Hamburg Twp. dirt roads dog alert

[deuxdiesel]

Please be careful riding the Merrill/Walsh/Scully roads area- I had a large black shepard type dog get ahold of me today, but no broken skin. Dog is located on north side of Walsh Rd, just west of Scully.

[barrybs]

Please be careful riding the Merrill/Walsh/Scully roads area- I had a large black shepard type dog get ahold of me today, but no broken skin. Dog is located on north side of Walsh Rd, just west of Scully.

Thanks for the heads-up ! I ride that road often.

Barry

[G.Cook]

Guess I'm take'n a left on Barker on my way to Whitmore Lk. Thanks.

[risnewski]

Thanks for the heads up. Let the police know?

[SteveF]

Thanks for the heads up. Let the police know?

Yeah, this should be reported to Animal control or the cops. Could you tell what house it belonged to?

[edhawk]

I was just checking out which route I will take on "Ride your bike to work day" (May 18) and was considering Merrill. Thanks for the heads up.

[deuxdiesel]

I know the house, and the attack took place on the road, so I had the right to defend myself, but the "ride rage" took over and I chased the dog (and owner) back into the yard, screaming and swearing, as well as threatening to kill the dog (with my knife, which was stuck in my shorts), so if I had called the police, I would probably be in more trouble than the dog or owner. I should have been more calm and collected about it in hindsight, because had the owner shown any aggression towards me, it would have turned out badly.

[Mack]

You have every right to be mad & defend your self. Why is it that people think
they can just let their dog/cat run loose. Call animal control and get one of
these http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=CLHV ... lf+defense

[strohme2]

I chased the dog (and owner) back into the yard, screaming and swearing, as well as threatening to kill the dog

Yes, you have every right to defend yourself but when you chase both the dog and owner back onto their property it becomes an assault on them by the crazy biker. I agree with deuxdiesel here, don't call the police. Maybe he scared said dog and owner enough to keep the dog leashed up.

[deuxdiesel]

In my paranoia (I love that route, and hate to give it up) I went to a horsey shop and bought a "hunt crop". It's about 26" long with a grippy rubber handle and a flexible shaft with a flappy thingy at the end that makes a snapping noise. I tried it on my hand, and it stung quite a bit, so with some force, I'm sure it will send a message to the dog. Only $9. I looked up laws about personal protection weapons, and other than spray and tasers, most everything is illegal. This is for made for riding, just a little different version. Giddy-up bike...

[onlycrimson]

Good heads up. Dogs like these are rarely a problem, people just don't know how to deal with them. It's understandable if you don't know much about dog behavior, but the owners should really be keeping them in the yards.

[petefavata]

I was house sitting for my brother near Capac a few years back. I brought my bike and rode the dirt roads to maintain my training. I was riding along with my iPod and out of the corner of my eye I see a massive Bouvier running full speed across a front field of a house. He was right there before I could start sprinting so I was forced to stop and confront him or I'm sure he would have bit me. I placed my bike between him and I, holding the seat and the closest end of the bars and kinda danced in a circle in the road with him while I basically yelled at him. I had a knife on me too but the owner was also there sitting on her front porch talking on what looked like a cordless phone. I was yelling for her to call her dog off and she only kept saying "I'm sorry!, I'm sorry!", and then casually walks into her house and leaves me out there alone. Luckily the dog, got bored and trotted off. I swear he was laughing at me.

[Redstone Liger]

Updates on Walsh road.
No sightings of blacky, but there is a beagle at the west end, last seen running north along HRD with his tail tucked tight. Sometimes there's a collie running loose at the hoarders in the white colonial near mast. Hamburg rd has a lose dog as does Jennings to the south. Lose dogs have been spotted along Barker, valentine, and along Zeeb rd.

Best course of action is what Pete did. Get on your feet asap and truly believe you'll clobber the aggressor. If you believe it so will the predator and in that moment that the dog realizes it, tell em to go home in a stern voice as you slowly advance. Stay wide and tall and calm. My second line of defense is my water bottle and then my rear tire ( would be me front except I have a lefty) after that I would play matador with the frame and beat the dog with the tire. An attacking dog will figure this trick out the second or third time, but should now know what Kenda taste like. (disclaimer: everything beyond my water bottle is purely hypothetical, but I like that plan better than carrying weaponry.)
(second disclaimer: if a pack of junkyard dogs comes rolling along like out in Howell a couple of years ago you need to climb something f'n quick)

I would never not ride Walsh because some country dogs just need me to show them that I'm not livestock, it's one of the best roads in the area.

[Mack]

Or put this in their face.The dog will not do it again. http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=COwV ... lf+defense. There is no excuse for letting your dog run loose period. It's not the dogs fault they do this, the natural instinct is strong in some dogs.
It's the owners fault for letting them run. My feelings on this subject are strong. The stats on letting your dog/cat run loose are alarming.
I would never let one of my dogs/cat just run loose. It only takes a second for them to do something
that could put their lives in jeopardy. Spraying a dog is a strong measure, but it is proven to stop them from
repeating that behavior.

[Doc_d]

Small canisters of pepper spray are inexpensive and effective.