Comments on: Dealing with Dogs

By: Tinker

Tinker — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 20:09:23 +0000

I used to have a dog down the street that liked to chase ANY vehicle that passed. Until one day I was on my way to a job interview, when he ran from his yard of residence and attempted to bite my front tire. (Did I mention, that it was a place I was not familiar with, so I took my Ford F150 pickup?) When he bit my tire he was pulled under the front tire, and thoroughly mashed. 2 tons of truck 1, 20 pounds of dog 0.

I’ve tried to feel sorry for him ever since, but over 15 years, I have not developed any sympathy for the Barking Rat of Unusual Size.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:45:42 +0000

I’d like to meet your Canadian geese! Where I live they hiss at you and refuse to move no matter what time of year it is.

By: burnhamish

burnhamish — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:46:10 +0000

Canada geese will get out of the way, unless it’s Springtime and the unhatched goslings need protecting. Then, the Male goes all Mad Goose on you if you get too close.

By: BluesCat

BluesCat — Wed, 25 May 2011 14:38:42 +0000

I aim my front wheel at the dog, too.

My main reason has always been to build the proper reflex to a dog encounter.

There are a lot of loose dogs in my neighborhood. If I were to constantly attempt to spin around and avoid the dog in my path, I would development a muscle memory reflex which will cause me to attempt to veer out of the way of a dog one day and into the path of an oncoming truck. Or I will bank too hard and go down. Or I will fail to avoid the dog because he will interpret it as an invitation to chase me; he will run into me and we will both go down in a heap.

I’ve noticed that big dogs, as a rule, will not chase you if you aim for them; some of them get out of the way almost sheepishly. Barking rats, however are another story.

By: John Romeo Alpha

John Romeo Alpha — Wed, 25 May 2011 14:27:46 +0000

Like a jet fighter using chaff or flares, I advocate deploying counter-measures. Low-tech: throw a stuffed animal that my cat has played with for two years. High-tech (not yet implemented, in prototyping): a spring-loaded tube, push button activated, which deploys a cloud of cat-scented confetti of different shapes and sizes.

By: Columbus commuter

Columbus commuter — Wed, 25 May 2011 13:48:09 +0000

Cananda geese are pretty good at getting out of your way as well. In a rural area, dogs quit chasing you when you cross their owner’s lot line. Territorial behavior. Who needs a survey -dogs will tell you where your property line is.

By: Jaime Roberto

Jaime Roberto — Wed, 25 May 2011 03:48:08 +0000

Your comment about chickens made me laugh. When I lived in Eastern Europe I found that chickens were smart enough to get out of the way, but the people walking 3-4 abreast on the street not so much.

By: Richard Masoner

Richard Masoner — Tue, 24 May 2011 19:29:35 +0000

In a lifetime of dog encounters, I’ve been bitten twice. Like you I’m not afraid of them, and most of the time the dogs seems to just want to play. It’s their unpredictability that scares me.