AG: Aunt Granny's Advice, or How to become an elderly cyclist:

Picking up pills again. I think this time it will stick.

Dressing, I selected a long-sleeved T-shirt to wear under my jersey,
picked up my "taxicab"-color linen jersey. Hmm . . . this is
sleazy-thin and I don't like the way the wrists puff. And it looks as
though I washed it after the last time I wore it. I moved it from
current shirts to the section marked "summer", and put on my
double-knit spring/autumn jersey. (I derive much amusement from
changing from long summer sleeves to above-the-elbow sleeves when the
weather turns cool.

Thumb-tested my tires -- the back one is NOT flatter than a flitter.
(See "Tour d'Nothing Went Right" on my Web site.) Changed the water
in the bottles, reached for my do-rag, reflected that something
wrapped around my neck wouldn't be at all amiss, and took the do-rag
inside and threw it into the hamper. I think it will make it into the
drawer next Monday!

On the other hand, the Tuesday after next is predicted to have a high
of 76F, and to be the only dry day in a long rainy spell.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

Halt is a topic I'd nearly forgotten about; soon after we moved, I
mislaid my Halt and never got around to buying another can of dog
repellent. Unlike Upstaters, Hoosiers love their dogs too much to
train them to chase vehicles.

I think the difference is that in the Capital District, the majority
of the houses in the countryside were occupied by city folk who moved
into the country to be free of tiresome restraints (and are shocked to
learn that they are not allowed to store their cars in the public
roadway). Around here, people fleeing the city cluster around our
many lakes and leave the farmland to farmers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Halt is not a weapon. It works by distracting the dog's attention.

Most of the time, distracting his attention is quite enough. He's
lying around feeling bored out of his skull when he sees something
moving on the road. All Right! Chasing that will give him a chance
to burn the carbon out of his carburetor. Ouch! This isn't any fun
at all; I'll just roll around in the ditch and whimper for a while.

If you manage to get him before he's had any fun, he may decide that
chasing vehicles isn't something he wants to do -- or, at least, that
chasing *your* vehicle isn't any fun.

Way back when, I was riding to Altamont along the base of the Eastern
Cliffs of the Helderbergs. I saw two dogs come bellowing down a long,
steep driveway on the Helderberg side of the road.

They caught up with me, got sprayed, dropped back, and I went on my
way.

On my return trip, I saw the same two dogs come bellowing down the
same long driveway. When nearly to the bottom, they slammed on the
four-paw brakes, turned around, and ran back up the driveway.

I don't recall ever seeing those dogs again.

On the other hand, there was a dog who lived in a dip in a road that I
used fairly often. He'd had a little fun before he got sprayed, and
came to regard Halt-bearing cyclists the way Hillary regarded Mount
Everest. How long can he dodge the Halt? How much grief can he cause
before the game ends? He was quick to see that forcing one to brake
just before climbing a long steep hill was *really* aggravating, and
could be done without coming into range.

For a dog that's been trained in hand-to-fang combat, or a bitch who
thinks you are after her pups, Halt is no use at all. I once saw a
dog who had been sprayed so many times that her eyes were swollen
shut, and she was still out in the road feeling around for someone to
bite.

--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

On 10/15/2016 9:12 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:

Halt is a topic I'd nearly forgotten about; soon after we moved, I
mislaid my Halt and never got around to buying another can of dog
repellent. Unlike Upstaters, Hoosiers love their dogs too much to
train them to chase vehicles.

I think the difference is that in the Capital District, the majority
of the houses in the countryside were occupied by city folk who moved
into the country to be free of tiresome restraints (and are shocked to
learn that they are not allowed to store their cars in the public
roadway). Around here, people fleeing the city cluster around our
many lakes and leave the farmland to farmers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Halt is not a weapon. It works by distracting the dog's attention.

Most of the time, distracting his attention is quite enough. He's
lying around feeling bored out of his skull when he sees something
moving on the road. All Right! Chasing that will give him a chance
to burn the carbon out of his carburetor. Ouch! This isn't any fun
at all; I'll just roll around in the ditch and whimper for a while.

If you manage to get him before he's had any fun, he may decide that
chasing vehicles isn't something he wants to do -- or, at least, that
chasing *your* vehicle isn't any fun.

Way back when, I was riding to Altamont along the base of the Eastern
Cliffs of the Helderbergs. I saw two dogs come bellowing down a long,
steep driveway on the Helderberg side of the road.

They caught up with me, got sprayed, dropped back, and I went on my
way.

On my return trip, I saw the same two dogs come bellowing down the
same long driveway. When nearly to the bottom, they slammed on the
four-paw brakes, turned around, and ran back up the driveway.

I don't recall ever seeing those dogs again.

On the other hand, there was a dog who lived in a dip in a road that I
used fairly often. He'd had a little fun before he got sprayed, and
came to regard Halt-bearing cyclists the way Hillary regarded Mount
Everest. How long can he dodge the Halt? How much grief can he cause
before the game ends? He was quick to see that forcing one to brake
just before climbing a long steep hill was *really* aggravating, and
could be done without coming into range.

For a dog that's been trained in hand-to-fang combat, or a bitch who
thinks you are after her pups, Halt is no use at all. I once saw a
dog who had been sprayed so many times that her eyes were swollen
shut, and she was still out in the road feeling around for someone to
bite.

Having lived backwoods in a semi-civilized southern state, I had tons of
unwanted experience being chased by loose dogs. I now live in a state
where dogs are a very, very rare problem.

Nonetheless, I don't recall finding a dog I couldn't train. Down south,
I used rocks with Halt as a backup. Up here, Halt alone has almost
always been sufficient.

The key, I think, is repeated lessons. If a dog comes out to chase me
(now a rare event), I'll spray it. Then I'll turn around and ride past
it again to give another dose if needed. And I'll come back another
day, and repeat as necessary.

They all seem to learn eventually.


--
- Frank Krygowski

On Sunday, October 16, 2016 at 9:30:29 PM UTC-4, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 10/15/2016 9:12 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:

Halt is a topic I'd nearly forgotten about; soon after we moved, I
mislaid my Halt and never got around to buying another can of dog
repellent. Unlike Upstaters, Hoosiers love their dogs too much to
train them to chase vehicles.

I think the difference is that in the Capital District, the majority
of the houses in the countryside were occupied by city folk who moved
into the country to be free of tiresome restraints (and are shocked to
learn that they are not allowed to store their cars in the public
roadway). Around here, people fleeing the city cluster around our
many lakes and leave the farmland to farmers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Halt is not a weapon. It works by distracting the dog's attention.

Most of the time, distracting his attention is quite enough. He's
lying around feeling bored out of his skull when he sees something
moving on the road. All Right! Chasing that will give him a chance
to burn the carbon out of his carburetor. Ouch! This isn't any fun
at all; I'll just roll around in the ditch and whimper for a while.

If you manage to get him before he's had any fun, he may decide that
chasing vehicles isn't something he wants to do -- or, at least, that
chasing *your* vehicle isn't any fun.

Way back when, I was riding to Altamont along the base of the Eastern
Cliffs of the Helderbergs. I saw two dogs come bellowing down a long,
steep driveway on the Helderberg side of the road.

They caught up with me, got sprayed, dropped back, and I went on my
way.

On my return trip, I saw the same two dogs come bellowing down the
same long driveway. When nearly to the bottom, they slammed on the
four-paw brakes, turned around, and ran back up the driveway.

I don't recall ever seeing those dogs again.

On the other hand, there was a dog who lived in a dip in a road that I
used fairly often. He'd had a little fun before he got sprayed, and
came to regard Halt-bearing cyclists the way Hillary regarded Mount
Everest. How long can he dodge the Halt? How much grief can he cause
before the game ends? He was quick to see that forcing one to brake
just before climbing a long steep hill was *really* aggravating, and
could be done without coming into range.

For a dog that's been trained in hand-to-fang combat, or a bitch who
thinks you are after her pups, Halt is no use at all. I once saw a
dog who had been sprayed so many times that her eyes were swollen
shut, and she was still out in the road feeling around for someone to
bite.

Having lived backwoods in a semi-civilized southern state, I had tons of
unwanted experience being chased by loose dogs. I now live in a state
where dogs are a very, very rare problem.

Nonetheless, I don't recall finding a dog I couldn't train. Down south,
I used rocks with Halt as a backup. Up here, Halt alone has almost
always been sufficient.

The key, I think, is repeated lessons. If a dog comes out to chase me
(now a rare event), I'll spray it. Then I'll turn around and ride past
it again to give another dose if needed. And I'll come back another
day, and repeat as necessary.

They all seem to learn eventually.

With what do you spray it? Your water bottle?
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO

On 10/17/2016 5:18 PM, wrote:
On Sunday, October 16, 2016 at 9:30:29 PM UTC-4, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 10/15/2016 9:12 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:

Halt is a topic I'd nearly forgotten about; soon after we moved, I
mislaid my Halt and never got around to buying another can of dog
repellent. Unlike Upstaters, Hoosiers love their dogs too much to
train them to chase vehicles.

I think the difference is that in the Capital District, the majority
of the houses in the countryside were occupied by city folk who moved
into the country to be free of tiresome restraints (and are shocked to
learn that they are not allowed to store their cars in the public
roadway). Around here, people fleeing the city cluster around our
many lakes and leave the farmland to farmers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Halt is not a weapon. It works by distracting the dog's attention.

Most of the time, distracting his attention is quite enough. He's
lying around feeling bored out of his skull when he sees something
moving on the road. All Right! Chasing that will give him a chance
to burn the carbon out of his carburetor. Ouch! This isn't any fun
at all; I'll just roll around in the ditch and whimper for a while.

If you manage to get him before he's had any fun, he may decide that
chasing vehicles isn't something he wants to do -- or, at least, that
chasing *your* vehicle isn't any fun.

Way back when, I was riding to Altamont along the base of the Eastern
Cliffs of the Helderbergs. I saw two dogs come bellowing down a long,
steep driveway on the Helderberg side of the road.

They caught up with me, got sprayed, dropped back, and I went on my
way.

On my return trip, I saw the same two dogs come bellowing down the
same long driveway. When nearly to the bottom, they slammed on the
four-paw brakes, turned around, and ran back up the driveway.

I don't recall ever seeing those dogs again.

On the other hand, there was a dog who lived in a dip in a road that I
used fairly often. He'd had a little fun before he got sprayed, and
came to regard Halt-bearing cyclists the way Hillary regarded Mount
Everest. How long can he dodge the Halt? How much grief can he cause
before the game ends? He was quick to see that forcing one to brake
just before climbing a long steep hill was *really* aggravating, and
could be done without coming into range.

For a dog that's been trained in hand-to-fang combat, or a bitch who
thinks you are after her pups, Halt is no use at all. I once saw a
dog who had been sprayed so many times that her eyes were swollen
shut, and she was still out in the road feeling around for someone to
bite.

Having lived backwoods in a semi-civilized southern state, I had tons of
unwanted experience being chased by loose dogs. I now live in a state
where dogs are a very, very rare problem.

Nonetheless, I don't recall finding a dog I couldn't train. Down south,
I used rocks with Halt as a backup. Up here, Halt alone has almost
always been sufficient.

The key, I think, is repeated lessons. If a dog comes out to chase me
(now a rare event), I'll spray it. Then I'll turn around and ride past
it again to give another dose if needed. And I'll come back another
day, and repeat as necessary.

They all seem to learn eventually.

With what do you spray it? Your water bottle?

As I said, I use "Halt" dog repellent.

For those not familiar, it's a pepper compound sold in a metal spray
can, perhaps 30mm x 100mm, with a clip handy for hooking it over the
edge of a bike bag or a jersey pocket. It comes out in a yellow,
slightly viscous stream with a range of perhaps 2 or 3 meters. It's
standard issue for mail carriers in the U.S. It burns the dog's nose
and eyes.

As my daughter can attest, on a windy day it must be directed carefully
or it can also burn the nose and eyes of a stoker on a tandem.
(Disclaimer: My wife was riding captain's position, not me!)


--
- Frank Krygowski

On Mon, 17 Oct 2016 14:18:28 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

With what do you spray it? Your water bottle?

That can work, actually. If you have no Halt and you think a dog may
attack, fill your mouth with water. If the dog does attack, spit in
his face. The odds are that this has never happened to him before,
and he will sit down to think it over.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

On Sun, 16 Oct 2016 21:30:24 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

The key, I think, is repeated lessons.

When I lived in The Capital District of New York, Martin Road, Picard
Road, and New Salem Road formed a triangle that would have been quite
nice to ride around, were it not for a dog that lived in a dip on
Picard Road.

When I got my first can of Halt, I went dog hunting. I came down the
hill at high speed, the dog ran out to attack, I sprayed and missed
but got past him and climbed the other hill. So I turned around and
repeated the whole sequence. The third time I passed, he didn't get
close enough that I could take a shot. I kept riding back and forth
through the dip, he kept attacking with less and less fervor. When I
passed by and he feebly lifted his head off his front paws and emitted
a dutiful "woof", I went home.

I never had any more trouble with that dog. I'd never sprayed him,
but he'd learned that chasing me was really, really *boring*.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

Joy Beeson wrote:
On Mon, 17 Oct 2016 14:18:28 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

With what do you spray it? Your water bottle?

That can work, actually. If you have no Halt and you think a dog may
attack, fill your mouth with water. If the dog does attack, spit in
his face. The odds are that this has never happened to him before,
and he will sit down to think it over.



Even a water bottle will do.

I learned that trick many years ago in the old rec.bicycles newsgroup
(before it was re-organized into the sub-groups we have now). For many
dogs, a blast of water is unexpected, and the relative chill (even from
a warm bottle) is often enough to jar them just enough.

I've never had to use that on my bike, but not too long after I learned
that I had problems with a neighbor with an untrained dog, an overgrown
puppy. I got really annoyed when the dog would bark at me when I would
walk through my back yard. One time, I went after the dog with the
garden hose, and that really got the dog's attention.

After that, if the dog even slightly growled at me, when I would make a
move for the faucet, the dog would quickly retreat, with tail between legs.

I considered my back yard to be mine, and when I established that with
the dog, I never had further problems.


One consideration for using water over some sort of chemical is that if
you inflict pain on the animal, that may cause the animal to remember
you as the source of that, and become more aggressive, in the future.
The water has the advantage of simply being unexpected, and a moment of
cold discomfort.

Smith

I usually take the Beyer Farm Trail home from downtown --it's scenic
and puts in a little extra distance-- but last Saturday I wanted to
stop at Zale's, so I stayed on Fort Wayne Street.

I caught myself drifting too far to the right, then thought that
because Fort Wayne is a one-way street that's wide enough to divide
into three lanes, it would be safe to ride in the "please pass me"
position.

!! NOT AT INTERSECTIONS IT AIN'T !!

Luckily, the driver who wanted to turn right was smarter than I was,
and no reportable incident occurred.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

On Sat, 22 Oct 2016 23:22:14 -0300, Joy Beeson
wrote:


I usually take the Beyer Farm Trail home from downtown --it's scenic
and puts in a little extra distance-- but last Saturday I wanted to
stop at Zale's, so I stayed on Fort Wayne Street.

I caught myself drifting too far to the right, then thought that
because Fort Wayne is a one-way street that's wide enough to divide
into three lanes, it would be safe to ride in the "please pass me"
position.

!! NOT AT INTERSECTIONS IT AIN'T !!

Luckily, the driver who wanted to turn right was smarter than I was,
and no reportable incident occurred.

Satchel Page once said, "Don't look back. Something might be gaining
on you", but I don't think he rode a bicycle. My philosophy has always
been, "look back to see what is gaining on you.... so you can avoid
it" :-)
--
cheers,

John B.