Kathy and I have a dog that is very loving towards us but has a genetic loading to be very protective of his pack. A good part of my energy when with him is to be sure that he doesn't put his dominance trip on some unsuspecting stranger. We love him, but do not trust him. This helps me to understand but not condone how some dog owners do not step up to the plate on the responsibility dimension. But on to the case in point.
I have a bike route around my neighborhood that is kind of boring but is a good cardio workout. It goes up a steep hill, then back towards the East with another small hill, then down a steep hill to the South and loops West back to the first hill which is called Fury.
As I was going up the steep Fury grade, I noticed that there was a runner on the other side of the median with a pit bull unleashed. As with the many places where it is heads up for cars doing dangerous things, my attention ramped up. My second glance at the dog noted that he seemed to be tracking away from his master and toward my position. I was on the upper part of Fury, where my bike speed usually required getting out of the saddle to pump at about 8 mph. My next glance noted that he was closing the distance big time. No way to turn downhill, because he was already there. Saw that he was going to catch me on the hill on my bike, which would probably mean he could get my leg and possible knock me down. Not a good option for yours truely.
I turned on to a flat side street and accelerated enough to buy time to get out of the clip pedals and on my feet. I positioned the bike between me and the dog and held onto the frame of the bike to use it as a shield. I poked the bike at him and tried to not let him flank me. After doing this dance for a while, the owner showed up. He is yelling at his dog, with very little effect. After 30 or 40 seconds, he gets hold of the dog's collar and I noted how strong this animal looked. The owner said "Hey I'm very sorry man". He was a big guy and the dog was still struggling towards me. With an adrenaline powered shrill voice I said "You should have that thing on a leash", as I pedaled away from this exciting encounter.
My heart stopped pounding through my chest at about the time I made it back to home. I felt a strange satisfaction at having survived an attack by a breed of dog that is kind of close to my dog Red in its aggressiveness. I'm kind of wondering if constant vigilance may not be enough to prevent Red from doing to some stranger what had been done to me.
I have a bike route around my neighborhood that is kind of boring but is a good cardio workout. It goes up a steep hill, then back towards the East with another small hill, then down a steep hill to the South and loops West back to the first hill which is called Fury.
As I was going up the steep Fury grade, I noticed that there was a runner on the other side of the median with a pit bull unleashed. As with the many places where it is heads up for cars doing dangerous things, my attention ramped up. My second glance at the dog noted that he seemed to be tracking away from his master and toward my position. I was on the upper part of Fury, where my bike speed usually required getting out of the saddle to pump at about 8 mph. My next glance noted that he was closing the distance big time. No way to turn downhill, because he was already there. Saw that he was going to catch me on the hill on my bike, which would probably mean he could get my leg and possible knock me down. Not a good option for yours truely.
I turned on to a flat side street and accelerated enough to buy time to get out of the clip pedals and on my feet. I positioned the bike between me and the dog and held onto the frame of the bike to use it as a shield. I poked the bike at him and tried to not let him flank me. After doing this dance for a while, the owner showed up. He is yelling at his dog, with very little effect. After 30 or 40 seconds, he gets hold of the dog's collar and I noted how strong this animal looked. The owner said "Hey I'm very sorry man". He was a big guy and the dog was still struggling towards me. With an adrenaline powered shrill voice I said "You should have that thing on a leash", as I pedaled away from this exciting encounter.
My heart stopped pounding through my chest at about the time I made it back to home. I felt a strange satisfaction at having survived an attack by a breed of dog that is kind of close to my dog Red in its aggressiveness. I'm kind of wondering if constant vigilance may not be enough to prevent Red from doing to some stranger what had been done to me.
