Is it ok to kick someones dog if it goes for you?

That may be true, but if it works there it could pretty much still work here as you pointed out earlier.

I am turning into a dog hater, and not just the mean ones. This morning I went to the high school track for a workout, I'm the only one there. Some guy comes with a dog on a leash and lets him run. They were on the outside lane, I was on the inside. As I went by the dog ran at me and hit my leg hard, bending my knee in from the impact. Icing it now, and I know I can't run for at least a couple days. This is 2 weeks out from a marathon, and training had been going well till this. Part of the reason I went there was to get away from stupid drivers and dogs.

IMO, this is totally on th owner. Dogs are predisposed to chasing and need to be monitored and controlled. They should be nowhere near a hs track.

At least you won’t be overtrained? Good luck.

I’ve encountered all types of unattended dogs in rural, suburban, and park settings. I have only been bitten once and that did not break skin. Kicking the dog should be close to a last resort. I’ve dealt with Rottweilers, Dobies, German Shepherds, Pits, etc and I’ve found that facing them with palms facing away from your body and at arms length. I usually speak in a frim voice and say ‘No!’ and ‘Go Home!’ 90% of the encounters are over in a few seconds. I keep my hands out and a bit away from my body as a means to try and redirect them away from my head, neck, truck area if they suddenly lunge.

If I were to be seriously bitten, I would try to get something in their mouths as a substitute and try to create distance. I would give them a shoe, article of clothing, or something else to distract them and get away. Dogs can be distracted by destroying something. I really believe that this is your best bet rather than kicking it. If you can carry mace where you live and you won’t get in trouble, that’s great. I’d be willing to bet that most of the ‘tough’ types here will have difficulty using it under pressure and may be prone to using it inappropriately and dosing themselves and bystanders. There can be liability associated with hitting other people or an animal that’s not really a threat.

Dealing with children, strollers, dogs and cars on runs really can suck, but some of you need to calm the fvck down and get over your self-importance. Hyperbole produces amusing posts, but don’t wind yourselves up so that you do something stupid and get really hurt. Displaying your temper in public places can also lead to you getting your ass kicked too.

I see no issue with outkicking someone's dog if it chases you, in fact, it's probably for the best.