I wasn’t really asking for my benefit. I’m not scared of dogs and simply stopping works for me.
a) I don’t have a dog in Taiwan so I am not breaking the law on either of these two counts.
b) The “ridiculous advice” I offered is what is taught in basic wilderness survival/safety courses in Colorado if one were to have an encounter with the local wildlife (bears, mountain lions, etc) whilst riding a mountain bike.
I was giving honest advice per the request of the OP. Sorry (not sorry) that I didn’t address the issue of stray dogs in Taiwan, because trying to get a law passed to force people to spay/neuter their dogs is not going to help the OP with his immediate situation.
I am sure you were being well-meaning, but your solutions are akin to trying to solve industrial pollution by getting everyone to wear gas masks. Anyway, as other posters pointed out, if it’s a pack situation and they are already snapping at your heels from all sides as you are riding - it’s just not gonna work. As MM said, don’t act like prey. Dogs are very smart animals, but we are meant to be smarter.
The smart thing to do is to force dumb people to control their dogs. I will bet my bottom dollar that the dogs that attacked the OP weren’t actual strays or ferals - they would have been well-fed, confident, undisciplined, owned dogs. Most feral dogs are slowly dying cruel deaths of starvation and disease and usually bark from a distance out of a cringing fear, not aggression. This deplorable reality is a direct result of owners allowing their pets to roam free and rampantly breed.
As i mentioned before, there already is a law passed to clamp-down on people who allow their dogs to roam. Instead of taking the attitude that it’s all too hard (when we know for a fact it’s not - many other contries have done it), you should be getting behind it and actively participating in it’s enforcement. You could do that by reporting aggressive dogs and having them impounded. The owners, if they give a shit, will still have the chance to retrieve them, after paying a fine. They will then think twice before they allow their dogs to roam next time.
This both addresses the underlying cause of the problem as well as the immediate problem of people, and countless other animals, being maimed and killed by dogs. It just boils down to whether you really care about that or not.
I am sure you were being well-meaning, but your solutions are akin to trying to solve industrial pollution by getting everyone to wear gas masks. Anyway, as other posters pointed out, if it’s a pack situation and they are already snapping at your heels from all sides as you are riding - it’s just not gonna work. As MM said, don’t act like prey. Dogs are very smart animals, but we are meant to be smarter.
The smart thing to do is to force dumb people to control their dogs. I will bet my bottom dollar that the dogs that attacked the OP weren’t actual strays or ferals - they would have been well-fed, confident, undisciplined, owned dogs. Most feral dogs are slowly dying cruel deaths of starvation and disease and usually bark from a distance out of a cringing fear, not aggression. This deplorable reality is a direct result of owners allowing their pets to roam free and rampantly breed.
As i mentioned before, there already is a law passed to clamp-down on people who allow their dogs to roam. Instead of taking the attitude that it’s all too hard (when we know for a fact it’s not - many other contries have done it), you should be getting behind it and actively participating in it’s enforcement. You could do that by reporting aggressive dogs and having them impounded. The owners, if they give a shit, will still have the chance to retrieve them, after paying a fine. They will then think twice before they allow their dogs to roam next time.
This both addresses the underlying cause of the problem as well as the immediate problem of people, and countless other animals, being maimed and killed by dogs. It just boils down to whether you really care about that or not.[/quote]
That’s all good and well intended for long-term solutions, but will do nothing for the OP’s next leisurely ride along the riverside park this weekend. I believe he was looking for more immediate tactics he could use. And I was in no way offering “solutions” for the stray dog problem in Taiwan, but rather advice/suggestions to the OP (as was requested) for possible actions to take if/when this situation happens again. The reason “Not much of it addresses the underlying cause of the dog problem in Taiwan” is because that was not what was asked for in the original post and was not the topic of this thread.
Don’t get me wrong, you are addressing and delving deeper into the root of the underlying problem and I completely agree that if rules/laws/etc. were actually actively enforced here, they would be exponentially more effective. Maybe your solutions could be the start of a new thread on “How to curb Taiwan’s rabid stray dog infestation” or something to that effect.
Ok, and i apologize for coming on too strong - i have banged heads with some pretty stubborn dog owners on this issue - both on these boards and in real life - but i see you are not like that. My mistake.
However, wouldn’t a phone call to have the dogs either impounded or taken to a dog shelter be a more effective short term solution? That way they are off the street as early as tomorrow and the next rider or jogger will be able to enjoy their outing without having to worry about taking all these defensive precautions to ensure they get home in one piece.
And it’s got the added benefit of also dealing with the core cause of the problem.
Fair enough and thank you for re-approaching with an open mind.
Agreed. However, when faced with said pack of angry dogs, I don’t think the OP’s first course of action would be to make a phone call. That’s something to do after he’s removed himself from the immediate danger. Hence his request for advice on “How do you fend off a pack of stray Taiwanese dogs?” Therefore, we offered some “ridiculous” (I believe some of it is actually sound advice) tactics. 
The city won’t come to take dogs away with a phone call, and it is not advised, as one, it is very cruel (the dogs with endure hell in the shelter for 10 days and then be terminated in a very nasty way), and two, it does not solve any problem. A new pack will move in or the remaining members of the pack you took away, will breed like crazy, and produce even smarter dogs, more wary of people. If culling worked, Taiwan would not have a problem.
The sad fact is that we have to learn to live with stray dogs until the problem goes away because people are no longer dumping. It’s not an impossible task. It’s like learning to live with any other urban problem, from homelessness, to petty crime, to overcrowding, etc. Some have no simple fast solution, though there are always plenty of pols looking to boost their ranking with voters by suggesting a fast solution.
Btw, you are wrong that the dogs chasing people on the riverpaths are domestic. They are very much feral or they are domestic dogs that have been dumped. People let their dogs roam the city, not the riverparks. There may be a few, but we are not seeing packs of domestic dogs getting together to hang out on the grass and chase people.
There has been a concerted effort to raise the standards of Taiwan’s dog pounds up to international levels. I am not sure what ‘the very nasty way’ of terminating dogs is at these faciilities that you are refering to but from what i understand they are given an injection and put to sleep.
When compared with dying a cruel death from starvation, disease, poison, and car accident on the street, i think the first option is clearly preferable. My neighbour had a dog that was screaming in pain for three weeks but he didn’t want to have it put down even though that was obviously the humane thing to do at that point. All the true homeless dogs are dying these kinds of hideous deaths - usually much worse but we don’t see it or hear it.
It’s much better that they be (a) given a chance at being adopted (a long shot i assume - i don’t know the exact numbers, though i do know several people who have adopted dogs from the Taidong pound), or failing that, be put to sleep. Despite what people may think, i take absolutely no delight in that. It’s appalling that it has come to this. But instead of blaming the dog catchers and the victims who are getting mauled, i blame the dog owners. Not the dogs - the owners. The root cause of this lamentable mess lays solely at their feet. And as it is with racism, it’s not just the active racists that are the problem - it’s those that condone or tolerate their behaviour.
You’ve either misunderstood me or not read what i’ve written if you think i’m proposing impoundment as a complete solution. It’s definitely an important part of it, but in conjuction with compulsory registration and neutering and significant fines for non-compliance.
This one does actually have a simple solution. We know that coz many, many other countries have solved it using the same formula that i have laid out. This is not some radical, pie-in-the-sky idea. It’s a proven method that will save lives, greatly improve the quality of life for dogs, and help protect wildlife.
I am sorry, but i no longer buy that argument that just because a problem has existed for a long time in Taiwan that we should throw our hands up and say there is nothing we can do about it. I’ve heard exactly the same argument used to defend domestic violence, reckless driving, littering, industrial pollution, the treatment of the disabled, and corrupt development. Indeed, i consider that attitude that you are espousing on this issue to be a key part of the problem. (That puzzles me, coz it doesn’t tally with your positive, can-do actions on other issues.)
Ok, you live there, and i don’t so i accept your word, though how do you know there are not significant numbers of owned-dogs that are roaming amongst the true homeless dogs? AFAIK, dogs like to hang out with other dogs, epseically when they are horny. Anyway, the situation in Taidong is the opposite. Virtually all the attacks i have heard of are by owned dogs. They are stronger, faster, cockier, and much more aggressive than all the homeless dogs i see, which are invariably bag of bone wretches covered in sores and dying a slow, agonizing death.
I think Mucha Man has some very valid points. I can’t see those dogs having any real owners. In fact, I think they seem to have people who just kind of take care of them. For example, I have seen people in Nangang (anyone familiar with the large abandoned lots in the area know what I’m talking about) actually feed these dogs, putting out dog food for them at the edges of these abandoned lots. It is some type of attempt to care for these animals, but it really only exacerbates the problem and doesn’t attack it at its root.
But maybe you are right in some respects Dulan Drift, I have encountered a number of strays that are quite deferent toward humans. Maybe those are ones that are domesticated to a degree that their owners are allowing to roam free. Not sure, but that seems to be a plausible theory.
I’m sorry but I don’t know how to contact the relevant authorities due to my lack of Chinese, but also if I am traveling in Hualien County for example (where I did have to resort to throwing rocks) after midnight, I haven’t the slightest idea of whom to contact anyway.
So in the mean time, while strays are still running wild and free in Taiwan, things like throwing rocks and screaming will have to do until the bigger issue is solved, which would be people dumping animals in remote areas and not spaying or neutering their pets. We just need to get Bob Barker over here and the whole damn problem will be fixed!
MM for sure has valid points and his record on a range of important causes speaks for itself. But on the dog issue, i think the future is now.
I don’t know how many of the free-roaming dogs are owned and how many are recently dumped. I would if dog registration was enforced - and that is the key starting point - registration and a reasonable fee to fund improvements in dog shelters and pounds and enough to make owners think about whether they really want to take responsibility for this animal or not. And if there were serious fines for those who did let their un-neutered dogs (and cats) roam then that would be another added incentive. These measures are currently in the works in Taiwan. They should be supported by all dog lovers.
The other point is that not all free roaming dogs are aggressive - it’s depends on the individual dog and how they have been taught by their owner - but unfortunately enough are that laws need to be enforced to protect a diminishing wildlife population as well those humans who are not physically able to fight off a pack of marauding dogs.
shocking thing to me, is that I have seen some amazingly expensive dogs running free around Taipei. Greyhounds, Huskies, others I cant remember the name but know they easy fetch $3k USD and up.
When cycling through China, I did think about having something like a firework I could lob off from my front carry pouch that would produce a loud bang which usually deters them from the charge.
Still haven’t figured out how to light it whilst on the move - maybe there are some easy ignition fireworks on the market.
When in the groove, you don’t really feel like stopping for mad mutts… wielding a weapon from a bike is dangerous for the cyclist too.
Do they have collars? Maybe they just escaped. I love seeing huskies.
In related news from Taichung, a two-year-old was almost eaten alive the other day.
He said he was bitten while working next to a levee on the Daan River (大安溪), near where the dogs often gather in large packs. They also congregate at the district’s Taian railway station, he added.
Gu said people sometimes feed the dogs, adding that children and elderly people should be particularly vigilant to avoid the dogs given their numbers and aggressiveness.
The good (?) news:
Animal protection office director Lin Liang-ju (林良儒) said the office would dispatch a team to capture dogs that pose a risk, adding that the office would also communicate with local pet owners.
Are there stray dogs that don’t pose a risk?
The office plans to neuter the district’s strays animals as a preventive measure, Lin added.
I often go for hikes in Yangmingshan. Most of the time I go alone and always encounter some dogs. I’m not especially afraid of dogs (the ones in the urban don’t seem to be aggressive anyway and others are clearly just barking out of their owners garden). But I had some bad experiences in the mountains, and I am really losing the fun of adventuring the less popular tracks.
I know the basics of how to react to the dogs (I don’t run away and try not to show fear), but that is just not enough for me to deal with some situations.
Once I came between two groups of dogs that were barking and chasing each other on a big street. I guess it must have been 20 dogs in total, and I had to walk through them, because the second group came out of the jungle behind me. This situation was really uncomfortable, but the dogs were not really interested in me.
Another time 3 or 4 dogs were blocking my way and fending me off. One of the dogs was hurt (missing a leg), so I guess they tried to protect it. I changed my route that day, because I didn’t know how serious they were.
And today I even canceled my trip, after encountering some wild dogs. I was walking a very small trail for the first time, and after a single dog saw me (and barked), I proceeded slowly in his direction. Then 2 more dogs showed up and ran up to me and at this point I immediately had to turn around. Looking back, I’m of course not sure if they had actually attacked me. But I still think, that it is extremely dangerous, because you are totally alone (I actually waited 30 minutes for someone else to come by, but that path was deserted), and you don’t know how many more dogs there will be. Without a real weapon (or pepper spray) to defend myself I cannot stay cool and just walk past them.
Thanks for listening and the tips in this thread, but I will probably only do these hikes with a partner from now on.
There is a theory that bicycle spokes in motion make a whistling noise that we can’t hear but which is intensely irritating to dogs. If the motion stops, the dogs stop being so annoyed.
Horrifying. 
Possible.
However, I pass strays in the mountain (on my bike) all the time and get chased maybe 1 out of 50 times.
Cyclists have suggested to spray water at them to fend them off.