Cyclist bitten by dog… and then abused by owner

Police in Wiltshire are looking to speak to a dog walker who unleashed a torrent of abuse at a passing cyclist – after the bike rider had pointed out that he was attacked by one of the man’s pets.

The cyclist was riding on the Ox Drove, a cross-country walking and cycling route near Salisbury, at around 6.35pm on 15 September when he approached two dogs, one of which attacked him, biting his leg. It is currently unclear how seriously the cyclist was injured in the attack.

According to Wiltshire Live, the cyclist reported the incident to the dogs’ owner, a grey-haired man in his 50s or 60s, who allegedly then proceeded to verbally abuse the bike rider.

“We are hoping to speak to this man in connection with an incident in Salisbury,” a spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said.

The spokesperson added that the dog owner, or anyone who knows him, have been asked to contact the police on 101, quoting reference number 54220097780.

> Scottish court orders dog owner to pay £400 compensation to cyclist bitten twice by German Shepherd

In 2018, a cyclist in Scotland received £400 in compensation after he was twice bitten by a German Shepherd while out for a ride.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told that the rider received puncture wounds to his left leg with a “significant amount of blood coming from them” following the incident, which occurred in May that year.

The pet’s owner, who had pleaded guilty to having a dangerously out of control dog, had investigated getting a muzzle so there would be no similar incident in the future.

He said that the dog had been rescued and had suffered abuse as a puppy, adding: “It’s thought there might have been an incident with a cyclist in the past.”

> Oxford man jailed for using his dog 'as a weapon' against city centre cyclists 

A few months later, in March 2019, an Oxford man was jailed for 18 months for deploying his dog “as a weapon of intimidation” against city centre cyclists.

Alexander Andrews waged a “campaign of violence” against cyclists on Parks Road, near to Keble Road, in October and November 2017.

Construction work meant that the cycle lane was blocked at that time and cyclists were expected to dismount. Enraged by those who didn’t, Andrews began arguing with the cyclists before setting his dog, Piglet, on them.

While Andrews was jailed for 18 months and ordered to pay almost £17,000 in compensation to the victims, kennelling costs and court costs, Piglet underwent “rehabilitation” to counteract its former owner’s influence.