Dogs (Again)

[danstarr]

I love dogs but after having been living here for the last seven months have now realised what an absolute menace they are to bikers. I've been riding bikes of all shapes and sizes for 25 years and over here I've acquired an old Honda Dream.

You know the score here - dogs wander about all over the place and often laze about in the road. Most of the time, you can anticipate where they're heading and can avoid them. That is, of course, apart from the ones that chase after you barking and growling.

I make fairly frequent long trips and a couple of months back was slowing down as I entered a small town when I noticed a dog walk out into the road ahead of me: I blasted my horn but it doubled back into my path and I hit it head on (thankfully) and managed to stay aboard. Phew. I know that there's a much better chance of staying on if you hit it square and thankfully it worked.

However, last week I wasn't so fortunate - had a colleague on the back and we were just going along steady down a country road and this large barking dog just leapt from the verge, straight into my front wheel, sending us sprawling into the road; I had absolutely no time to react. Cuts and bruises but relatively OK and bike needed minor straightening. The dog, by the way, was perfectly OK and just sat on the other side of the road continuously barking at us. Upon hearing of this, my Thai colleagues all started to share stories of their own road mishaps with dogs.

So, my question is this (and I've been trying to work this through in my head): would a bigger bike withstand a dog-strike better than the Dream or if you get hit by a dog, are you just lucky to stay in the saddle anyway?

Dan

[pokerkid]

tried to wheelie over one a long time ago (yamaha wr400) , didnt work...........

[JonnyF]

It stands to reason that a heavier bike would feel the impact less than a scooter. But to be honest I think it's just luck, the angle you hit the dog, the size of the dog, the speed you're travelling, the state of the road etc.

[Richard-BKK]

Dogs that run after your motorcycle often are offended by the smell of your motorcycle, Say you parked your motorcycle at BigC near CentralWorld and a dog pees against the wheel without you seeing it... then you ride home and pass a group of dogs that are somewhat irritated and on high alert, maybe not so long ago a dog or a group of dogs tried to invade their territory... And then you come riding into the neighborhood with the smell of a dog they not know.... yes they can smell you from far away...

Only solution wash your bike regular with something that eliminate the odor of dog pie.... If you not clean the dog pie smell of your wheels you will have dog pee on your wheels every time you park your motorcycle... similar with cars...

For dogs on the road you can try to install a high pitch horn additional to the regular horn... seems to work...

Edited May 31, 2013 by Rooo

[Richard-BKK]

The seller of the horn is

Horn Well Ultrasonic

Telephone 02 476-8282

I do not think that they have a website...

[loserlazer]

If i sense a dog about to attack me, i just slow down and hit them on the face once they are in my kicking range on the bike. Once you hit them on the face in your neighborhood, they remember your smell and never come close to you again.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Gsxrnz]

A big bike won't be much of a concession against a big dog but may help you with smaller dogs. I've hit a hogget (youngish sheep, so comparable to a big dog) on an R1 at 80klm/h and it was pretty messy - the sheep wasn't looking too flash either.

Even worse than a live dog is a recently run over dead dog on the road, just around your favourite bend. Been derailed twice at the back of Jomtien like this.

[macknife]

Dogs can smell another dogs pee flying passed them at 30-40kph? I'm impressed.

I seriously doubt it's dog pee though, just territorial instincts. In my experience, dogs on busier sois don't care, but on quiet sois, especially dead ends, there's always going to be 1 dog that wants to have a go.

Sometimes they just don't like certain people. The dogs in the soi where I live never bother me, but for some unknown reason they dislike a friend of mine who lives in the same building.

A friend of mine at work, her husband spent 2 weeks in hospital swerving to avoid a dog. The way I see it is, on main roads it's unlikely to happen and there's not a lot you can do about it when it does. But when in small or unknown sois, slow the hell down. I always keep an eye out for dogs in this scenario.

[wantan]

I have unfortunately stepped in a dog pie from time to time.

I have my doubts about people who claim to have problems with dogs wherever they go. Are the dogs up here in the North really that different? I never seem to have a problem with dogs.

You live far up in the north iirr. Yes, maybe dogs are different there. I visited a friend near Fang at songkran and we had some nice bicycle rides in the area. Not a single dog problem. I did not even notice a dog. My friend told me most dogs have been eaten by the people living there and by the hill tribes. And the few dogs who survived were scared of humans. Just an assumption. You may know better?

[impulse]

If i sense a dog about to attack me, i just slow down and hit them on the face once they are in my kicking range on the bike. Once you hit them on the face in your neighborhood, they remember your smell and never come close to you again.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Except the ones that remember you and come after you with a vengeance each time.

[Rooo]

Off topic posts removed.

[xen]

Slightly going off the main topic but If you do have a dog that chases either cars or bikes an old aussie farmer's cure is to put a collar on the dog attached to a good length of rope and then wait until a vehicle goes past the dog will then take off and chase after the vehicle until the dog comes to the end of the rope . I don't know if the dogs thinks it has been hit by the vehicle or whether it thinks the hand of God has yanked them back into another world but they never ever chase another car. Apart from the dog's pride (or lose of face for the Thai dogs) they do not suffer too much from the ordeal and is less painful than going under the wheels of a truck .

Edited June 1, 2013 by xen

[lemoncake]

Amazing some people

I am here for almost a decade and never have a problem with dogs chasing me or biting me or knocking me off the bike or jumping in front of the bike.

[VocalNeal]

I am more worried about goats. They are nutters and completely unpredictable.

[Salapoo]

Slow down.

Move your foot back as if about to kick a football. Hold it there.

Dog goes for foot.

You kick as if you're kicking a football full force. If they attack you, teach them a lesson.

I've only hit a kitten once on my bike. I was going around 90kph, direct hit with the front wheel, it popped, the bike didn't even shudder. Was difficult to clean the blood, mucus and hair that was baked onto the front rim when I had gotten back home.

Edited June 1, 2013 by Salapoo

[villagefarang]

I have unfortunately stepped in a dog pie from time to time.

I have my doubts about people who claim to have problems with dogs wherever they go. Are the dogs up here in the North really that different? I never seem to have a problem with dogs.

You live far up in the north iirr. Yes, maybe dogs are different there. I visited a friend near Fang at songkran and we had some nice bicycle rides in the area. Not a single dog problem. I did not even notice a dog. My friend told me most dogs have been eaten by the people living there and by the hill tribes. And the few dogs who survived were scared of humans. Just an assumption. You may know better?

I don’t live among the hill tribes but do drive through villages and see lots of dogs, chickens, cats and various other farm animals. Maybe because I see them, I don’t end up hitting them.

I know most of the dogs in our area and it pains me when some inconsiderate individual kills one due to negligence and reckless driving.

[lemoncake]

I have unfortunately stepped in a dog pie from time to time.

I have my doubts about people who claim to have problems with dogs wherever they go. Are the dogs up here in the North really that different? I never seem to have a problem with dogs.

You live far up in the north iirr. Yes, maybe dogs are different there. I visited a friend near Fang at songkran and we had some nice bicycle rides in the area. Not a single dog problem. I did not even notice a dog. My friend told me most dogs have been eaten by the people living there and by the hill tribes. And the few dogs who survived were scared of humans. Just an assumption. You may know better?

I don’t live among the hill tribes but do drive through villages and see lots of dogs, chickens, cats and various other farm animals. Maybe because I see them, I don’t end up hitting them.

I know most of the dogs in our area and it pains me when some inconsiderate individual kills one due to negligence and reckless driving.

Pains me even more when some come on this board to brag about killing one. or having problems to wash away the blood.

[BSJ]

I never have any trouble with dogs. They must like me!

[overherebc]

Pains me when some inconsiderate <deleted> dog is running around uncontrolled and gets under the front wheels of my car or bike causing damage and me money and time.

[ALFREDO]

I never have any trouble with dogs. They must like me!

Me to and I like them, they, it seems, feel that!

In my many years in TH and on its roads since 1990, I only had one road accident with a dog.

But, that was unavoidable, Highway, night, some rain, new road surface - very dark!

A dog who, surprised, same me, by a Motorbike, who was driving in the wrong direction without lights,

crossed my lane, to near to react.

BANG!

Edited June 1, 2013 by ALFREDO

[pokerkid]

Pains me when some inconsiderate <deleted> dog is running around uncontrolled and gets under the front wheels of my car or bike causing damage and me money and time.

I know , Just imagine what would happened if you slowed down or bothered to watch the road,

you can look all you want and drive as slow as possible, it doesn't make any difference . if a dog comes running out of the bushes there is NO way you can avoid the little kamikaze bastard.

Edited June 1, 2013 by pokerkid

[villagefarang]

I have better than three decades without killing any animals here in Thailand. If I can do it, surely others can too.

[JonnyF]

I have better than three decades without killing any animals here in Thailand. If I can do it, surely others can too.

I've never hit one either (thankfully). Had about a dozen near misses though. Often just soi dogs fighting each other and they forget everything and launch themselves across the road, sometimes from behind a parked car. Blaming drivers or riders for hitting untrained, unrestrained animals that run into the middle of a busy road is pretty stupid IMO.

[lemoncake]

I have better than three decades without killing any animals here in Thailand. If I can do it, surely others can too.

I've never hit one either (thankfully). Had about a dozen near misses though. Often just soi dogs fighting each other and they forget everything and launch themselves across the road, sometimes from behind a parked car. Blaming drivers or riders for hitting untrained, unrestrained animals that run into the middle of a busy road is pretty stupid IMO.

How do you have a parked cars in the middle of busy road?

Dogs do not hang around busy roads, they stay in smaller sois and riding or driving fast in smaller soi's is stupid as there could be kids playing, idiots driving on the wrong side of the road, pot holes etc.

[poanoi]

Nah....I went with a group of bikers once and a president of one of the clubs said he counted

to 5 dogs dead along the Sukumvit, he recommended do not under any circumstance try to evade or brake,

but rather throttle up to push the dog away, if you have time to think,

-it's Him or You.

The momentum of a big bike is substantial, another guy said during a night run

he smacked a scooter with no light on into the woods with the only effect on his chopper was a bent leg guard

[Salapoo]

Wasn't there a major enough accident a few weeks ago when a school van or similar tried to evade a dog and ended up in the ditch with people hurt? In phuket I think... though of course the Thai van driver could have just made that up instead of admitting being off his head on M150.

Who's life is more important, yours (and those with you) or some animal.

Sorry Tofuheads, I'm going straight through them and using WD40 to clean the rims after.

[JonnyF]

I have better than three decades without killing any animals here in Thailand. If I can do it, surely others can too.

I've never hit one either (thankfully). Had about a dozen near misses though. Often just soi dogs fighting each other and they forget everything and launch themselves across the road, sometimes from behind a parked car. Blaming drivers or riders for hitting untrained, unrestrained animals that run into the middle of a busy road is pretty stupid IMO.

How do you have a parked cars in the middle of busy road?

Dogs do not hang around busy roads, they stay in smaller sois and riding or driving fast in smaller soi's is stupid as there could be kids playing, idiots driving on the wrong side of the road, pot holes etc.

Cars generally park on the left hand side, not sure where you got the impression they are parked in the middle, might want to re-read my post.

Dogs don't hang around busy roads? Really? Thanks for letting me know, I must have been imagining all that roadkill I've been seeing over the past 7 years.

[simple1]

I have better than three decades without killing any animals here in Thailand. If I can do it, surely others can too.

I've never hit one either (thankfully). Had about a dozen near misses though. Often just soi dogs fighting each other and they forget everything and launch themselves across the road, sometimes from behind a parked car. Blaming drivers or riders for hitting untrained, unrestrained animals that run into the middle of a busy road is pretty stupid IMO.

How do you have a parked cars in the middle of busy road?

Dogs do not hang around busy roads, they stay in smaller sois and riding or driving fast in smaller soi's is stupid as there could be kids playing, idiots driving on the wrong side of the road, pot holes etc.

Cars generally park on the left hand side, not sure where you got the impression they are parked in the middle, might want to re-read my post.

Dogs don't hang around busy roads? Really? Thanks for letting me know, I must have been imagining all that roadkill I've been seeing over the past 7 years.

Perhaps you were imagining , since only common sense would suggest there is no food or shelter on main roads

Rather than going though yet another endless round of your nitpicking posts, why not define "main roads". I have seen dogs killed when running out in front of cars on dual carriage roads in Thailand. Some years back a dog ran out in front of my pickup on Sukhumvit Road in Pattaya. No time to avoid or brake and it was killed. Luckily I had a roo bar so did not have to spend thousands of baht to repair the front end.

[pokerkid]

hahaha, dogs and common sense. that's a winning combination

[Salapoo]

Got to love the excuses some make up for killing another living being

Dog: 50 points.

Cat: 30 points.

Puppy: 20 points.

Kitten: 10 points.

It becomes quite fun.