Yesterday my heart stopped in it's chest. My daughter, whom often rides her bike to and from Grandma's house 3 blocks away was coming home and I was watching for her. What I saw was the fence charging German Shorthair Pointer from up the block bolt out of her yard and start chasing down Chloe. As I start running toward her, Chloe sees there is no "outriding" the dog and slams on her brakes, puts her feet down and turns into a statue. Devil dog instantly turns into a wiggling pile of mush- licking her, whining and begging for a pet. We got lucky.
My question is: For kids who don't have the coordination or desire to fend off a chasing dog, is stopping a good option? Her thoughts were that she could use the bike as a barrier if a dog proves to be aggressive, but if it's just a chaser, stopping might help. Thought I'd ask the panel here. She does carry a cell phone, and knows if she is in danger (even from dogs) to call 911.
This reminds me that I need to teach my little sister, also named Chloe, how to react when she sees a dog. It does not matter if the dog is nice or not she panics/freezes and starts yelling no at the dog. If I saw this happen to my sister I think I would want her to stop and freeze also, then I could come in and help her out. Teaching her how to call 911 is a great idea too.
Tresa Hendrix Webboard User Reg: 05-08-2008
Posts: 1473
Loc: Alaska
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I say stopping or slowing down is always best. If prey driven, stop....if aggression...stopping may cause most dogs to loose their confidence then slowly walk the bike away. Ignore the dog, let it sniff you, don't panic, no eye contact unless that scares the dog. Easier said with a kid though. You're girl did the right thing, right on.
Using the bike as a barrier can work. particularly if you flip the front wheel and hit the dog that is after you...or worst case, fold the wheel up against you and the bike to protect yourself. But always STAY CALM is very important...any excitement escalates the aggression. If you wear a helmet, you can always use that as a projectile, same w/ the water bottle.
A tired dog is a good dog, a trained dog is a better dog.
Ben McDonald Webboard User Reg: 05-25-2011
Posts: 439
Loc: Lawton, OK
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IMO, I would say the consensus is correct. Stop , get off bike, use it as a barrier. If dog is being aggressive, call 911 and start throwing objects. (Not the phone)
May not be a bad idea to mount some pepper spray to her bike, and show her how to use it. Not just for dogs, for other dangerous animals (and people) as well.
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Dog chasing kids on bikes
#362637 - 06/08/2012 10:58 AM 
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