Signing the paperwork to buy a house is entertaining for so many reasons. First, because it’s like 2,000 pages long of legalese eventually you just stop bothering to read anything. Let me tell you, when it comes to living on the edge, skydiving has nothing on the rush you get from signing your life away for the next 30 years without even knowing exactly what you’re signing! Wheee! Second, all the addenda are knee-slapping hilarious. For instance, one page from the EPA informed us that there was once a Superfund site up the mountain due to an old factory that made plutonium triggers. Now it’s a lovely wildlife preserve. With two-headed deer. (Kidding. I hope. They swear it was totally cleaned up.) But the one that really got me was the note about all the animals in the vicinity. Since we will be living up in the mountains (yay!!), there are lots of prairie dogs, bunnies and coyotes about. Oh, and mountain lions. “There was a runner who was killed by one a couple years back…” the woman started explaining as she handed me a pen to sign. And that’s how a hundred nightmares are born, kids!
Almost every outdoors runner has a story about an up-close-and-personal encounter with an animal (and every indoor runner has a story about an up-close-and-personal encounter with a gym rat) but these days the news is all about dogs. There have been some pretty sensational stories of late with the most recent one being the fatal mauling of a 63-year-old woman during her morning run in Littlerock, California.
A jogger found dead on the side of the road: The story sparks one of our deepest fears as women runners. But this time the culprit wasn’t an escaped criminal or psychotic ex. It was just a dog. Or, rather, a pack of them. After an eyewitness in a car came across the attack in progress and called 911, the police quickly seized eight dogs – six pit bulls and two mixed breed – that were identified by the eyewitness as the attackers. This attack was the 5th fatality this year attributed to “wild” pit bulls in California, including a 9-month-old baby. (Egads.) So when Shape asked me to cover this story and interview dog experts about what to do in this situation, I was all over it. After all, who hasn’t run into a dog on their run?
But when I posted about it on Facebook, things quickly got heated about the pit bull aspect of the story. I was surprised – I hadn’t realized that one breed could spark such controversy – but it became clear that there are many many people who love their pits and hate when they get blamed for attacks. Several friends e-mailed me asking me not to use the breed of the dogs in my story at all, feeling that pits already get such a bad rap. While I am ID’ing the breed in this post – mostly because it was included in the original AP article and seems germane to the story – my editor and I decided to keep the Shape article more generic and just talked about threatening dogs in general.
On the other side however, another friend sent me her story on Facebook and while I ended up not being able to use it for Shape I wanted to share it here because so many other runners have been in a similar situation. Jennifer Michaels can sympathize with these stories all too well – because she lived it. Taking a run through her quiet Maui neighborhood one morning she heard a dog running up behind her. “I wasn’t scared of dogs,” she says. “I love animals, so I stopped and turned and knelt down saying ‘It’s okay’.” But the dog – Jennifer ID’d it as a pit bull – wasn’t coming up to get a scratch behind the ears. Instead the dog lunged for her throat. Bringing her arm up quickly she managed to deflect the dog – but not before it bit her face. Screaming for help, she continued to “bash” the dog, all the while feeling blood running off her chin.
The owner finally came out and called off the dog but offered her no help. Jennifer walked herself back to her car, sobbing. But while the scars on her face have healed, the emotional ones are still painful. Even 10 years later she remains deeply traumatized over the event saying, “To this day I am scared of all dogs, teeny tiny to large [it] doesn’t matter.” Jennifer also said that the attack brought back some intense feelings from previous traumatic events and has struggled with mental health issues stemming from the attack, even though it was a decade ago. I think her story is so important because it highlights how deeply upsetting this can be even though these stories are often brushed off as “just a run in with a dog.” Also, like Jennifer, I too love dogs and probably would have done the same thing she did!
While I adore dogs in general – and I had the CUTEST one growing up (love you Tanner!) – I’m honestly not sure about pit bulls. There seem to be many people who absolutely adore them and yet the State of Maryland ruled them “inherently dangerous” and England – the place where they were first bred – has outlawed the breeding, ownership and sale of all pit bulls, period. But whatever you think about pits, unfortunately Jennifer’s story and that of the still-unnamed 63-year-old victim are becoming more common as irresponsible owners dump their unwanted pets or improperly restrain them. So what can you do to stay safe from an aggressive dog (no matter the breed) and still enjoy your outdoor jog? Wanting to find a balanced opinion I came across Roo Yori, a dog trainer who specializes in pit bull rehabilitation and the proud owner of the famous and beloved therapy pit bulls Wallace and Hector. He’s well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of that particular breed but also teaches dog safety classes in general. Here’s his advice on how to deal with an unknown or aggressive dog.
5 Tips For Runners For Dealing With an Aggressive Dog
1. Keep things in perspective. “While there are unfortunate tragedies that are publicized in a way to drive fear,” Roo says, “the vast majority of runners go about their exercise routine without any incidents.” He adds, “Dangerous situations don’t occur because of the type of dog that is involved, it occurs due to irresponsible owners not doing their part to ensure their dog, regardless of breed, is a safe member of the community.”
2. Don’t run. Tough advice for a runner! But Roo explains that while your natural instinct may be to run away, you need to fight that. “Unless you know for sure you can get behind a barrier of some sort that will separate you from the dog, running away and/or screaming is most likely going to make the situation worse. Chances are, you’re not going to out run a dog, and the act of running away will probably activate the chase instinct present in all dogs.”
3. Become boring. “Most of the time, the best thing to do is become motionless and boring,” Roo advises. “Be a ‘post’ with your arms folded across your chest. If you’re boring and don’t engage the dog, the dog will most likely sniff your leg and move on. Wait until the dog is a good distance from you, and move quietly to a safe area.”
4. Be a rock. If the dog still attacks you and manages to knock you over, Roo says the best thing to do is “curl up like a rock” and cover your head, like the tornado drills you did in school. He reiterates that if you’re boring the dog is much more likely to simply leave you alone.
5. Take precautions. If you’re particularly concerned you can carry a canister of pepper spray or mace with you and Roo adds that there are citronella versions that also work well. But the best prevention, he says, is to know your route. “If you know of areas where people don’t care for their dogs properly and allow them to roam, then avoid those areas. If unsure, you could drive the route a few times first to see if you notice anything unsafe, canine related or otherwise. Be aware while you are running. If you notice an unknown dog ahead of you that you’re not comfortable with, the sooner you stop and keep your distance (not by running away), the better chance you’ll have at avoiding an encounter.”
Have any of you ever had an encounter with a dog while you were running? What did you do? Do you carry mace or something similar when you run outdoors? What do you think about pit bulls – is the fear warranted or do you think they get a bad rap?
Ms CHA CHA – I live up a mountain; I had the same reactions when signing loan and mortgage docs; I totally get your editorial dilemmas. We NEEEEEeeed to be best friends. Or is that the dog’s role? As for pit bulls, I have met sweet ones, tough ones, abused ones, loving ones. I am in the camp of “its not the breed, but the owner.”
Have not had an encounter with a pit bull, but in my last neighborhood, I knew the houses that had dogs (loud dogs, anyway) including pit bulls.. and chose to walk or run on different paths once I had that figured out. I just took extra precautions because my little peek a poo, Max, was my baby! (He is in heaven now) Once, I was running in Highlands Ranch with Max on an open space path and a coyote came near… I put Max inside my jacket, zipped it up and started screaming at the coyote as loud as I could, like a crazy mama that I was… the coyote ran off. It will be rare to encounter a mountain lion, but they are out there. You are a lot more likely to encounter coyotes. I have even encountered a snake or two.. which I absolutely detest. That usually gets me back inside for a week or two… Best of luck!
Charlotte, darling… think about it. The dog’s owner didn’t offer help.
That says it all right there, doesn’t it? What a spineless, compassionate-less, coward of a human being. Who probably ought to be investigated by the ASPCA for cruelty to animals ’cause it’s obvious the poor dog wasn’t taught any better by its master.
My sister was training for a bike ride when she was attacked by a goose. It’s not just dogs and coyotes and cougars (the animal kind). Weird things happen, but they make great stories afterward.
In my neighborhoods, there are bears and coyotes, so the dogs don’t worry me too much!
I carry pepper spray but mostly for wildlife.
I’ve been chased by a few dogs, but they were all “nice ones”. I stay very calm and order them to go home in an authoritative voice. Usually it works. Or else they just want to be pet. 🙂
I used to go running by myself when visiting natural parks etc, but between hearing about bear and mountain lion attacks, I don’t feel comfortable doing that anymore. Sigh. I usually stick to hiking with my gal. And we’ve encountered an aggressive bear and a mountain lion that scared us half to death, but no harm done in either case.
The pit bull thing is scary too! Responsible owners can raise safe pit bulls, but too many of the people drawn to the breed are wanting them for protection and aren’t raising them responsibly. It’s sad. A huge percentage of the dogs in the San Diego shelter were abandoned pitbulls and they’re a hard sell for families seeking gentle pets. (Oh, and chihauhuas. Not nearly as scary but just too many available in that area. I’m pretty sure most people could survive a chihuahua attack.)
Can’t believe you’re putting out so much great stuff in the midst of a huge life transition. Love your posts and hope the settling in is going smoothly!
I live in British Columbia, and there are so many cougars here it’s not funny. A police officer told me once that they usually attack women at that time of the month. Most people tell me I’m crazy when I tell them this, but why would a police officer bother to lie about this? Personally, I believe him. He said that was why a woman was attacked by a cougar while she was horse back riding (it was pretty major news here when it happened, but no one had mentioned why).
I have never gone back in the woods here during that time. I personally would never like to meet a cougar. The other thing is that you won’t know there is a cougar around until it’s too late. I think it’s a pretty wise precaution to take.
20 years ago: Next door neighbor had two pit bulls, seemed nice. One day I came home to find them out front, tossing what I thought was a dirty towel back and forth. Turned out to be the downstairs neighbor’s chihuahua. Fortunately the pit bull owner had his dogs euthenized after that.
Sorry, pit bull owners. When it comes to racial profiling for dogs, I’m for it. Which is not to say that I want to take away and kill all the currently nice and behaving-themselves pit bulls, but I think breeding needs to stop.
My parents two dogs have done that with a neighborhood cat. One is an Australian Shepherd and one is a mutt. That’s not a breed specific behavior.
I should add, that we are all really sad about the cat, although we have no idea who’s it was- we think it was a stray. My first comment read a little heartless to me! Eep!
Thank you Shelly for pointing out that this behavior (predatory prey drive) is NOT breed specific! I work extensively in the animal rescue community and also train dogs. No breed is “bad” and deserving of the rap that pit bull type dogs get (and I say pit bull type dogs because very often dogs identified as “pit bull” aren’t even related, they’re usually a boxer mix or a terrier mix).
ANY dog of ANY breed can be “bad” and attack adults, children, other animals, etc if their prey drive kicks in or their fear is such that “fight or flight” kicks in. In all honestly I’ve been nearly bitten or full on nipped by more small breed dogs (Chihuahuas, Shi Tzus, etc) and “beloved breeds” such as Labs and Retrievers than any other types or breeds.
When I was a kid, our neighbor’s Samoyed brutally attacked our family Sheltie. The owner stood back and laughed while it occurred and the only reason it stopped was because my dad kicked the attacking dog with his cowboy boot. Thankfully, our dog made it through surgery (including skin grafts), but it definitely shortened her life due to long-term complications.
I’ve personally been attacked by a Rottweiler…one with GREAT owners who got him as a puppy. It was a dog I was around every single day for over a year. Then, one day I walked in the door with the kids like I always did and he lunged for my arm. Since I was the second person he’d done this to (my sister surprised him in the yard one night while he was tied, so we all just figured he was startled and territorial), he was euthanized that same evening.
I have two friends who have very friendly, loving Pitbulls, neither of which have shown any aggression to anyone or any other animals.
So, I’ll agree that the bad behaviors are not breed specific. However, I do think that either 1) some breeds are more likely to react negatively to a bad environment than others or 2) that some breeds are more likely to be owned by a certain type of person, which is what causes certain breeds (Pitbulls, Rottweilers, etc.) to have bad reputations.
Pestered by facts? You can’t go wrong if you follow these simple guidelines¬. Keep repeating ad-nauseum¬:
1) Always blame the owner.
2) “It’s all how you raise them”
3) Sanctify the breed. (My Sweetheart would just lick you to death!)
4) Point the finger at another breed. (Chihuahua¬s are killers!)
5) “Pit bulls are just like any other dog.”
6) Blame the victim: “They shouldn’t have left the kid alone with the dog!”
7) “They used to be nanny dogs!” (don’t use with #6)
8) “The media only covers pit bull attacks.”
9) “We don’t know the whole story.” (don’t use with #8)
10) Cloud the issue: “Most people can’t identify a pit anyway.” (don’t use with #8)
11) “The (child, toddler, grandparen¬t, babysitter¬, neighbor etc.) probably provoked it!”
12) “It used to be breed X, then breed Y, then breed Z. NOW it’s the pit bull! (don’t use with #2, #5 or #10)
13) “It was just playing!”
14) Blame the owner!
TERRIFYING
all I ever was told was to FREEEEEZE—but Im not sure that works with the pitbulls here.
I hope never to find out.
I was chased by a black Lab once. It was scary being chased from behind! The owner called the dog back and the dog did go, so luckily that was the end of it. My instinct was to run, which I know is the wrong thing to do, but it is hard to turn off that instinct.
Luckily, 99% of the dogs I have encountered on runs were friendly. I remember one bike ride as a teenager where I had to block a dog with my bike.These days, more often than not, I run on the trail. I’m not scared of bears but I am terrified of SNAKES!! I can count the times I’ve seen them on one hand but I know I’ve probably run past hundreds of them that I just didn’t see. Creepy….
I think the issue w/ pits, rotweilers, etc… is that they are very big strong fast dogs. And a big strong dog at the hands of an irresponsible owner (or in a pack) is more dangerous than a bitey little fluff-ball at the hands of an irresponsible owner. The key here is the crappy owner (as evidenced by the story you told!!), not the dog. I have known a lot of wonderful pitbulls owned by good people who took the time to train their dogs and to be responsible for their behavior. These dogs are smart and willing to please and love everyone! There’s nothing inherently evil about that particular breed, although I do think that in some cases unscrupulous owners get them and turn them mean. Again, you can turn any dog mean. Some of the worst little fluff-balls of hate I’ve seen have been miniature schnauzers! (I have two, who are wonderful, I might add. But terriers can be really nasty.)
I had a 100 lb. dog (a really big boned and somewhat overweight catahoula) and I was all too aware of her protective nature towards me, and of just how big and strong she was. And for that reason I made sure she was never in a situation where she could hurt anyone b/c if there were strangers around (she hated repairmen- she could care less about runners, happily) she was locked safely away.
I’ve never had an issue with a dog while running but I’ve had dogs escape yards and try to attack my dogs while I was walking them through my neighborhood. That is very scary. I usually yell really loudly to try and scare the attacking dog and get some human help while pulling my dogs back and looking frantically around for a large stick- haha. Thankfully we haven’t had a serious incident- but having dogs with you can really draw other dogs.
Don’t hear of or see many Catahoulas here in Minnesota, but they’re a cool breed. My friend has two of them!
My family is from Mississippi. There are plenty of Catahoulas down there and we’ve owned 3. My Catahoula Gretchen was the best dog ever. She was a queen in the body of an enormous blue eyed spotted dog. I miss her so much even though she passed away 8 years ago.
So did you buy a house near the old arsenal?! How exciting, my brother was one of the geologists who worked on the clean-up and reclamation of that park….took 30 years! It’s now absolutely gorgeous and the buffalo and prairie dog have all moved back into the are. When I was there visiting in April I saw tons of buffalo, deer, eagles, hawks, and prairie dogs. My brother says there are also well fed coyote and wolves, due to the robust prairie dog population. He also says there is good fishing and bird watching…can’t attest to the fishing, but I was fascinated by all the birds. Enjoy!
I never have encountered a bad dog on ym runs. I run with my own pooch! He is off leash on trails most of the time but I somteimes have to watch him. He loves to say hi to everyone but not everybody wants to pet him!
We have encountered a couple of slightly more agressive dogs but most of the time shouting loudly and telling them to go away, as well as responsible owners grabbing them helped.
I can’t believe what happened to your friend and how callous that dog owner was!
My scariest running encounter was with a bear! The first time I encountered a bear I was on ym own and he chased me. I broke a toe running too fast downhill!
Now that we hav a dog, it’s less scary, he has alerted me when we were aboti to encounter one and had them run away by barking.
For nearly all breeds of dog I think that the problem is ALWAYS the owners. Dogs like Rottweilers and German shepherds need proper training. My aunt and uncle had a Rottweiler that was AMAZING with their kids…but they were very careful about making sure it was very well trained and had no bad habits. However, I’ve had friends with close-calls with pit bulls and heard too many stories about them to lump them in with other breeds. There is a reason that they are banned in some areas and it isn’t hysteria. I think is easy to let a love for dogs and the knowledge of other breed that DO just need proper training to blind people to reality. There are probably well trained pit bulls out there who never cause problems but there are also pit
Bulls with wonderful owners who attack out of nowhere, and I would never want to take that risk. If I lived next door to someone with a pit bull I would probably move. There is no other breed out there with so many stories of a pet (aka not a stray) attacking and even killing people.
I run the same trail maybe 1 to 2 times a week. See lots of dogs on and off leash. No issues – I love dogs. However this morning I came across a lady with 2 dogs ….one was growling at me as a ran towards them on the trail. She was shouting at the dog – but it wasn’t listening….anyway she grabbed the dog by the collar. As I ran past – her son was just ahead (presume it was her son) ….sniggering. So I foolishly said – you should put a f@@@ing leash on that dog…..he was so mad that I had sworn….but I was really annoyed too. Anyway – carried on with my run….and later – believe it or not I come across them again. This time they had the dogs on leashes….and I told them that was better – even said thanks…..next thing I know the son is chasing me down the trail…..he may have been mad still that I’d sworn at him – but what a stupid thing to do…..I had to stop and turn before he got too close to me….by the time I had turned round and he kept running towards me – he realised quickly that I didn’t find it amusing at all.
Moral of the story – if there is one….be very careful with your dogs and joggers …because although the law is there to hold dog owners responsible – that is after an event only – a lot of people will not wait for an event to happen…they will admonish you….and if you feel you then have some moral high ground be very wary of chasing after the jogger – that really is a more stupid thing to do
I am amazed at the amount of people who let their dogs roam off leash or around their property but then act like it’s your fault when they charge you. Amazing. It does no good to yell “They’re a nice dog!” When your dog is running top speed towards me and growling.
My running buddy does a pretty good firm “Go home!” that makes most dogs turn tail and run.
If dogs are dangerous for runners they are even more dangerous for cyclists because every loose dog, mean or not, is a huge danger to them. They don’t have the same mobility as runners and if a dog charges them from the side it can take them down in an instant. My husbands cycling team has had more than one major pileup (one just last week) because a dog charged the pack and took them all down. No broken bones, this time, but lots of broken parts and road rash!
I’ve been chased by any number of dogs!! My number one pet peeve is when the owner is standing there watching the dog chase me and try to attack me and just says, “he won’t hurt you”! What?? He won’t hurt you cause he knows you but he doesn’t me from Eve – please come get your dog and stop just standing there thinking this is entertaining!!!
I’ve only ever been approached by playful dogs on my runs. My middle school cross country coach told us to stand our ground kick any dog that aggressively ran up to us. I’m not sure how well that would work!
Bats and huge spiders are the scariest things I’ve encountered.
As for pits… I do think that they can be more aggressive but that it’s only a problem if you’ve got an ignorant, abusive/neglectful owner. I actually think little dogs tend to be the most aggressive dogs because people think they’re “cute” and aren’t threatened by aggressive behavior from them and don’t take it seriously and react properly.
I’m an outdoor runner and dog attacks are definitely not my biggest fear. Living in a small town where my running is forced to happen on gravel roads, falls because of the loose rocks is my worst fear and it has happened. I’m currently laid up recovering from a severely sprained ankle and a fair bit of road rash from a run on Sunday that had me eating dirt.
As for pit bulls- they aren’t a breed. It’s an umbrella term unfairly used to describe several breeds including American Bull Terrier, the American Strafordshire Terrier and any other dogs that have similar physical make-ups. Breed bans don’t work. They punish the animal, not the irresponsible owner. In Ontario, the breed ban against pit bulls simply lead to innocent animals being killed. In fact in the years after it was enacted, the number of fatal dog attacks increased. Despite continuing efforts to overturn it, logical thinking has failed and fear and ignorance continues to win. An interesting fact, I understand that Italy has now banned over 60 dog breeds, including the Queens’ favorite corgi. I’m all for tougher laws on dog ownership for ALL dogs and frankly all animals in general. I’m not trying to be snarky when I say this but in my experience fears or hatred of pit bulls is often based on misinformation, media hype or ignorance and is similar to hating or fearing a group of people based on they way they look.
If I could like this posting of yours I would. Very well said, factual, knowledgale, and honest. Thanks for being level headed & not just believing everything you see/hear in the media =)
I agree…great response.
As for Italy banning the Corgi…that blows my mind. I’ve never met one that was anywhere near menacing! Thanks for sharing that interesting tidbit.
I’ve encountered dogs while running but all of them(so far) have not tried to attack me. However, a few years ago we were camping on Jekyll Island(we being my husband and I with our at the time, three little dogs) with my parents and grandparents. All of us were walking around the pier with the dogs on leashes.
There was a Rottweiler about 200 yards away, NOT on a leash that decided it wanted our “biggest” dog Bailey(she’s 11 pounds) and it came racing up to attack her. My dad was walking Bailey and he dropped to the ground and covered her with his body while the hubby and I screamed bloody murder at the dog and snatched our other girls off the ground(one of which was a puppy and the other a 5 pound yorkiepoo). The owners came over running and called the dog off. How my dad or my Bailey didn’t get injured(other than some bruises on my dad from the drop/fall) I don’t know…
But, I laid into the owner screaming all sorts of obscenities(my grandma was scandalized).
I’m very nervous around big dogs. I do feel like certain breeds HAVE been bred to be more aggressive. It’s part of their DNA. Just like my little yorkiepoo still has that hunter instinct that yorkies were bred for back in England(she hunts bugs in our house, kills and eats them). The difference is, if my 5 pound or even 11 pound dog decides to attack me, I can easily defend myself. If a 100 pound dog(or even a 50 pound dog) tries to attack me, it is much more difficult to stop them.
We encountered a mountain lion a few years ago in Colorado. We were hiking and the trail was still covered in snow (in July) and we got lost near some caves. It didn’t come out of the cave, but we could see it moving around. The whole fight or flight instinct kicked in with a vengeance and we moved away before we had any more encounters. When we got home from the hike, I did some research and it appeared most can be scared off/fought off by an adult. I mostly just carried a full sigg bottle around after that – I figure that counts as a weapon 🙂
When we were still living in Chicago, our neighbors had two pit bulls that got out one day while we were taking out the trash. And they came over and were jumping on me – I think they were actually trying to be friendly, but on their hind legs they were nearly my height and I was terrified. Thankfully, I only screamed for a minute before their owner called them back.
It IS nearly always about the owners. As the stepmom to a pit bull, it makes me so sad to see larger breeds being raised badly and, especially, abandoned. (The Angeles National Forest is notorious for dog-abandoning.)
There is currently a surplus of unwanted pit bulls/mixes. Breeding them is irresponsible and cruel. Personally, I think that if someone wants to adopt (or, ergh, buy) one of these dogs, there needs to be some kind of vetting process. Too many attacks have happened, and will continue to happen if we do nothing.
I almost stepped on a skunk during my run the other day. That’s the scariest wildlife moment I’ve had. Scary in a different way, but still. Makes for a great story, and that’s one way to get a wicked sprint into your workout!
I second what everyone says about ownership. It takes special training and patience to own a large dog, just like semi drivers get extra driver’s ed. That’s a big piece of equipment, for which you are now responsible. Any dog will get vicious if raised badly, not just a pitty!
Excellent point about special training to own a large dog! When we adopted our German shepherd/husky mix I knew she was going to be the largest dog I’d owned to that date. I immediately enrolled us in obedience classes!
Now THAT is responsible pet ownership 🙂 I volunteer at an animal shelter, and all the dog staff would majorly high five you for being so proactive! (as do I… High five!)
Sorry, but the only pits I’ve ever encountered have been wiggly, licking, furballs of love. In fact, the only dog that’s ever bit me hard enough to draw blood was a Maltese.
And the only dog encounter I’ve had while running was when a dog got out of someone’s yard and was loose on the street. I grabbed it’s collar and brought it home. My first instinct when I see a loose dog is always to stop and see if there is a person nearby before looking for a tag or a collar and seeing if the dog has a home.
Well its like this. I once greeted a mother bear and her cub and was disappointed when they ran away. I did the same thing to a young male moose and a skunk and … I have not got an ounce of sense when it comes to furry animals. I have not been burned yet but my family says I’m the one that needs to be put on a leash in the woods.
I’ve met some 15-20 in my time, never had a negative experience. I believe its the owner, not the dog or breed that’s the problem. Dog attacks come from all sizes, breeds and ages. I was once chased on a run by a German Shepard. Initially it’s scary looking at all those white sharp teeth, but it didn’t growl, was just wanting to play. I stopped, didn’t wave my arms but kept my hands cupped together and low at the waist. I learned this from 3 local Veterinarians. It’s a peaceful, non challenging position and yes it worked 🙂
I’m in agreement with many of the above comments – it’s generally not the dog, its the owner. The most I’ve ever been scared of a dog was (as an adult) when I was attacked by tiny Westie terrier. I still have the scars on my arms. It makes me double check my surroundings if I ever have to stop and re-tie my shoes on a run. As an Aussie, I don’t need to worry about bears and mountain lions – all our deadly killers are to small for me to notice when I run!
I’m an owner of a giant breed (Wolfhound X) and a Staffordshire terrier x Australian Kelpie, One who’s general size scares people (even if he’s a cuddly gentle giant) and the other who’s herding instinct could get vicious if she was left untrained. I can’t fathom how a person could believe that it’s acceptable to raise a dog that cannot be trusted in another person (or dogs) presence, no matter what size it is. Obviously, some breeds are going to be harder to train and socialise than others, but that’s where research into picking to right breed for your household needs to be done. If a person says “I don’t have the time/money to socialise and train my dog” then they shouldn’t have a dog to begin with.
The man was walking toward a trail last year for a hike & a dog ran out of it’s yard growling & snarling. He got a knife out (he’s not a bad boy, keeps it for just such an occasion), but fortunately didn’t need to use it. The dog ran toward him, close enough to bump his leg when the owner came outside & called the dog off. Crazy!
I don’t know if you recall Charlotte but I was attacked a few years back. The lady had the dog on a leash but it pulled it out of her hands & ripped a huge hole in my upper right leg & 5 incisions in my right hand. I was doing everything right too. The dog had prior offenses – the docs here have to report dog bights to the police. She still had it out with no muzzle. I was given the option to insisting it get put down but I did not – BUT people need to be aware to muzzle the dogs! I am scared every time I go by dogs when I run now.
I can’t say that I have had a run in with any dogs while running, but a couple of friends and I had a rather scary encounter with a rattlesnake that was right next to our hiking path one summer! It wasn’t there while we were hiking up the mountain, but we were about half way back down and there it was! Scared us half to death. Like many other wild animals, snakes respond to sudden quick movements. The best thing we could do was press ourselves against the mountain wall and slowly sidle past it one by one. Luckily, we got past it without any problems.
We just had an incident in Sydney where a male jogger was taken down by 3 dogs that had escaped their property. They mauled him so badly that his heart was visible through his shredded chest. It’s a miracle that he survived. Of course the dogs were put down, but it’s so sad. Clearly they were never right, or properly trained, and the whole pack drive took over.
While there are tactics you can use to diffuse a bad dog scenario, sometimes there’s nothing you can do because the dog is just wrong. So I think the answer must be punitive damages handed out to the owners of said dogs, and a publicity campaign that drives home the consequences for doing the wrong thing. While I would never argue against the putting down of these dogs it still breaks my heart, because at the end of the day they never had a chance. They are victims too. It’s the humans responsible for them who should be hammered.
I just read about that. It is horrifying. It’s good to know he survived, but think how his life will be changed…because of the dog attack, yes, but more to the core because of a neglectful, or possibly abusive, owner. I agree with hammering the owners 100%. That owner should be responsible for all medical bills, physical therapy costs, loss of income, and therapy for that poor victim.
Totally dreadful. And a couple of years ago we had a similar incident of a dog pack escaping confinement and killing a child. The owners had already been fined for having dangerous dogs, but there was no follow up and insufficient punitive damages. And yes, the dogs were put down, but that should have happened the first time they were proven dangerous. Not that I advocate wholesale putting down for every dog that bites. Some dogs are provoked, and are only defending themselves, in which case the provoker needs to be slammed into the middle of next year. But when the attacks are unprovoked, and people or innocent animals are hurt or killed, the dogs must go and the owners should be flattened. And I’m sorry, I also feel there are some breeds that should be heavily restricted. Because genetics are genetics, and some dogs are bred to attack. It’s not their fault, it’s just a ghastly fact.
That is the same reason why I don’t want to jog in my place. There are lots of dogs and they usually barks at me. I’m scared of dogs since I was bitten by one when I was just 5 years’ old.
I love dogs but I have had a few incidents With them. The worst was from a dog that was used as “protection” that came at me when I had the girls in the stroller and they were tiny babes. I managed to scare it off with my angry voice. I don’t have a problem with pit bulls per se, but big dogs that can be great fighters need to be handled with care and well trained. Smaller breeds, even if aggressive can’t do the damage a mishandled bigger dog. Maybe owners should be required to do a course to help weed out the less responsible. I don’t know.
I was so excited about the arsenal yesterday, that I forgot to share my 2 favorite animal encounters while running. The first was a good encounter: a cross-country trail marathon and I came around a corner to find a momma cow and her calf running om the trail ahead of me. The second was a bad encounter…running on a street near my home, I looked up to see a neighbor’s jack russell running at me full bore – he looked for all the world like that dog in the movie ‘The Mask” when the dog put the mask on: ALL TEETH! He managed to bite the meaty part of my forearm right near the elbow before I was able to punt him across the yard. I do have to say that the people were really good about it when I went up and kicked on their door at 7am to tell them. They gave me paper towels to staunch the bleeding (probably helped that I’m a bleeder so it looked worse than it really probably was) and the name and phone number for their vet, who thankfully confirmed the dog was vaccinated. However, I had to go in to get the wounds cleaned and get a tetanus shot and they reported the incident to the city – which has a 2 strike rule – and guess which strike this was, yup. I felt bad, because it was the owners’ fault, they kept this dog in a crate in the garage almost all the time and he would go bat crap crazy whenever I ran past, so I really wasn’t surprised, but they can really jump! I had my arms chest high and he still bit me several times.
I’ve never been attacked while running, but my dog was. There was a Great Dane just down the block whose owner had it’s leash long enough so it could get across the sidewalk and down into the street. It had never bothered me alone, but when I ran by with my dog it attacked, and since it’s leash was so long we, on the sidewalk, were easy prey. My dog ended up with her WHOLE HEAD inside this dogs mouth and walked away with several puncture wounds to her face, eye, and neck. Mind you, our dog was a border collie/lab cross and wasn’t exactly small herself. A swift kick in the dog’s gut from my sister (thanks, Jess!) and the Great Dane finally let go. Scary. We reported it to police and turned out that dog had been moved into town (!) from the country because it would run to neighboring farms and kill their dogs. I felt bad for the dog because it clearly didn’t know how to act due to negligence on the owners’ part, but you can’t just shuffle a dangerous animal around, hoping it will finally get the idea that killing other dogs=bad. Unfortunately this made my dog very protective of me and she almost became a menace because of it. Can dogs have PTSS?, ’cause I think Guinness had it after that incident.
As for Pittys, I like them, but they are a high-energy, strong, easily ruined dog. They can be sweet or very, very nasty and it takes a very dedicated owner to keep one safely. Our best friends have the sweetest, cuddliest, wiggliest Pit ever, but they work with him ALL. THE. TIME. to keep him that way. And honestly, any pack of dogs, no matter the size of the animal, can revert to pack hunting behavior and kill. It’s just that PitBulls are so strong. So strong! (And Googling “Pit Bull” brings up a suppliment to add muscle mass to your Pit…WHAT!?)
I’ve found in my copious experience with dogs ( I love dogs) that the little ankle-biters are the nastiest, it’s just that you can shake them off more easily than a Pit.
In the ’70s they blamed Dobermans, in the ’80s they blamed German Shepherds, in the ’90s they blamed the Rottweiler. Now they blame the Pit Bull. When will they blame the humans?
-Cesar Millan
*Like*
Thanks for sharing this quote.
So true!!!
I have only had one dog encounter running. Running along the bike route/creek that goes across our city I reached the industrial side of town and 2 dogs came running at me full force, snarling and barking. Immediate panic mode set in, BUT thankfully nothing happened as I heard someone shout them (guessing they were guard dogs?) and they returned behind a fence.
Walking my dogs however we’ve been attacked so many times 🙁 NEVER ONCE by a pitbull! I’ve seen plenty on leash, and once off leash. Pit bull just sitting on the sidewalk, not belonging to anyone obviously strayed too far from home and initially I was worried but saw he/she was friendly and just walked by on the other side of the street. I called animal services and beleive he was returned. ALL the pits I’ve met have been super friendly… other breeds however….
Our girl River (passed away in Jan) was mauled by a black lab. Tore her leg up really bad – get this – THROUGH A FENCE! Wrought iron bars we walk past she stops he puts his head through and tries to drag her through the fence!!! $600+ vet bill that day. Yes dogs can suffer PTSD because River HATED black dogs after that. She became the aggressor and dominant of other dogs 🙁 Not surprising really considering that attack 🙁
Husky attacked us once and I kicked it off, it went off for a minute then was coming back for more when a neighbor in a car saw us and stopped for us to get in.
Neighbor 3 door up (since moved) their terrier came out from their front door and bit Sky’s back leg. I screamed for it to stop, kicked it. The owner came out.. guess what he said? “good dog” WTF?
Our most recent addition Pixel (60lb dalmatian) the FIRST DAY I had him we were walking and got attacked by a cattledog 🙁 About 10 days after that down the street was a dog (unknown breed) in a front yard but the gate was open. We turned round, crossed the street but it followed us, Attacked Sky. I lost my shit that day! The owners came round that night and apologized said the dog wouldn’t be out unsupervised or with the gate open and that was BS cos it’s been out a few times when I’ve driven past 🙁 We always walk on the other side of the road now too…
I told the owners I don’t blame the dog, it’s not the dogs fault… it’s the owners!
Basically I’m at the point where I’m really considering pepper spray. People need to contain their dogs. Sky has REALLY high prey drive, she’s killed birds, squirrels, mice, toads, and possums. So I don’t let her near small children or animals, just incase. No way! Because I’m responsible. I just wish people would take some ownership. Honestly I think there needs to be a test that people take (pet ownership test – like a driving test). But then I also think breeding needs to stop temporarily until the shelter population diminishes. Why are dogs breeding when 1 dog or cat gets euthanized every 8 seconds? Stop breeding!!! Or we need a license to breed!!!
Timely article. One third of monies paid out for homeowners’ claims is for dog bites.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/dogs-bite-insurance-industry-479-million/story?id=19274676
I’m torn about this issue, but I think this was a great discussion. I agree with the people who wrote that all dogs can be good dogs but the owners of a big/dangerous dog have a greater responsibility to train their dogs properly and take the necesary steps if the dog becomes dangerous. A woman out jogging was very badly injured by three pitbulls (who where not put down afterwards) in a nearby neighborhood when I was younger and my parent forbid us from running on their street (one of the nicest and most expensive in our area, btw). On the other hand, we had two police officers who lived down the street with their police dogs and they always seemed perfectly safe and kept under control, so I didn’t worry about them nearly as much. However, I get really when I see people walking their dogs off leash or on some crazy 30 foot leash that is totally slack. I’ve gotten nasty looks from people when I run into the street to avoid coming within the reach of their dog’s leash, but I just don’t trust people’s judgement about their own dogs “friendliness” (half of whom are on their cell phones not paying any attention to their dog anyway). I live in a very pedestrian heavy neighborhood with a lot of dogs and I’ve heard so many stories about dog bites and attacks (especially on runners) I just prefer not to risk going near a big dog if I can help it.
I’m not a runner, but as an avid X-C mountain biker I’ve seen lots of wildlife especialy since moving here to CO myself. On the very first ride here I started to follow what I thought was a dog on the bike path. After a while it dawned on me that it was actually a coyote.
This state is wild!
I personally haven’t had a real attack from a dog and I don’t know how I would react. Why is it mainly Pit Bull’s? I would understand if you are going on their property, but they seem to just want to attack anything moving.
We have a Doberman, and he’s a very sweet boy, but we also put him through obedience training. I must say, though, that I think it’s a bad idea to ever completely trust a dog. I mean, they’re animals. You just never know with them. Even though our dog has never been aggressive toward friends or family, that doesn’t mean I’d leave him alone with our toddler. And just because he’s never shown aggression to friendly strangers, that doesn’t mean that we ever let him out from under control when we’re walking him. I think these same rules should apply to any dog, regardless of the breed.
Ughhh that’d freak me out- yet another reason not to run 😉
Dogs can be vicious. I think it’s just instinct though. I was bitten on the face by a dog when I was about 5 and had to have plastic surgery. The dog was put down and I only have a tiny scar that people can see if I point it out but my poor parents. The met me at the emergency room to find a huge flap of skin hanging off my cheek. Can you imagine?
I live in a neighborhood where most of the dogs roam all day long. Fortunately, most of the dogs around here are very nice and I can even take my dog for a walk without any trouble. But, I admit it freaked me out a bit when I first moved here and was out for my runs to run into all these dogs wandering around. Unfortunately, one of the neighborhood dog owners who is not very responsible let his German Shepard sit in his yard unrestrained and he came out and killed my neighbors dog while he was walking him and my neighbor, being 80+ years old, couldn’t do anything to stop it. I used to work in a kennel when I was a teenager and it was always the German Shepards that made me nervous.
As a dog owner, I have mixed feelings about the “dangerous” breeds. While I know that the owner plays a huge part, that doesn’t make any less scared of big dogs. We have a big hunting dog ourselves and both the husband and I have worked with a trainer one on one with the dog when he was younger and he is very well behaved. (Mostly. He’ll still try to sneak people food if he thinks he can get away with it). But he is 80lbs and tall and fast and I am not offended if anyone is scared of him. He’s well trained, but he’s also always on his leash for walks.
My only encounter with a pack of dogs I’ve had was with chihuahuas. I was visiting my parents who live in a very rural area. Down the road from them there is a house that has tons of chihuahuas who roam free. They chase cars and I’ve almost run over them when they dart in front of my car countless times.
One day I was going for a run and as I climbed the hill by their house the “lead” chihuahua came out by itself and chased me and I sprayed it with my water bottle and scolded it until it left. I was doing a hilly out and back course so I had to run past the house again about forty minutes later. As I came up the hill from the other direction I saw the chihuahua again standing in the middle of the road. Flanking it on either side were four or five other chihuahuas spread out in a line blocking the whole road. This was on an old gravel country road and the wind was blowing the dust just a bit around them and it was like a scene from an old western. I gathered up as many rocks as I could hold and as they started to surround me as I approached I pelted them with the rocks and yelled at them in my gruff voice. The followed me about halfway back to my parents house before giving up. They were just chihuahuas so I wasn’t overly scared, but I wish I’d had a camera with me to take a pic of them waiting for me.
As the owner of a “pit bull type” dog (he isn’t a pit bull at all, he is actually a cane corso, which is a type of mastiff… legal classifications are funny), I know first hand how annoying it is to deal with breed stereotypes. While my dog has never bitten or attacked someone, I have come home to all sorts of weird notes on my door chronicling his evil adventures while I am gone. The funny thing is that he is an indoor dog who is kenneled while we are gone, so how he manages to escape his kennel and the house, terrorize the neighborhood, and return himself to the house and his kennel without damaging anything is truly amazing! Poor thing really just wants to give kisses and slobbers to everyone. Still, I understand that a 120 pound muscular dog requires a great deal of responsibility on my part! There is no easy solution to dog attacks. The best one can do is be wary on their part as dog owners try to be responsible on theirs.
Aside: once, at the end of a 7 1/2 mile run through rain, mist, and mountains, I was attacked by a gaggle of geese. No joke.
Ironically enough, the only time I have ever felt threatened on a run, the dogs were Labrador Retrievers. My two close, running friends have each been attached/bitten and both times (separate incidents), they were also Labs. I want the safest, most user-friendly pepper spray or citronella spray. Would LOVE recommendations from other runners or walkers.
I was just attacked by a dog last night. I had just left my house to run and ran passed my neighbors house and they have two dogs which both happened to be in their usual spot to eliminate. Both dogs had leaches that were being held by teenage boys. As I ran passed the German Shepard broke free. Before I could react he had pounced on my back and bit in. Thankfully their was a large tree that I kept running around with dog chasing until one of the boys was able to secure the dog . I do have pepper spray that I sometimes carry, but I don’t think their was anytime during this attack . You have to stop and take the safety off to use it and the small canister is only good for one spray. I am going to look into a taser. I am so scared to run now and so very angry about this. My daughters are runners too and It sickens me to think if it had been one of them.
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Animal lovers are stupid. They have no concern about the well-being of others just their selfishness and worshipping of their pets. Come back to reality and know that animals ARE dangerous. It doesn’t matter if you train them right, they have instincts. Some dog breeds are worse than others simply because that’s what they were made for : attacking and guarding. It’s really hard to fight off a huge guard dog but its easy to defend yourself from a smaller dog. I think dog owners : good or bad need to realize not everyone likes dogs and shouldn’t have to take animal psychology just to feel safe. I’m sick and tired of these worthless articles that do nothing to help anyone protect themselves. I would more than gladly own a gun and shoot every attacking dog, forget pepper spray but I don’t believe in owning a gun just for that. My fear of dogs will never go away but I have the right to jog in my park without fearing for my LIFE. It’s not just a bite with these pit bulls, it’s YOUR LIFE. And it’s a horrible way to die. They say, the only people that like pitpulls and the likes are ghetto people and trailer trash. Makes sense.
I have NEVER heard of a person being mauled by a small dog, or a Beagle, or even a Lab. I have NEVER heard of a person being mauled by a house cat. I get tired of dog owners (and I am one) who constantly want to defend dogs like pit bulls. IF you own a dangerous breed YOU should step up and take ownership if/when it hurts someone. We should hold pet owners accountable for the acts of their pets, no matter what breed it is.
I just came across this article in my search this evening for what to do when encountering an unknown dog on a run. I was searching because I had my first real scare this morning. I have grown up with big dogs, of various breeds that are unfairly stereotyped as aggressive, and I have never EVER been afraid of a dog. Until today. I saw the dog when I was about 100 feet away. It was large and I guessed at the breed, but that doesn’t matter. It started barking and coming towards me slowly. I started walking away, glancing over my shoulder. When I finally (after what seemed like hours, but was really only 30 seconds) got around the corner and out of sight, I ran home as fast as I could. I’m torn about carrying mace, because I wouldn’t want to hurt a dog if I misread it’s body language as aggressive when it just wants to say hello or play. But I am very shaken up just from this brief encounter.
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I took a local job 4 months ago I live in a small town in oklahoma. I run bout a mile run every morning and I leave the house at 4:30am its dark outside. I get barked at every time at leased 7-8 locations. Most everyone in town has dogs. The good thing is most as chiwawas. They run to the street at random places. What I don’t like is when I hear no bark but only running steps behind me as I’m jogging. Its dark out so I shine my flashlight to spot dogs running after me silently. Its creepy to say the leased but I always slow down and face them and shine my light on them. They stop as well or back off. But I’m not afriad only paranoid. Only I spot them they are the prey if they attack. I’m very fit and if I had to I am capable of winning every fight I’m not afraid to bleed a little. But I always try to be nice first.
We we chased down and terrified by a neighbor’s German Shepherd who had us cornered against a garage door, right across the street from the dog’s owner! Owner could care less, it took us 5 or 6 minutes to escape. Luckily, I saw where the dog came from and wrote down the address! What I didn’t know was that even if we weren’t bitten — even being chased was enough to get the cops out! YES! Thank you cops!
The Sherriff or Animal Control *can* send out people even if you don’t get bitten! Even on weekends and holidays!
1) Call the County Sherriff if its a weekend/holiday 2) Call Animal Control if its normal business hours.
They can send out an officer to investigate immediately!
About 25 years ago when I was in college I was jogging at night and I heard a growl. I looked to the left and saw a German Shepherd on it’s front porch, no owner to be seen. I kept running and the dog took off after me. No way was I stopping, and I ran as fast as I could. The dog caught up with me quickly and was growling and was right at my hip. I starting talking to the dog, saying good doggie, nice doggie, and so on, all the while still running as fast as I could. The demeanor of the dog changed, and the dog slowed to a jog and ran happily beside me, like we were out for a jog together, with this happy goofy look on it’s face. I kept running and talking to the dog, and when I reached the corner about half a block later, the dog stayed at the corner when I crossed the street. It was terrifying, and I never jogged at night again or on that street again. Even though there is advice to stop and face the dog and not run, I don’t even want to think of what would’ve happened if I hadn’t run.
Every week it seems some irresponsible owners dog is off leash and comes after my dog and I. I’ve tried changing routes but any direction I go we are attacked. I’m so sick of it! I’m going to start carrying a relay baton and mace and call animal control and the police on these morons!