Just passed the border to Turkey last night, so quick update on the dogs:
Air horn was very effective. I found one in Thessaloniki and kept it strapped to my handlebar.
Tips: make sure to point it directly at the dog, the times I didn’t they kept chase. Thinking about the other methods people suggested, I feel the air horn worked best since I could use it from a distance and never had to get off the bike. It’s also a much less violent approach, I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity each time.
Sticking to main roads is another option to avoid them, but then you have to deal with loud cars and truck and not very fun cycling.
The air horn also came in handy for honking at a couple of trucks that didn’t give me any clearance.
Overall, I found Greece the least inspiring place I’ve toured through. I won’t be back anytime soon.
by yokobarron
5 Comments
that’s sad to hear about it being uninspiring, i had an amazing time in greece riding the coast and island hopping and discovering beautiful beaches and camping with the locals from corfu to athens. what was your route?
Wish I had an airhorn when I was there though!! Lot’s of yelling no and riding tensely instead
I cycled through part of Greece last year and absolutely loved it. I found the best way to deal with dogs is to stop the bike and put your feet on the ground and talk to the dog. Suddenly you’re a human being and they stop and look a bit sheepish. Worked 100% of the time.
What an idea 😂 I’ll use the same set up if I’ll go to Greece
I just cycled across greece to Istanbul and had the same experience. The dogs in Greece are so damn aggressive. Had a few terrifying encounters with the sheep dogs. Wish I had known about the air horn.
Did you get a lot of pictures as well? The goatheads absolutely destroyed my tires.
I prefer to petting approach. I found Greek dogs to be the nicest of all dogs.
Did you try bougatsa? Greece is worth visiting for that alone.