On my Sunday long run on the Shubie trail, I got attacked by a dog named Caper. Normally, I love irony – and there’s a nice bit of irony in being pursued by and jumped on by a dog named Caper. But I don’t love irony or biting wit when it literally bites me on the ass… or in this case, all over my calves.
I’ve had my fair share of doggie run-ins: I’ve been leapt on and tripped up by playful dogs – in on-leash areas, no less – while their mocha latte carrying owners look on with amusement, as if the whole thing were cute. I’ve been chased by dogs and incurred the wrath of an owner when my heel accidentally came in contact with her dog’s jaw (also in an on-leash area). I’ve been wrapped up in a dog leash as a dog darted to the side of an owner as I tried to pass. I’ve even stepped in a dog turd or two. But I’ve never before been attacked by a snarling, angry dog with sharp fangs.
Enter Caper.
I was about 8.5km into my usual long run route, running up a bit of a hill at a decent clip when I spotted a dog a little ways into the woods at the top of the hill. Technically, the trail is an on-leash area, but it’s not unusual to see dogs off leash, so I didn’t really think anything of it. The dog was staring at me with one of its forelegs raised and paw bent, but that didn’t mean anything to me. The majority of dogs on the trail are curious about runners but don’t get in the way.
As I came up the hill, the dog suddenly bounded after me. ‘Oh great,’ I thought, rolling my eyes. I assumed this was another playful dog looking for amusement, so I assumed my usual sideways protect-my-balls position and waited for the dog to leap up and for the owner, who was lagging behind, to call the dog off.
But this dog was anything but playful. It immediately latched onto my right calf and went postal, biting and scratching and snarling. It took me a few seconds to understand that the dog was indeed biting me and that what I felt really was pain, but by that time, the dog was all over me -- I could only curse and try to extract myself. All the while, the owner was calling the dog’s name, “Caper! Caper!” – but it took what seemed like an eternity before he grabbed the beast by the collar and dragged him away.
I’m not sure how long the dog was chewing on my leg – time is hard to estimate when all of your attention is focused on one thing – but it was enough time for the dog to leave a number of bloody tooth marks in my leg. I’m not sure what kind of dog it was: it was no Doberman, but it wasn’t a yappy little Chihuahua either – it looked like some kind of retriever, but with shaggy hair. The situation could have been worse, but it still sucked.
After the attack, I had no idea what to do, so I just kept running. What else could I do after getting bit by a dog? I wasn’t much in the mood for hanging around and sharing my feelings with the owner – although maybe I should have. It’s more than a little irresponsible to unleash your dog if said dog is a mangy beast bent on the destruction of all living things that move, especially in an area where people bring their kids. The on-leash by-laws are not there just to be a pain in the ass to dog owners – they are there to protect people and wildlife from the odd Cujo that’s being exercised.
As you can see, I’m a little bitter – the bites still hurt. And now I’m seriously paranoid about getting rabies, although when I asked the owner if the dog had its shots, he assured me that it had… but who knows, right? Just in case, I’ve shown Julie-Ann where all our heavy and sharp objects are stored so she can off me if I start frothing at the mouth.
Luckily, the wounds weren’t all that deep – they looked more like bad scratches than full-on punctures. But if I survive this wound, I’m not sure how I’m going to react the next time a dog comes bounding at me on the trail. It seems as though giving the dog the benefit of the doubt wasn’t the best call, but can I bring myself to lash out at a dog before it latches on to me?
I don’t want to hate dogs, especially because the vast majority of dogs and dog owners are well-behaved, but once bitten…
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