biking and dogs, again

Yep, I know I've mentioned this topic a few times. But despite even having it down in words, I keep going out to bike at night. It's weird. I'm weird I guess. And those animals are rabid mongrels, not normal dogs. All the dogs in this region must somehow be in cahoots, since every time I go out, there seem to be larger and larger groups of them chasing me at a single point in my journey. I mean for the most part, my rides are calm and chill, but then there is always a 500 m dash in which we are neck and neck, and it would be too easy for the dog(s) to just sink their teeth into my succulent cheeseburger-fed flesh. I've gotten away scratch free every time, and haven't even noticed any real attempts to bite. It's been chasing at maximum speed, and of course raucous uncoordinated barking. But I'm figuring these dogs out. For one, this chase always happens when there is a strong streetlight nearby. I think dogs have very poor night vision, as they bark but don't bother chasing me when they notice my lights in pitch darkness. This wouldn't even be an issue if dog owners treated their dogs with a gram of decency. Many owners subject their dogs to pretty shitty conditions, often not providing food or drink for days at a time, and keeping pups locked up in kennels. Otherwise, they just let the dogs loose, which is good for the dog because of the freedom, but of course also means they can transmit disease (i.e. rabies), and can't quite fend for food themselves due to their human upbringing. Also they are a menace to the very few people crazy and stupid enough to be outside unprotected by metal and glass. I hope they're just playing and don't intend on biting me...in that case it's all good fun. I mean their chasing is just the motivation I need to turn a leisurely bike ride into an intense workout. It also makes me feel that ubber-awareness I like so much, since I become so much more attentive to sounds(barking in the distance), sights (small dog-sized objects moving in the distance tips me off), and of course my own body's response to the real threat fast approaching me. I guess I really am an adrenaline junkie of sorts. Still, I might invest in some tennis balls and dog treats to carry on hand. I mean if i average one encounter a night and I bike 4 times a week, I only need to have like a few hundred distracting objects to throw at them. Or maybe install an emergency motor on my bike. How great would it be if i could just turn on the NOS during one of these episodes?