Dog Attack! - Apparently not.

[reohn2]

I see two problems,one is a lack effective policing due underfunding and reduction in numbers of police which leads to the police having to "sidestep" lesser crime as they see it in favour of more serious offences.And a need for dog ownership to be regulated,as it is anyone can go out buy a dog and effectively do whatever they please with it until it attacks someone.

As for curing the said hound of it's unwanted attention to cyclists,because the owner sounds as if s/he knows about the problem,I'd make a point of riding past the house with a bidon full of vinegar,when it attacks give it squirt,it'll learn PDQ not do it again.

Before any dog lovers gripe,frankly I don't give a damn for the dog's welfare above human injury.

[thirdcrank]

fastpedaller

I'm not sure if you were getting that off your chest or if you were looking for advice.

There have been several law changes since I had any official involvement so this is only general. As a cyclist, I've had plenty of experince of being chased and I know it's not nice.

First, it looks to me as though recent amendments to the relevant legislation create criminal offences which cover what you experienced. Much of the underlying problem, however, is one of identifying the dog(s.) This will be even more significant than under the longstanding complaint procedure which enables magistrates to order that a dog should be kept under control or destroyed because that's a civil procedure with a lower standard of proof. I'm saying that in many cases, especially those outdoors, it can be very difficult to make the evidential connection between the incident, the dog, and an owner/ person in charge. That's likely to be aggravated if the person responsible is actually irresponsible in the sense of habitually letting their mutts roam free. Also, any sort of effective enforcement is likely to attract a disproportionate response from the nation of dog lovers.

Then, it's important to appreciate that the staff of a police control room / call centre are not the people to give legal advice, even if they wrap up a refusal to deal with something in quasi-legal terms. This is becoming increasingly the case and we are now seeing this function out-sourced in some areas. In essence, all they are saying is "we aren't going to deal with this." If you are dissatisfied, I can't see much alternative to complaining in one form or another, but whatever the response, the background is what I've already posted.

As for defending yourself, so long as that's what you are doing, then I don't see a legal problem with fighting a dog with whatever comes to hand, so long as you aren't carrying an offensive weapon etc. AFAIK, injuring or even killing a dog might amount to criminal damage but self-defence would be a an excellent defence, or there might be a claim for compo if it was a valuable dog (which would be unlikely to be roaming loose.) Not everybody welcomes being investigated for something like this, even if it's never going to go anywhere. There's the risk that the type of person who does habitually let their mutts roam may take their own summary action, of course, or that the nation of dog lovers may pillory you on social media.

The only glimmer of light at the end of this gloomy tunnel is that increasing levels of motor traffic have bred out the chasing tendency in many dogs: the others have been run over.

[Tangled Metal]

A Great Dane doing that could easily knock a child or elderly person over, which could cause serious injury or worse.
It is clearly not under control, and should be reported, and the report taken seriously.
Dogs are not supposed to behave in such a way as it causes fear or risk to humans. If they do, they are out of control, and that's against the law.

I would be a bit wary of a dog weighing 50 kg, otherwise I slow down or stop and talk to the beast, then she realises I am a person, not a shining whirring thing from outer space

A Dane could knock anyone over, never mind the elderly.

I've seen a great Dane tied to a picnic table at a pub that was at the end of a row of 3 such tables. A dog argument and that large dog moved all 3 tables complete with occupants. Damn right it can knock you over. How heavy are three 6 seater tables with 3, 3 and 4 ppl on them? A bit lighter than a single male cyclist!

Sorry any dog that is loose and out of sight of its owner is not on control. If a dog owner isn't in control of their dog it's an offence. If it's an offence police have a duty to do something when reported. Even a simple letter.

BTW be thankful you're not a postie delivering to those dogs. It takes 2 bites at least (different occasions) before they can refuse to b deliver! Even then it's usually only 12 months of the dog owner collecting their own post before the postie has to offer himself up to the dog again. BTW I knew 3 posties and they average dog bites every year to two years. One guy had 4 in 18 months. They were full on bites that had him off work for 2 weeks. He showed me the bites 2 weeks after and his leg was purple with bruising the whole side of his thigh.

Sorry but out of control dogs need action to get the owner to control them.

[tatanab]

If a dog owner isn't in control of their dog it's an offence.

I have found out that pointing this out to the owner is regarded as an invitation to getting my teeth kicked in. We have to remember that little fluffy can do no wrong and we must not expect dog owners to take the trouble to train the mutt out of bad habits.

[thirdcrank]

... I have found out that pointing this out to the owner is regarded as an invitation to getting my teeth kicked in. We have to remember that little fluffy can do no wrong and we must not expect dog owners to take the trouble to train the mutt out of bad habits.

It's noteworthy that the latest amendments to the relevant legislation are but a small part of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (with my emphasis.) ss 106 and 107 to be more precise.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/201 ... /7/enacted

[Cyril Haearn]

I would not rely on being able to *accelerate out of trouble*, what if the dog flung itself at me and got caught in the spokes?
Could be disaster for both of us

[Tangled Metal]

If a dog owner isn't in control of their dog it's an offence.

I have found out that pointing this out to the owner is regarded as an invitation to getting my teeth kicked in. We have to remember that little fluffy can do no wrong and we must not expect dog owners to take the trouble to train the mutt out of bad habits.

6'5" tall. I don't seem to attract that kind of response. Never understood why. I'm as soft as they come, gentle giant (with a few ju-jitsu belts to my name but that's not obvious).

A farmer once told me to give his dog a whack if it jumped at me. I did that while lifting my knee to fend it off. Result was a double hit! That dog never jumped up at me just looked up wagging it's tail looking for a fuss. Seems doing what the farmer does is comforting to the dog, shows it your higher up in his pack or something.

I don't tend to have issues with dogs myself. The odd GSD barking at me but not passing. Apparently a fear response. Potentially dangerous but hasn't been yet. Collies cause me issues at times on the bike I just stop and they lose interest because they can't chase a stationary object.

I grew up on a street with a problem dog, a little broken and black dog that bit all of us at one time or another. Small enough to kick off. If you did that and connected it went home to lick it's wounds. Wouldn't have liked it being a Rottweiler size though.

Report and move on (once you're sure they've taken your report seriously). Cycle a different route in future if you can.

[thirdcrank]

The victims were rare-breed sheep here, not cyclists, so it attracts more media attention.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-42032353

"Although dogs may have only playful intent, livestock and other farm animals often misinterpret this, causing them to flee."

Farmers tend to be less understanding when dogs "follow their instincts" especially when they rip the throat out of livestock.

[Cyril Haearn]

One sees some cute little dogs, small enough to ride in a wired-in basket on ones handlebars

[jgurney]

we must not expect dog owners to take the trouble to train the mutt out of bad habits.

Most dog owners in fact do exactly that. Hence most of the thousands of dogs that I have ridden past did not chase me.

[Bonefishblues]

The victims were rare-breed sheep here, not cyclists, so it attracts more media attention.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-42032353

"Although dogs may have only playful intent, livestock and other farm animals often misinterpret this, causing them to flee."

Farmers tend to be less understanding when dogs "follow their instincts" especially when they rip the throat out of livestock.

I let my (on a lead) Lhasa Apso approach a ewe - out of (his) curiosity. He gives them a very wide berth now, having been butted.

[jgurney]

I became aware of a snarling white object racing up behind me! .... I must have hit a good 140 rpm. .... and he gave up. .... called the Police non-emergency line. Their stance was "It's not a dog attack, as you weren't hurt?

While technically it was not an attack - you would only have found out if the animal's intent was aggressive or playful had it caught up with you - it certainly was a case of a dog not under sufficient control causing a hazard to road users. Even a harmless dog playing chase can cause an accident. The Police really should have treated it as a hazard rather than losing interest having established it was not clearly an attack.

I've been chased by dogs several times. Each time, I have stopped and if I had time turned round to face them. They stop, then either come up with tail wagging to sniff a hand, wait hopefully for me to go off again so they can chase again, or stand and bark at me. I then either ride on more slowly (so chasers lose interest and don't follow me until they get lost or tangle with other traffic) or on a couple of occasions ride at persistent ones (so far they have always run off back home). There are a few really dangerous dogs about, but the vast majority will back down in the face of a human who takes a superior stance.

[Cyril Haearn]

Whoever you contact, make sure you put it in writing. Maybe lay it on a bit - accident waiting to happen, etc. Children in danger. This way you have a record of action or more likely inaction if anything else happens.

You could try a senior police officer and lodge it as a complaint. If no action, then you could follow up with a letter to your MP.

If you allege that the dog might cause consternation to motons surely the cops will act

[thirdcrank]

In a public place, why should anybody have to risk danger to accommodate somebody else's dog?

[jgurney]

One sees some cute little dogs, small enough to ride in a wired-in basket on ones handlebars

I had a spaniel jump on board my empty cargo trailer while riding through a park. I thought at first I'd just ridden over a bump, then heard the owners shouts from behind me, looked round and saw I had a hitch-hiker on board. Presumably he had chased after me without my noticing and jumped in when he caught up. He obeyed my instruction to get out and go back to his owner.