I've been Bit riding the rail trail and chased riding the road so I carry a small can of mace on my shoulder strap just in case. The time I was bit....oddly enough I slowed down too much, it was a dog on a leash the owner couldn't control and dragged her to me as I tried to go by really slow. Now I slow but keep a moderate pace riding by as wide as possible for my own safety.
I have 4 dogs which we hike off leash. Echoing
@Arwen's Mom you need to be responsible. My wife and I only hike all 4 in lesser used locations, all 4 only when we are both together. In any quantity, the dogs are never left to go out of sight or up to a blind blind turns or hills. Radio collars are on the 3 most likely to go a little too far. We have them come back for treats 3 or 4 times per hike to positively enforce the come back command. The radio collar enforces as a backup with the vibration mode. Zap mode not needed anymore, they know better. When ANY other people are spotted at any distance, dogs go back on leash. If there are too many people, leash the whole way. None of our dogs are aggressive or interested in people. If they were, off leash in the woods wouldn't be an option. Funny that this is a difficult concept for owners.
BTW, saw a guy once (while riding) who had 2 collies. He saw me coming, said something and those dogs ran right up to his feet and sat down side by side until I rode by. Best control I've ever seen and I told him that.
The Tourne is NO PLACE for off leash IMO. Too many users.