A PSA for Dog Owners

Last week - Halloween, to be exact - I went for a run. It was a run that started like any other, except, being Halloween I thought to myself as I passed decorations of skeletons and ghosts, "This is going to be a spooktacular run!" Because, yes, I'm totally cheesy like that.

I was running in a neighborhood I run in often. It's nice. It's safe.

As I was rounding through a cul-de-sac I saw a gate open from someones backyard and a German Shepard came at me full force, barking like mad. Having a big dog of my own I understand big dogs have big barks. But, that didn't mean there wasn't fear, because, there most definitely was.

This dog continued to follow and bark at me for a few yards. Then it happened. He jumped up and bit my hip.

My run had gone from my cheesy "spooktacular" to seriously scary.

I was stunned. I held out my hand, which contained my pepper spray, and I almost gave the dog a dousing.

If you don't carry some sort of personal protective device when you walk or run you need to get one in your life ASAP!

What stopped me from spraying that dog was the fact that the dog owner's son (a kid no older than 15) was just standing there, watching this whole thing go down. That's when I shouted for the kid to get his dog and that I'd been bitten.

I don't know why, but I kept running. I was fuming and still slightly shocked. I stopped a couple of times to check the area I'd been bitten. Sure enough, there were certainly marks left from the dogs canines (how ironic).

This was taken about two days after the incident.

Before I wrapped up my run I went back to the house. The owner's - the adults of the house - needed to know that their dog had charged and bitten me.

A very civil conversation with the dog's owner took place. I informed the owner I wasn't going to report the incident. However, I suggested he keep his dog on a leash, and away from the door - considering it was Halloween, and small children would be at his door all night. I also suggested having the dog taken to a vet to try and figure out what caused the aggressive actions towards me. Had I been a child that bite wouldn't have happened on my hip, rather that bite would have been squarely on my face.

The moral of the story? If you're a dog owner keep your dogs on a leash if you're not in your own fenced yard. No matter how sweet, or docile, or calm you think your dog might be, there's a chance they could rush a person and bite them…

This isn't a post about not liking dogs. In fact, I love dogs. There's even a pony disguised as a dog who lives in my house.

See.

One more thing… If you're a dog owner, for the love of Kibbles and Bits, no matter how small your dog may be, please pick up those land-mines your dog leaves on the sidewalks and grassy strips lining said sidewalks. Seeing those piles, and often having to dance around them, is kind of obnoxious.