Bitten by dog while Cycling.

greenmat

Out for a spin yesterday with my 12 year old son when 2 dogs ran out from their house in St Margarets village. My son panicked, slowed down which meant I slowed down. In doing so the bigger of the 2 dogs snapped at my left foot. Both of us were now stopped. The 2 dogs ran back to their house delighted with life leaving me pissed off. When I looked down at my overshoe it was torn from the bite. I was very annoyed at this stage, what if the dogs had of attacked my son, they would have knocked his confidence right back. I went back to the house, knocked on the door and complained to the owner. In fairness she apologised and locked the dogs up.
Whats the position if you are injured or your bike damaged by a dog attacking you while cycling? I've had a few near misses over the last couple of years, yesterday was the first time I knocked into a house to complain. Further out that same road from St Margarets past the Golf club there is a farm with 2 dogs that always attack cyclists. Love to shoot that pair.

bcmf

greenmat wrote: »

there is a farm with 2 dogs that always attack cyclists. Love to shoot that pair.

If a farmer found a dog on its land chasing livestock it would be shot.

penexpers

I would report it to the dog warden.

Cookie_Monster

Dogs that bite will get put down, report them. I hate people who care so little about their animal that they let them run around the streets freely putting the animal and people in danger :mad:

Lumen

greenmat wrote: »

Whats the position if you are injured or your bike damaged by a dog attacking you while cycling?

The owner is liable.

mattser

Report it to the relevant authorities. My places of running have become confined because of stupid people with loose dogs.

greenmat

Yea, I think your right, report to dog warden. Someone will get hurt by these dogs. For any one that knows the area, when you turn into St Margarets Village heading towards GAA club, the school is on your right, house is on your left 50 yards up, white bungalow.

manwithaplan

Those dogs have run out at me before, although I never thought they would bite. Probably best to report it alright.

Caroline_ie

Lucan CC have posted on their FB that a there was a Rottweiler often let loose on Slade Valley that chases cyclists.
I tend to stick to the roads I know so to avoid dogs ... I am terrified of them.

trad

You can't beat an old zefal HPX pump for sorting out an attacking dog

Encrypted Pigeon

^^ I'm the same my routes are determined by the number of dogs on that route. I have it down to 3 at the moment. They may not all be biters and just chase for fun, but I just don't trust them.

Lumen

Countdown to dog lover thread intervention...

Nuttzz

When dogs play with each other, especially younger dogs , they always nip each other. If the dog isnt properly trained to control is biting then as they go older they will continue to bite but with more serious consequences.

I have a rather large Lab cross who is intrigued by cyclists, because the more so quick and his natural instinct is to chase after something that moves fast. These dogs saw you and your son and wanted to play, if they were looking to be aggressive you'd know about it.

I'm sorry to read that you'd love to shoot some dogs who follow their natural behaviour, if the dog hasnt been trained properly is it really its fault or the fault of the owner?

If you or your son are uncomfortable around dogs, go up to dogs trust up the road from finglas and you will see that they are certain not all the same

rich.d.berry

On New Years Day I was out for a spin around the Robertstown area heading back towards Kilmeague Little when a Boxer started following me, not aggressively though. After about 500 metres, when it hadn't turned back, I stopped to check its collar thinking it was lost, perhaps having run away out of fear from the previous night's fireworks. No tag on collar so couldn't phone the owner and the dog now considered me its friend. I waited a few minutes for it to wander off a bit then sprinted off down the road. It saw me go and in about 300 metres it had caught up with me again. It kept following me all the way into Kilmeague, even keeping up with me on a slight downhill where I was reaching in excess of 40 km/h. That's 4 km that he followed me for.

In Kilmeague I asked at shop if there was a Garda station, it turns out that the nearest one was back in Robertstown. I couldn't go back with the dog because it was nearly exhausted, chest heaving, spittle frothing around the mouth and one of its feet was bleeding. So I phoned the the gardae to find out what to do and they said they'd send a patrol car and see if they could get the dog into the car.

As I was waiting a guy drove up in a van and indicated that it was his dog. He got out and said that it wasn't my fault that the dog had followed me. :eek: Too right it wasn't my fault. I felt no responsibility at all. So I asked him if he'd been looking for the dog for long. "No", says he, "I saw you stop to pet him. That's why he followed you." I stopped to check his collar and petted him in the process to calm him because he was a little nervous. He was already following me. So here he is, having let the dog wander unsupervised in the road, then he tries to blame me that his dog followed me.

He drove off with not so much as a thank you that I cared enough to make sure the dog was OK, no apology that I was inconvenienced, and when he heard that I'd called the gardae and suggested that we wait until they arrived, he said I should wait for them because I had called them.

I took his reg number and waited for the garda, and when she arrived I told her the story and gave her the details. Even though the dog was friendly, it still put me in danger, twice nearly running into me. If the road was busier it could have caused a hazard to other drivers as well. She said she'd pay him a visit and have a chat because he shouldn't be letting his dog roam.

I suppose that it's not really surprising that if some people can neglect their children then there will be even more who will neglect their pets and allow them to be a nuisance and a danger to others.

Oink

Sintel wrote: »

^^ I'm the same my routes are determined by the number of dogs on that route.

I'll be $£^%% if I let dogs decide what route I take.

Anything that snaps at me had better be ready to tango. Except Rotts and pitbulls etc obviously. I am planning to have children after all...

OP should charge the owner for a pair of new overshoe thingies.

Rew

The dog warden is the correct and only thing to do.

penexpers

Nuttzz wrote: »

When dogs play with each other, especially younger dogs , they always nip each other. If the dog isnt properly trained to control is biting then as they go older they will continue to bite but with more serious consequences.

I have a rather large Lab cross who is intrigued by cyclists, because the more so quick and his natural instinct is to chase after something that moves fast. These dogs saw you and your son and wanted to play, if they were looking to be aggressive you'd know about it.

I'm sorry to read that you'd love to shoot some dogs who follow their natural behaviour, if the dog hasnt been trained properly is it really its fault or the fault of the owner?

If you or your son are uncomfortable around dogs, go up to dogs trust up the road from finglas and you will see that they are certain not all the same

If an owner knows that a dog likes to chase after something that "moves fast" then he/she should keep the dog locked in the garden and not let it roam free. If a dog comes barking up to a cyclist, the cyclist has very little time to react and no time to decide whether the dog is being friendly or not.

mattser

Nuttzz wrote: »

When dogs play with each other, especially younger dogs , they always nip each other. If the dog isnt properly trained to control is biting then as they go older they will continue to bite but with more serious consequences.

I have a rather large Lab cross who is intrigued by cyclists, because the more so quick and his natural instinct is to chase after something that moves fast. These dogs saw you and your son and wanted to play, if they were looking to be aggressive you'd know about it.

I'm sorry to read that you'd love to shoot some dogs who follow their natural behaviour, if the dog hasnt been trained properly is it really its fault or the fault of the owner?

If you or your son are uncomfortable around dogs, go up to dogs trust up the road from finglas and you will see that they are certain not all the same

I'm intrigued by dog owners who, knowing their animal is going to chase a runner/cyclist, haven't got the intelligence or manners to put it on a leash.

seamus

I'd be inclined to go with a 3 strikes rule myself. Remember the house. If it happens the next time you go by that house (even if the dog just chases you but doesn't bite you), then go in again and warn the owner that if it happens a 3rd time you'll have no option but to ring the warden.

If they haven't copped on the 3rd time, then just ring the warden.

Nuttzz

mattser wrote: »

I'm intrigued by dog owners who, knowing their animal is going to chase a runner/cyclist, haven't got the intelligence or manners to put it on a leash.

what makes you think that I dont?

I think my post shows I'm aware of the behaviour of my dog and how he will react in certain situations and I react accordingly, sadly that cant be said for others...

rich.d.berry

Nuttzz wrote: »

what makes you think that I dont?

I think my post shows I'm aware of the behaviour of my dog and how he will react in certain situations and I react accordingly, sadly that cant be said for others...

Somehow I don't think that it was aimed at you. I would imagine that it was a general comment on odd behaviour. The person I mentioned earlier definitely exhibited this sort of tendency.

mattser

Nuttzz wrote: »

what makes you think that I dont?

I think my post shows I'm aware of the behaviour of my dog and how he will react in certain situations and I react accordingly, sadly that cant be said for others...

Sorry Nuttzz, it was not meant personally. Thankfully most owners have a bit of savvy, but like most things, it only takes a few eejits.

notsobusy

We had a dog who bit a neighbour out cycling. she came in and told us the first time and she was really polite about it. we tried our best to keep him in as much as possible and he did it to her again. we had him put down. it was heartbreaking but we were terrified he would bite a child and cause a serious accident or fall from a bike.

I used to ride horses and got chased and attacked by dogs all the time and i found most times the dogs owner was quite obnoxious when they found out i was riding a horse so i just went with the 3 strikes rule in the end and would call the dog warden.

Letting your dog roam is considered an offence and you will be fined for it if the dog warden picks up your dog.

victorcarrera

The law states that a dog should be "kept under effective control".
The dog warden is the way to go as they will see for themselves the situation when or if they call and check licensing etc.
Dogs will bark and chase moving objects away from their territory and very seldom attack. Use your water bottle to deter them and if you are in a group do not shout at them as it only encourages them to repeat.

biomed32

I had a incident with a dog a while back nothing serious and escaped injury. It later appeared that this dog had a habit of nabbing unsuspecting people and would frequently run out, nip the passer by and leg it back to the house, chuffed with itself, sounds like a similar story with the OP with the dogs running out, having a nip and beating a hasty retreat. It is something that should be curbed by owners and should be reported to dog wardens for follow up. Its more then likely a bad behaviour pattern more then anything intentional

dermur

Won't somebody think of the puppies? :eek:

It's probably worth the OP's time looking at this thread to get an idea of what other people do when encountering our four-legged friends...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056397511

The good ol' water-bottle squirt seems to be the weapon of choice.

smacl

Nuttzz wrote: »

I'm sorry to read that you'd love to shoot some dogs who follow their natural behaviour, if the dog hasnt been trained properly is it really its fault or the fault of the owner?

Perhaps it's not so much about assigning fault as removing the threat. If loose dogs cause accidents, which they do as I've experienced first hand, they should be permanently removed from the streets by whatever means necessary. Personally, I'd say take them off their existing owner as a starting point, and look to banning repeat offenders from owning dogs for a period of time. Natural behaviour is a moot point, you could say the same about any dangerous animal.

As bcmf said, on sheep farming land the dog would get shot without question. And that's just for damage to income rather than causing personal injury.

greenmat

Nuttzz wrote: »

When dogs play with each other, especially younger dogs , they always nip each other. If the dog isnt properly trained to control is biting then as they go older they will continue to bite but with more serious consequences.

I have a rather large Lab cross who is intrigued by cyclists, because the more so quick and his natural instinct is to chase after something that moves fast. These dogs saw you and your son and wanted to play, if they were looking to be aggressive you'd know about it.

I'm sorry to read that you'd love to shoot some dogs who follow their natural behaviour, if the dog hasnt been trained properly is it really its fault or the fault of the owner?

If you or your son are uncomfortable around dogs, go up to dogs trust up the road from finglas and you will see that they are certain not all the same

I actually own a dog and am in no way afraid of them, no matter what size, plenty of experience around them at home as a child growing up and while at work. I was only concerned about my 12 year old son out on his new road bike. This incident could have injured us both, damaged our expensive bikes but afterwards I realised it could have set my young sons confidence back bigtime. He's only been out with me 5 times and I'm very impressed with his progress. Loose dogs on roads are very dangerous to cyclists. Don't forget one of them bit my foot damaging my overshoe. I stopped my bike, and walked past the 2 dogs into their house to complain to the owner, not something someone afraid of dogs would do.

greenmat

Lumen wrote: »

Countdown to dog lover thread intervention...

8 Mins:)

Postit

I was out for a spin at the exact same spot in St Margarets the day before you (Saturday 7th Jan) and I was chased by a large male German Shepherd at around 12:30pm.

He ran along side me and I put the boot down and tried to outrun him. He kept up with me for about 100m snarling and showing his teeth, before I outran him. He was definitely a biter and I was just lucky I wasn't biten. To be honest a quick bite wouldn't be nice, but not the end of the world either. What really worried me was the fact that I was wearing cleats, and if he got a hold of my leg, I would've fallen off with my feet still in the pedals. Who knows what he would've done to me then!

Postit

Oh and I rang the dog warden! The conversation went something like this:

DW: Hello

Me: Hi, I'd like to report a dangerous loose dog please

DW: Yeah? Whats the address?

Me: Well I don't know the full address, but if St Margarets National School in St Margarets village is on your right, then the dog sits and waits for cyclists/passers-by 50 yards up the road on the left-hand side. Its the R122.

DW: Whats the address?

Me: I don't know the actual postal address but its very easy to find.

DW: I can't send a dog warden out without an address

Me: Are you serious? How hard is that to find? Just drive to St Margarets, there is nothing only a school and a church in the village. Its tiny!

DW: I can't send a dog warden out without an address

Me: So are you saying that you're not going to do anything about this complaint and allow a large dangerous dog to attack people on a public road, because I don't know the actual postal address? If you give me five minutes I could give you the GPS co-ordinates?

DW: I can't send a dog warden out without an address.

Me: Ah f*ck you jobsworth! (hang-up)

Captain Havoc

google maps?

fat bloke

It's something I've remarked to myself (sometimes even out loud...) how infrequently I get chased by dogs on the bike these days. It was a frequent hazard when I was young and cycling to school and stuff. People have definitely copped on and put either manners or muzzles on their dogs. It's a very frightening thing to have a dog chase after you when you're on a bike, particularly when you're cleated into pedals.

smacl

Postit wrote: »

DW: Yeah? Whats the address?

You should have got the wardens name, reminded him that the dangerous dog attacked you in the vicinity of a children's school, and that his name would doubtless come up on the Joe Duffy show once the mongrel attacked a school kid. Disgraceful behaviour.

amjon.

Is the German Shepard from that building suppliers/garage on the St Margrets road still running amock? He is a serious danger to cyclists.

Caroline_ie

An address if a dog is loose is a really stupid thing to ask. The dog is loose on the street FFS! The street/road name should be enough. If you're chased by an angry dog, you're hardly going to turn back and check where that dog has returned to.

Are the dog warden attached to the DSPCA?

07Lapierre

Postit wrote: »

Oh and I rang the dog warden! The conversation went something like this:

DW: Hello

Me: Hi, I'd like to report a dangerous loose dog please

DW: Yeah? Whats the address?

Me: Well I don't know the full address, but if St Margarets National School in St Margarets village is on your right, then the dog sits and waits for cyclists/passers-by 50 yards up the road on the left-hand side. Its the R122.

DW: Whats the address?

Me: I don't know the actual postal address but its very easy to find.

DW: I can't send a dog warden out without an address

Me: Are you serious? How hard is that to find? Just drive to St Margarets, there is nothing only a school and a church in the village. Its tiny!

DW: I can't send a dog warden out without an address

Me: So are you saying that you're not going to do anything about this complaint and allow a large dangerous dog to attack people on a public road, because I don't know the actual postal address? If you give me five minutes I could give you the GPS co-ordinates?

DW: I can't send a dog warden out without an address.

Me: Ah f*ck you jobsworth! (hang-up)

Send the warden out to St margarets on a bicycle and the dog will find him!

manwithaplan

amjon. wrote: »

Is the German Shepard from that building suppliers/garage on the St Margrets road still running amock? He is a serious danger to cyclists.

Haven't seen him out recently. One of my clubmates landed a boot on him a few months ago.

petethedrummer

Tell him the Dog wouldn't give his address and didn't have any ID on him.

tomasrojo

My wife had a similar experience with the dog warden. The impediment to action in that case was that the aggressive and unleashed dog that was out in the park every morning was intimidating people before ten a.m. The dog should have been intimidating people between ten a.m. and four p.m.

seamus

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Are the dog warden attached to the DSPCA?

No, the DSPCA is a charity in Dublin. It has no role in enforcement.

In some counties, the ISCPA is the dog warden, but this isn't true of all ISPCA's.

CamperMan

why can't dog owners ENSURE their dogs are not free to leave the garden to cause annoyance to others.

many many times walking in Ireland, dogs would run out of peoples gardens and start snapping at you, or run out in front of the car causing you to swerve!

Here in Germany, it is a real delight to go for a walk, we have none of these issues with dogs.

blorg

trad wrote: »

You can't beat an old zefal HPX pump for sorting out an attacking dog

This is what I use. In every case so far raising it above my head in a threatening manner was sufficient, I haven't yet had to actually hit a dog with it. I have met people carrying big sticks and, the new thing, top-tube-long lengths of thick (10mm) electrical cable. Apparently they give a bit of a good thwack that will learn any canine. Bear in mind that we have the potential of dealing with rabid packs of quasi-wolves out here, not like the harmless rabies-free canines you have to deal with in Ireland.

blorg

Nuttzz wrote: »

When dogs play with each other, especially younger dogs , they always nip each other. If the dog isnt properly trained to control is biting then as they go older they will continue to bite but with more serious consequences.

I have a rather large Lab cross who is intrigued by cyclists, because the more so quick and his natural instinct is to chase after something that moves fast. These dogs saw you and your son and wanted to play, if they were looking to be aggressive you'd know about it.

I'm sorry to read that you'd love to shoot some dogs who follow their natural behaviour, if the dog hasnt been trained properly is it really its fault or the fault of the owner?

Ultimately the cyclist shouldn't have to care about whether it is the dog or the owner's fault. Are you suggesting the owner should be put down rather than the dog? It might encourage more effective control, certainly.

Nuttzz

blorg wrote: »

Ultimately the cyclist shouldn't have to care about whether it is the dog or the owner's fault. Are you suggesting the owner should be put down rather than the dog? It might encourage more effective control, certainly.

I dont see why an animal should be destroyed because of an incompetent and/or uninterested owner, I'd much rather it be rehomed where it would be taken care of.

The dogs trust and other charities have very good results in turning dogs around, it would be great if someone could get the dog warden to pick up that stray in St Margarets as it would stand a better chance of being rehomed and trained before s/he hurts someone and then has to be destroyed.

greenmat

Postit wrote: »

Oh and I rang the dog warden! The conversation went something like this:

DW: Hello

Me: Hi, I'd like to report a dangerous loose dog please

DW: Yeah? Whats the address?

Me: Well I don't know the full address, but if St Margarets National School in St Margarets village is on your right, then the dog sits and waits for cyclists/passers-by 50 yards up the road on the left-hand side. Its the R122.

DW: Whats the address?

Me: I don't know the actual postal address but its very easy to find.

DW: I can't send a dog warden out without an address

Me: Are you serious? How hard is that to find? Just drive to St Margarets, there is nothing only a school and a church in the village. Its tiny!

DW: I can't send a dog warden out without an address

Me: So are you saying that you're not going to do anything about this complaint and allow a large dangerous dog to attack people on a public road, because I don't know the actual postal address? If you give me five minutes I could give you the GPS co-ordinates?

DW: I can't send a dog warden out without an address.

Me: Ah f*ck you jobsworth! (hang-up)

(Ashton Pound & Warden Service, Ashtown, Castleknock Dublin 15, phone number 01 8383236 / 8683038 provide the Dog Warden and Dog Pound facility for the Dublin City Council administrative area/fingal)

Rang the Dog Warden this afternoon. Got the reception, left a message, was told he would ring back. Nice lady said she received another complaint about dog in St Margarets Village today. I had no actual address but a good discription of the area, (White bungalow opp O'Conners in St Margarets Village). Was told dog warden would visit house, check if dogs are loose and also check if they have licences.
So I live in hope.

blorg

Sure, the point is, dogs do not have a legal personality and it is the responsibility of their owner to keep them under control.

You give an explanation of why a dog has an instinct to chase but ultimately this is irrelevant; animals are not seen as having intention and all that matters surely is the result, which was a (small) bite.

Now outside Ireland no matter the size of the bite this would have the cyclist headed to hospital for a five course series of rabies injections, or if very unlucky, for death.

In Ireland it is thankfully not an issue but there are a hell of a lot of irresponsible owners and dogs who are repeat offenders. I certainly don't agree with destruction on the first small nick of a shoe but three strikes to notifying the dog warden seems sensible. With the repeat offenders the owners tend to be unresponsive.

I had dogs growing up and we kept them in the garden, as much for their own sake as for anyone else (the cats all met their demise on that road). Down the road had a barky Alsatian... Confined with an electronic system. Never had any issues, people were responsible. This was rural; of course any bite on an animal and a dog would be shot.

cyclopath2001

greenmat wrote: »

Out for a spin yesterday with my 12 year old son when 2 dogs ran out from their house in St Margarets village. .

This has happened to me and my group, at the same location (probably the same dogs). nearly caused pileup as people tried to dodge them. They seemed quite vicious.

Dog owners must keep their dogs under control at all times.

Consey

I have often thought of heading over toward St. Margarets for a spin. Nice flat roads. Not now !!!!

Love cycling in the country, hate dogs. Would love to be cycling narrow country roads to see where they bring me etc etc however I stick to wider/busier ones as they give more room to avoid dogs and some chance to escape. Also, if I'm being savaged by a Rottweiller or an Alsation in the middle of the road - I'd like to think a car might come along and at least distract them/put them off.

They do take some of the joy out of it and I dream of our country taking an approach like Germany where you're pretty sure you're not going to encounter one.

rothai

I wouldn't be worried about it putting your son off, I was bitten by a neighbours hound when cycling home 3 miles from cub scouts when I was 8ish. Fecker got me right on the ass. I didn't put me off cycling or dogs, still love both. I just cycled faster next time I passed the. house

jeawan

Postit wrote: »

I was out for a spin at the exact same spot in St Margarets the day before you (Saturday 7th Jan) and I was chased by a large male German Shepherd at around 12:30pm.

He ran along side me and I put the boot down and tried to outrun him. He kept up with me for about 100m snarling and showing his teeth, before I outran him. He was definitely a biter and I was just lucky I wasn't biten. To be honest a quick bite wouldn't be nice, but not the end of the world either. What really worried me was the fact that I was wearing cleats, and if he got a hold of my leg, I would've fallen off with my feet still in the pedals. Who knows what he would've done to me then!

Like allot have said MOST dogs like the chase if you stop and yell at them they run off , i have always found it not a good idea to try out run them as it excites them more being it on a horse or Bike i Ride both on the road.
I also have 3 Large dogs and it is up to you to keep them properly fenced in . If the German Shepard is on the road call the Dog warden he will deal with it as they are a controlled dog.
In Most cased the owner of these dogs should be fined it is the only way they will learn it also gives other dog owners a bad name with large dogs.

One of the horse i used to own would not take crap from dogs on the road like that if you turned him into the dog he would strike out at it with his front foot.