Dogs! (Read 1450 times)

That is one of my worst fears while running (or just when i walk my dogs), youre SO lucky it didnt try to bite you. I keep saying I am gonna get some pepper spray while I run, but I keep procrastinating about it. You should still call the local authorities so at least it can go on file that a loose dangerous dog was in that area in case it happens to anyone else

Pepper spray! Now why didn't I think of that. I got bit the other day on the back of my calf by a littl runt of a dog not 4 houses down from my own home. I was not impressed. I'm am going to purchase some pepper spray. We have bears here too so all in all a very good idea. Thanks Corrina

That is scary. Despite my avatar, I am TERRIFIED of dogs, especially pit bills and Dobermans (I had my arm nearly torn off by a Doberman). I have recently had a few dogs (with collars) in my neighborhood run after me...they weren't scary dogs, and yelling "NO, go home!" got rid of them...but I too think I will invest in some pepper spray tomorrow.

I cover a ton of miles and hence have had a number of truly scary encounters with dogs, notably one with a Rottweiler that almost had my running partner and I wetting ourselves. It never ceases to aggravate me how self-centered and inconsiderate many dog owners can be. Last year I had a couple walking a golden retriever (no leash of course) and it jumped at me growling. I was moving sub-6 pace and couldn't stop, so I clocked it good in the face and that knocked it over. The guys starts yelling at me because his dog "only wanted to play". Errrr. Many many encounters where I've taken appropriate action to defend myself, including punt-kicking a few small dogs as they tried to latch onto me, and somehow it's ME who's the bad guy! I chucked a rock at an aggressive dog on my long run today. That was time #2, maybe another time or two he'll remember who I am and not come out. Some of the smarter ones learn after a couple hits. My dog is unleashed and unfenced. He never, ever leaves the yard because he was taught there were stiff penalties for that. It wasn't that hard, people shouldn't be so lazy. I live in the country too and people around here are actually pretty good. There are only a few that will come out after me.

Some of my runs are done in the "winding paseos" of little suburbia...basically, they are paved trails in the canyon. My fear is the stray coyote that might come into my path...in fact when I was running the other day on the trails I thought I should probably get some pepper spray.. Because of HOAs people are not allowed to have pitbulls or dobies or mastiffs, but that doesn't mean the residents or the renters follow that "rule"...that was my other fear the other day...what tree I could get into quickly shoudl I be overtaken by a pack of pitbulls, I haven't had to run from a dog, or coyote yet, but did have to run from a bull. My inlws live in east texas..hubby and I decided to go on a run once into the pastures..and ran smack dab into a herd of the cattle that are allowed to graze on their land....the bull took one step towards us and we took off the other way. If I had been timing it, it would have been my fastest 1/2 mile ever!

Hey, my Dobes are offended by that Seriously, mine are always on leash and under control. They are all rescue dogs and despite their reputation and appearance they are really pussies. This makes us a magnet for rogue dogs. I live in rural Georgia and we have lots of them. 99 percent of the time the offending mutts will run away if challenged, but pepper spray is probably a good idea for that one percent. My stance is this--if they stay on their property, they are just doing their job. If they come into the street, I will use rocks, sticks, pepper spray or whatever is required to defend myself and my running partner (that would be Daisy, on the left in the photo).

AHHHHHHHHH! That is terrifying! Even though I got attacked by the black and tan ones, the browner ones look soooooooooo scary to me! That is great you rescue though...I could never do it...I just have to donate $$$ instead.

Since we basically don't have a leash law in our parks anymore, I run into this problem, literally, all of the time. Today I was out and a guy was walking his Rottweiler, leashed, and his German Shepherd off leash. I know well-trained German Shepherds are smarter than most humans, but I hesitated at the thought of running between her and the owner (the dog was small, so I assume she was female.) I stopped short of doing so and she stopped short and ran away to her owner. My girlfriend was running about two minutes behind me and had the same reaction and then the dog started trying to run with her. She stopped running so she would stop following her and the owner yelled "It's okay!" What? Tell me that when your dog follows me into the street! I'm rarely worried about my own safety with dogs, as I find many city dogs are very well-trained, I worry about theirs! They want to run, and I am running, why not go with me?