased by dogs, and done what people thought was crazy, and stopped in my tracks. No more fun for the dog, and they went away. Of course, those dogs were usually being followed by horrified and contrite owners. > > The fact that he didn’t bite you probably means he was excited by the bike, and not so much defending his territory, not that any of that really matters now. The dog continued to lunge at me when I was on the ground. I do not believe it was playing or interested in the bike. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/27 "2014-06-02T23:22:27Z")
I’m very sorry to hear about this, and very glad that you weren’t hurt worse (and pissed off that you were hurt at all, while you were minding your own business and some fuckwad _wasn’t_ minding his dog). People are getting on my ass about getting upset about all the irresponsible dog owners in my neighbourhood, but this is serious shit - dogs need to be under control _at all times_, because they are animals, they are unpredictable, and they can do serious harm. I don’t know when the default setting for dog ownership became, “I can’t be arsed to obey all the laws regarding dogs in my local area.” ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/28 "2014-06-02T23:42:59Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > How do you think getting off the bike would have helped? Do you think I can run faster than I can ride? Even in bike shoes, I’m more stable on foot than I am on my bicycle. I’ve got better reaction time because I’m not trying to keep the bike up as well as keep moving. I have better use of my hands and feet. And even if I do go down, it’s going to be an easier fall and faster recovery if I’m not connected to the bike while I’m falling. If a loose dog to runs at and/or attacks me, I think I’m better off if I’m next to the bike rather than on the bike. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/29 "2014-06-02T23:53:43Z")
I’m one of the hugest dog lovers out there, and this does not sound like a safe dog. I hope it’s apprehended, and glad you are OK. ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/30 "2014-06-03T00:49:36Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I love dogs, I’ve been a dog owner all my life, and that dog needs to have a bullet in the back of its fucking head. > > Glad you’re okay, **Skald**. Right. And the owners need to be beaten bloody. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/31 "2014-06-03T01:06:54Z")
I recommend [heroic cats](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6GQR3Ym5M8&feature=kp) as protection against dog on bike attacks. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/32 "2014-06-03T02:17:21Z")
This is why I carry pepper spray with me when I walk. Dogs scare the tar out of me. Glad you’re ok. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/33 "2014-06-03T03:07:41Z")
Jeez Skald that’s freaking scary. I’m glad you’re okay. That dog needs some attention of the official kind\* - what happens when someone who’s a kid without a weapon\*\* bikes by, it could be even worse. I"m a dog person, but I’m pretty suspicious of random dogs, and that’s exactly why. - Or flying monkeys, either is good. \*\*What kind of baton is this, is this like a nightstick? ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/34 "2014-06-03T04:23:29Z")
I love dogs all to pieces, but this dog needs to be apprehended, quarantined, and then euthanized. I hope the dog is found soon and it’s owners’ made to pay your ER bill and repair your bike, if needed, and then put in stocks next to a dumpster behind a fishmonger’s shop. Get better soon. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/35 "2014-06-03T13:57:38Z")
Glad you’re OK, man. Count me in as “That’s a dog that needs putting down right away.” ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/36 "2014-06-03T16:58:20Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > What kind of baton is this, is this like a nightstick? [This is the sort of thing I mean.](http://www.basspro.com/Smith-Wesson-Heat-Treated-Collapsible-Batons-with-Sheath/product/12062804363910/?hvarAID=shopping_googleproductextensions&om_mmc=shopping_googleproductextensions&kpid=12062804363910%26adc=pg_315_11134_5283d7fce4b05294704be722_41415096031)They’re good to carry but you may wish to check your local laws if you’re considering one; in Tennessee, at least, you’re supposed to have a license. > [@Whatever4](#): > > I love dogs all to pieces, but this dog needs to be apprehended, quarantined, and then euthanized. I hope the dog is found soon and it’s owners’ made to pay your ER bill and repair your bike, if needed, and then put in stocks next to a dumpster behind a fishmonger’s shop. > > Get better soon. The bike’s history. We left it in the street when my wife was helping me into her car, because, as I wrote upthread, I was kind of loopy and she was worried about a concussion or worse. When she went back for it later, it was gone. The owners of the house deny that this was their dog. As far as I know, animal control hasn’t found it – or, rather, if they have found it, it was off another report, not mine. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/37 "2014-06-03T17:24:58Z")
Oh crap, you got attacked by somebody’s dog, injured badly enough to need rabies shots AND lost your bike??!!! Holy crap, dude, that’s horrible. Skald, I am very pleased to know you will be alright, but this beast needs to be tracked down and terminated. I am a pet person and yet I know that there are dangerous dogs out there (and cats too… don’t snicker… really). We try to project humanity upon them and many times it seems to ‘click’, but many owners of pets just assume that their little Lassie is a paragon of virtue even when she is not. Rabies shots? Doesn’t that REALLY hurt? Injected into your stomach or something like that? Let us know how things go, please. And like everyone else here, thank Og you were not more badly harmed. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/38 "2014-06-03T17:29:24Z")
I know the bike is totally the least of your worries, but do you know if it took enough damage that it might need repairs? If so, it might be worthwhile putting the word out to local bike stores or other places that might repair bikes. Or even put up signs around the area. Always a chance the person who found it might return it. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/39 "2014-06-03T17:56:43Z")
I hope you feel better soon, Skald, and also that your little one has gotten over being afraid. (From her perspective, Daddy got attacked by a MONSTER. Actually, from my perspective too, come to think of it.) It’s possible that the dog actually was rabid, in which case I especially hope it’s found and shot soon. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853/40 "2014-06-03T19:16:08Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I’ve been chased by dogs, and done what people thought was crazy, and stopped in my tracks. No more fun for the dog, and they went away. Of course, those dogs were usually being followed by horrified and contrite owners. That’s hardly crazy. If I want my dog to follow me in the field, I make like I’m running away from her. If I run towards her she’ll run away. She has been trained to come, so I never have a problem collecting her. Stopping will usually make the dog stop too. If a dog is being overly playful a “Sit” in a loud voice often works, since most have been trained that much. None of this would work if you were on the ground being attacked, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dog-attack-or-possibly-i-was-better-off-being-phobic-of-canines/689853.md?page=3)