For normal people, the harbingers of spring include the usual: green shoots, budding trees, chirping birds. So maybe I’m not normal, because all of a sudden, spring time to me means dogs. Yes dogs. Doggone it, it’s spring time and there’s one on every corner.
Just a couple of months ago I was hard pressed to see a dog or even another person out and about while running early in the morning, now with the onset of spring, everyone and everything has come out of their warm winter hideouts and at least one canine encounter is inevitable on each run. Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs...I’ve even owned a few and know some that are nicer than people . But my experiences with off-leash dogs over the past couple of weeks have left me intimidated and nerve-wracked, to say the least.
I’ve been chased by 2 small dogs in a cul-de-sac with no owners in sight, one of the dogs, a terrier, jumped up and bit me on the back of my leg...luckily I was able to remain on my feet and the dog mostly got a mouthful of my running pants, but then it chased me down a trail until I yelled at it in my sternest of voices to “go home”. I’ve been rushed at with teeth bared and the owner in weak pursuit shouting, unconvincingly, “oh he’s friendly”. Well from where I stand, lady, he’s not friendly, he’s “psycho”. I’ve had “friendly” dogs jump up and nearly knock me down with the owner verbally thinking that was “just so cute”, and on more than a couple of occasions I’ve even had dogs who think a run with me might be a better option than a walk with their owner.
It goes without saying that dogs need to be in control and should not be allowed to be at large with no supervision whatsoever not only for the dog’s own safety but for all the other variables out there...runners, other dogs, bicycles, traffic, squirrels, etc.
Runners are particularly vulnerable to attack by dogs because our running incites a dog’s chase instinct. In their brains, dogs see themselves as wolves and the runner as a caribou or a deer. Of course, not all dogs are so aggressive. If a dog has been trained properly, he won’t chase. The problem for runners is that it is impossible to tell whether a dog has been trained properly. And even if it has, it still may bite.
Dog bites are dangerous for a number of reasons. Infection can set in, even in a small bite and dogs’ teeth can puncture deeply, tearing into muscles, tendons and ligaments. If you are knocked down, you can break bones, pull muscles or incur some other injury.
So what can we do to avoid confrontation? Firstly, we can learn to read a dog’s body language. Raised ears, a raised tail, raised hair and heavy eye contact are signs that the dog is aggressive. Do not mess with this dog. If you do anything confrontational, like throw something or yell or try to chase it, you’re likely to make the situation worse.
If a dog’s tail is down, that indicates a fear-based aggression and the dog may or may not back that up with an attack.
So it’s possible a dog that’s relaxed and wagging its tail will probably be non-confrontational. On the other hand, a wagging tail doesn’t always mean a dog is friendly. Terriers wag their tails when they spot prey (and I’ve been a terrier’s prey). It’s a sign of a heightened emotional response.
It’s hard to judge what a dog will do if you don’t have a lot of experience with them. If you are unsure, play it safe; don’t try anything that might seem confrontational.
Here are some of the precautions I now take to avoid confrontation:
- I’ve made friends with the terrier in the cul-de-sac. I now carry “goodies” in my pocket and toss him a treat.
- I stay alert and if I see a dog that’s not leashed, I stop running. I try to walk calmly and fluidly, keeping the dog in my peripheral vision. I avoid eye contact with the dog and only when I am safely past the dog do I begin running again.
- I use a deep, firm voice to convey a sense of calm (even though I’m quaking in my runners).
- If a dog approaches me, I stand still and let the dog come up and sniff me, silently hoping he will lose interest and walk away.
- I trust my instincts and I don’t listen when someone says, “oh, he’s friendly, he won’t bite”.
- I carry a copy of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting and Owning a Dog” to pass on to wayward dog owners. (Just kidding...it’s actually too big to carry in my back pocket).
I’ve also made a point of reading up on trail etiquette as I’m sure the trails in my area will continue to get more populated as the weather improves. That said, no one should get precedence on public use trails, which means we should all conscientiously share the trail with walkers, bikers and other runners.
Sometimes sharing the trail goes smoothly. Sometimes it doesn’t. There’s always going to be the runner vs dog and walker, or mountain biker, or hiker. But does it have to be “versus”? Can’t we all just get along and share the trails responsibly?
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