Please, please, control your dogs
“Don’t worry, he doesn’t jump,” said a woman as she was walking with a friend and three dogs along the Paul Stock Nature Trail toward me.
That comment came after the smallest dog had already put its front paws up on my leg – despite my firm command not to jump on me – as the non-jumping, large, shaggy red dog approached. She was correct, the red one behaved well, as did the third, lanky one.
None of the dogs were on a leash. And later I saw the red one chasing a petrified, fleeing fawn on the single track ahead of me. I screamed at the pursuer, which did halt its chase, and hoped that somehow doe and fawn were able to reunite.
Do I dislike dogs? No. Do I dislike dogs that aren’t tethered? No. Do I dislike dogs that don’t respond to voice command? Yup.
Worse, their handlers seem oblivious, and sometimes don’t even apologize or even understand that a dog, even a small one, can knock over someone who’s using the same trail.
Worse yet is an incident that occurred earlier this summer on the same trail. A friend was running one day when she spied a person headed toward her with a large dog, unleashed. She slowed and moved to the side of the trail, to avoid an encounter. Her maneuver didn’t work.
The dog ran at her, and bit her left hand and hip. Do you think the handler offered an apology? Wrong. The person told her she should have stopped running! Huh?
Fortunately, she was able to walk up to the hospital and get treated in the ER. Fortunately also, she later learned the dog was up-to-date on vaccinations.
A similar incident occurred also this summer to our older son who was biking on San Juan Island – another large, unleashed dog attacked him, biting his hip and tearing his shirt and bike pants. Apology? None. Help getting to the hospital? Another no.
Indeed, most dogs and their handlers behave in a civil way, but the bad ones do leave vivid memories. That’s unfortunate and so easily remedied.
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