I went out on my 12K circuit this morning. Being very pleased with the way I was running, my mind was off in Tra-la land.
There is, at about the 9K mark, a house where two very nasty dogs live. They used to have a go at me from the other side of a very dodgy fence. The big dog, something like a Ridgeback only smaller, in particular used to have a teeth bearing, viscious snarl. The smaller dog, a bit like a Staffordshire Terrier, put on a very scary display of visciousness.
One morning I ran buy and the fence had been demolished and work strated on a new fence. I could hear the dogs barking from the house. That was good. The fence plus retaining wall construction has been at standstill for some months and the dogs have continued barking from the house. That was good.
This morning I came back from Tra-la land with a thud when I heard the dogs sounding more like they used to when the dodgy fence existed. There is still no fence. There are viscious dogs very near. I kept running. I was no match for them so I used my tried and true defensive tactic. I turned and yelled at them...YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I have a very loud yell. I kept yelling. They hesitated. I ran for a bit. They kept coming. I turned and yelled. The big one stopped and turned. The smaller one kept coming. I kept yelling. I stood my ground bent over until my face was about 30CM from it's face. It was very nasty. I thought If I stop yelling it will have me, I have to keep this up until it gives up. I was thinking this dog could just lunge at me any second now but I can't turn away, I have to call it's bluff. I won. The adrenaline was pumping.
The dog turned. I ran.
The rest of the run was rather uneventful but there was no return vist to Tra-la land.
56:43 this morning.
6 comments:
Eeesh! What a relief to get through that one .... I am NOT a fan of dogs like that when I run .... NOT at all
I love a good dog story Eddie. What a stand-off. A great one for you to win. Who cares about winning races - that was life and death!
Chalk one up for the runners.
Your account made me think of some experiences I have over the years with dogs. I've made a entry on my Blog about it.
OMG Eddie, you are brave. So, is that street a no go zone from now on? Did you 'dob them in'? I'd hate to think what could happen if a young kid wandered along.
It reminds me of Townsville Marathon a few years ago when at around the 35k mark a dog came at me and barked but didn't bite. Not me anyway, it bit the poor bugger behind me though!
Wow! That's some run, Eddie! Glad you escaped unscathed!
Thanks so much for comments on my blog about Sunday's half marathon - it was a great day!
When I think about all the mortal terrors us runners have to face (car, bikes, etc), dogs come darn close to the top of the list. I've had my own close encounters of the dog kind and came off second best (that's a long story for telling one day). I think you handled the situation perfectly, Eddie.
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