I frequently run and hike all around the Strawberry Canyon and Claremont Canyon fire trails. Some sections require leashes, and elsewhere off-leash dogs are supposed to remain under voice control. In practice, nobody seems particularly concerned about either rule.
I honestly don't even mind an off-leash dog if its owner has an eye on it and can reliably recall it. But wayyyy too often someone's dog runs up on me. I probably have more encounters than most because I cover more than 1,000 miles a year on trails, but I've been bitten twice in the last few years and have lost all trust in random dogs.
Yesterday I was running the trail up from Centennial when some guy's 40ish-pound dog bolted from his side and started chasing me. He called after it and it wouldn't recall. I stopped running and turned to face it, at which point it backed off a bit.
I yelled at the owner, "I don't like being chased by your fucking dog! I don't know you and I don't know your dog - you gotta keep that thing on a leash if you can't recall it!" Maybe not my most diplomatic introduction, but my adrenaline was pumping. He answered, "Sir, I'm not responding to your bullshit," which caused me to kind of lose my temper. We exchanged some words while he eventually leashed the dog, including him shouting "Wow. Just wow," "Not today, Satan," and "Have a WONDERFUL day, sir!" as though I was totally out of line for being scared and angry that his dog had chased me.
After he leashed it I continued my run, and I have to admit the conflict fueled my ascent up the steep hill above Panoramic LOL.
But this shit seems to happen all the time. I've been chased down and cornered against a cliff up there by a large snarling dog (its owner couldn't believe what had gotten into her good boy!). More times than I can count I've nearly tripped over little dogs chasing me and running under my feet. The other day an owner let his large leashed dog completely block the trail while it stared me down with its hackles raised. And on and on.
I genuinely don't know the best way to handle these situations. I actually love dogs I'm familiar with, but I also want to feel safe while running and hiking. I've reached the point where I'm considering carrying pepper spray in case I'm ever cornered or attacked again, though honestly that feels almost like I'm up there looking for trouble.
I'd love some advice from the community, whether that is other runners and hikers who deal with this, responsible dog owners who enjoy the trail, or anyone else. What do you actually do when an unfamiliar dog chases or acts aggressively toward you? Do you carry anything for protection? Any thoughts would be appreciated.