Forums >Running 101>advice for dealing with wild life/stray dogs?
finnegan begin again
A few weeks ago during the rut I had an encounter with a deer. He wasn't really big for around here. I still did not want to mess with him. He was close enough for me to smell him. He sorta squared up on me and began stomping and heaving his chest. I can tell you that the hair on the back of my neck was standing straight up. I was both scared and amused. Thinking about the headline of 'Jogger mauled by deer'. He turned and walked away.
"... the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value..." Thomas Paine Dec 23, 1776 The Crisis
Adversity is the first path to truth. Lord Byron
"No one plans to fail…..they fail to plan" Skinny Pete
When I was in San Diego, I came across a few skunks. Those animals are not scared of anything either. They act like they own whatever place they're at. I just went around them.
On a different occasion, as I was driving by an area where I typically ran, I saw a relatively small canine (probably a coyote). It was just standing there, doing nothing. It was the only time I ever saw wild life in that area.
Because that time of year it got dark very early in the evening, as I was running by that area, the hairs in the back of my neck started reacting... even though I knew there was little to no chance with an encounter with the coyote. But it was dark and my mind was playing tricks on me. What can I say, I'm a scaredy cat. I ran that route one more time and I had a similar reaction, so I didn't run it after dark any more.
I've never been chased by a dog as an adult, but when I was a kid, I was chased by a few dogs (I wasn't even running or anything). No bites, though, thankfully.
I've already ran into hundreds if not thousands of deer. The chances of them or bucks too touching you is slim to none. One time a baby deer touched me and that was it. For the most part they're scared stiff of anything that walks/runs on 2 legs. Sometimes I carry a camera with me and take pics of them, such as:
why?
Feeling the growl again
I've already ran into hundreds if not thousands of deer. The chances of them or bucks too touching you is slim to none.
A hormone-ravaged buck during the rut is not the same animal as out of the rut. The chances of an attack are very small...but if you google "buck attack", you will find plenty of documented attacks. More than coyotes attacking adult humans.
A p'd off ~150-200lb animal with a forest of spears on its head is nothing to take lightly.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
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Thread killer ..
I have a crazy neighbor that has free range hybrid wolf dogs , they are a high % wolf , look and act like wolves . It took an entire large can of bear spray to stop an attack by them when they cornered me at my gate . People who breed and own them seem by and large to be crazy and if you think you were stalked by a wolf even in a place where there are no wild wolves it could be someones high % wolf dog loose .
Did we win?
I've had success with pepper spray against dogs. Only one got a really good face-full of the stuff, and that was because I was fumbling to find the button and it was able to get close. He stopped instantly and stumbled home (his owner called me back and apologized, and asked to see the can of spray. I didn't let him...) A few other times the dogs broke off and wiped their snouts on the ground, so I expect they got a whiff of something they didn't like. Other times I completely missed, but I think the "hiss" distracted them and they broke off. I keep telling myself to let the dogs get closer so I can teach them not to chase me (the same dogs come after me nearly every run), but I always get aggressive and turn them back before they get in range.
The posts about practicing with your spray are worth heeding. It's important to know where the spray is going to go when you deploy it, but I stop running and face the dogs so my movement isn't an issue. One thing that's less obvious, but more likely to bite you, is that the nasty stuff gets on your hands when you use it. I'm one of the runners that gets a snotty nose when I run and pepper spray on my fingers hurts when I clean up after launching a snot-rocket.
Carrying a gun is an option, but you need to know how and when to use it. I can't imagine a dog fighting through my pepper, but... I almost drew on dogs, twice, before carrying pepper spray. It has been the best thing for my runs since the headlamp for night-running.
2014 races"
Heart & Sole Half-Marathon, Goldsboro, NC, Feb.8, 2:22
Umstead Trail Marathon, Raleigh, NC, Mar. 1, 5:48
Johnston Health Champions 5K, Smithfield, NC, 26:53
Rattler Trail Half-Marathon, Sanford, NC, 2:52 (wow)
2013 races:
Heart & Sole Half-Marathon, Goldsboro, NC, Feb. 2, 1:56:40 (PR)
New River Marathon, Todd, NC, May 4, 4:59:32 (PR)
Triple Lakes Trail Race (40 mile), Greensboro, NC, Oct. 5, DNF after 31 miles in 7:48
Half Fanatic #846
Pepper spray may work on animals, but it's specifically designed to affect human behavior. I haven't tried to use spray on dogs, but have used a dog repellant (which is a stream); the one I currently carry is called "Muzzle". It worked for me on a charging Pit Bull, but really - it seemed like just the novelty and/or sound of using the small cannister might have stopped her at the last second. Personally, I believe the best defense is to appear bigger/stronger and more confident. If a wild animal got "too close" or appeared to be "too friendly", then I would wonder if it was rabid.
"I don't always roll a joint, but when I do, it's usually my ankle" - unk. "Frankly autocorrect, I'm getting a bit tired of your shirt". I ran half my last race on my left foot!
I found out just recently that l can't run faster than an armadillo.
All you need are rocks for dogs. I have seen a lot of black bear this year. One of them was 400-500lbs with two cubs.
An air pistol works great for racoons- would probably be good on dogs but it's a bit heavy to carry. Maybe the big city gang method of car radio antenna would work. (Isn't that what they use?)