The Velo-Dog… was a pocket revolver originally created in France by René Galand… in the late 19th-century as a defense for cyclists against dog attacks. The name is a compound word composed of “velocipede” and “dog”.
Some additional context during the period France had a large amount of feral dogs. Also for fellow dog lovers they did make less-lethal ammunition for these. The name Velo-Dog is used to refer to a class of guns (pocket carry small caliber revolvers) from that period rather than a specific make and model.
Royal Armouries video: [13:36] https://youtu.be/oG-vw_zvMY8?si=Zi391RG9AIH3vbbB
Ian’s video: [13:36] https://youtu.be/6nB2fjFw8iM?si=
Coincidence that they’re both the same length.
This would have been carried by a bicyclist by simply putting it in their pocket. Just like your wallet or keys, no holster.
The bicycle element is moreso in the marketing of the design. Bicycles were becoming more popular at the time, among both men and women. People would ride out into the country side and get chased by feral dogs. Soon after enterprising businessmen would bring these designs to market advertising them to those bicyclists.