DOGS!!

I'm doing a 5 mile trail run on saturday and after 3 months of pounding the pavements decided to go for a run in my local woods and get use to running in mud/off-road. It was a great run, still frosty and a bit of mud and a lot tougher then I was expecting but I think I could get hooked on running off-road.

However one thing I wasn't expecting was the ammount of dogs and their walkers. I dont want it to sound like I hate dogs because I don't (I have a spaniel and have grown up with dogs in the house) or that they should always be on a lead in the countryside. But surely if you take a dog into a public place you should be able to control it! My first encounter was with a big dog and I'm sure it wanted to tear my arm off! All the owner was saying was "he only wants to play" and all I was thinking of was "of course he wants to play, with my arm once he's ripped it from my body".

The scond was with a friendly dog who decided to follow me for a mile at the end of my run. I only realised when I got back to my car and removed my headphones!! I ended up running an extra 2 miles to find the owner and then back to the car!!

Has anybody else had this experiance and how did/do they cope with it?

Hope this doesn't sound like I moan alot, because I don't, life's to short. I just want to make my running experience more enjoyable without wondering how many dogs I will end up with at the end of my run!

I normaly run trails and I come across dogs. When the dogs start barking and running in my direction I face them head on and shout at them while acting as if am picking stones and throwing at them. They normally back off when I do this.

I'm always a bit perplexed about these doggy misadventures.

I once nearly ran into a 3 legged one because it couldn't change direction fast enough -  not the dog's fault - and the same thing happened with a crazy boxer off the lead on the canal towpath - on that occasion I told the owner he needed to keep the dog on a lead and he apologised.

Apart from that they're always too busy sniffing around after the scent of other dogs, cats, rats and whatnot to even notice me.

I just wonder if there's something people do subconsciously that makes dogs look at them and think "chew toy!" 

I've only ever been followed by my own cat 

I am definetely "chew toy". I was mawled my a german shepherd on a run many years ago - owner/walker didn't even apologise. Also had a misadventure with a very exuberant puppy who scratched up and down my legs and left me dripping with blood - again, no apology. Why either dog was off the lead was beyond me, as it was clear that they were not well trained and were not under control. The first one should have been muzzled, if not put down.

I'm thinking of getting my own dog to run with, which will be super-well behaved before I let it out in public off the lead, just to show that it is possible to actually train your dog to not act like a psycho around strangers.

 I don't take any chances.

dancing in spikes wrote (see)

I am definetely "chew toy". I was mawled my a german shepherd on a run many years ago - owner/walker didn't even apologise. Also had a misadventure with a very exuberant puppy who scratched up and down my legs and left me dripping with blood - again, no apology. Why either dog was off the lead was beyond me, as it was clear that they were not well trained and were not under control. The first one should have been muzzled, if not put down.

I'm thinking of getting my own dog to run with, which will be super-well behaved before I let it out in public off the lead, just to show that it is possible to actually train your dog to not act like a psycho around strangers.

Wow - that is unbelievable.  Damn straight it should've been put down!  That's one of the things about running mainly on the streets - you meet dogs sometimes, but they're usually on leads, not running free like they would be at parks.

Try mace, you can buy it on ebay for a fiver

Stupid and illegal.  Once got sprayed in the eyes by mace - a woman was demonstrating it to me and pressed the button to show how it worked.  It burns and the wetter the surface (such as the eye ball) the more it hurts. 

Oh dear....jokes are obviously lost in here.....

Just Run wrote (see)

Oh dear....jokes are obviously lost in here.....

Not normally, maybe it's just difficult for someone who's been sprayed in the eyes with mace to see the funny side. I'm sure most readers didn't take you seriously.

Ooops.

dancing in spikes wrote (see)

I am definetely "chew toy". I was mawled my a german shepherd on a run many years ago - owner/walker didn't even apologise. Also had a misadventure with a very exuberant puppy who scratched up and down my legs and left me dripping with blood - again, no apology. Why either dog was off the lead was beyond me, as it was clear that they were not well trained and were not under control. The first one should have been muzzled, if not put down.

I'm thinking of getting my own dog to run with, which will be super-well behaved before I let it out in public off the lead, just to show that it is possible to actually train your dog to not act like a psycho around strangers.

I can't believe people sometimes!! I was knocked off my bike once riding on a single track mountain bike course. There were signs up everywhere stating this was only to be used by mountain bikers, no walkers, horse riders etc.. And the owner of the dog had a right go at me saying I was going to fast round the corner, didn't even ask if I was ok whilst I was sat there with blood coming down my face and arms

Like the thinking RicF, bet you cant get that on ebay for a fiver!

Actually you can buy it on ebay along with other legal substances (if mace isn't, I don't care either way half of our laws are pathetic) for around a fiver.

I see no reason why it would be a stupid idea to protect yourself against a dangerous dog, ie all of them. You could have a human arrested for threatening violence yet people think it's acceptable for a dog jump up at you causing actual harm?  

Run,T.

I could never shoot a dog in real life, I would probably have to shoot the owner as well. Its not going to happen. I just don't do things like that.

Anymore.

That's a joke, just in case.....

Don't worry I've got a sense of humor

Think I will just settle for a big stick!!

I did keep a particular stick at the entrance of one particular wood where I had my arse nipped by a dog.

Subsequently I just stopped going there.

I run with my dog, mostly off lead around fields and farm land. We rarely encounter anyone else, if we do see walkers / dog walkers he'll probably wander towards them before running away (he's a bit of a coward!) but I know if we see another runner I need to put his lead on - there's just something about runners that excites him and he'll want to go with them! I know he means no harm but I don't want to be one of those dog owners who's shouting 'he won't touch you, he's just being friendly'!

One time, near the end of our run I had stopped (to pick up his poo) and I didn't see an old man running past us - Diesel decided to follow; to be fair he didn't jump or bark, he didn't even run, just trotted along side him, about 2 meters to the side, until I noticed and called on him to wait. Diesel waited and the old man stopped (he was only about 6 - 7 meters away from me). I shouted an apology to the old man who asked me 'does he bite' when I said no he said 'well he doesn't have a sign around his neck saying he doesn't bite' I really didn't know how to respond to that.

I honestly can see both sides of the dogs and runners discussion: I've had some dodgy doggy encounters (one farm house I won't pass because the dog comes running out looking and sounding like he wants to kill me) but an aggressive, out of control dog is very different from a curious dog who's owner's in view. Most dogs I encounter fall into the latter category and unsully I find if I slow down or stop they're no longer iterested.

My scariest encounters have been with horses, now they are dangerous, scary beasts ...

All this makes me feel better about having to run here in London - less dangerous and/or large animals running around...

I run with my dog sometimes and he is always on a lead as he's not that good at coming back.  On Saturday we went up to our local park for a lap and encountered a massive dog (which was on a lead) - not sure if it was some kind of japanese fighting dog or something - who decided to pick my jack russell up by his back and swing him round...........needless to say I didn't hesitate to boot aforementioned big dog as hard as I could in the ribs which made him drop my dog immediately (thankfully).  The owner was mortified and couldn't apologise enough, which was a surprise, and to be fair my dog wasn't injured, just a bit soggy and shocked.  Just shows, even dogs on leads can just lunge and be nasty.  I always give dogs a wide berth when I'm running, just in case.

One thing does annoy me tho, last night I was out walking my dog on the pavement and I saw two runners coming towards me so I moved to the side and made him sit so they could pass by safely - they didn't even have the manners to say thank you.....!!!!!  As a fellow runner, it just pisses me off that they were so rude!! 

GRRRRR - rant over - as you were....  

I run a lot of miles along a railway walk which is also used by lots of dog walkers so often have "an encounter" one of which was a bite into the calf and meant 4 hours in A&E and a week of antibiotics.  Doesn't put me off because apart from the very big dogs I think I could kick the sh1t out of most of them if needed, actually I don't think most of the owners realise just how much adrenaline is flowing and they are just as likely to get the same (sort of a joke just in case)

I did have an encounter last year with a pack of foxhounds which proves just how well you can train dogs.  The Essex and Suffolk Hunt keep their dogs quite close to where I live and I was along the mentioned railway walk fairly early one morning and heard hunting horns, I was on a raised embankment part of the walk and could see a few hunstmen on their horses  down below, not dressed for a hunt but just out running the dogs.  I suddenly spotted the dogs, perhaps 20 or so  as they came up onto the embankment and ran towards me.  At this point, even though I don't imagine I smell of fox, I thought I was going to die.  The dogs continued towards me, ran past me not taking a blind bit of notice and then disappeared back down the embankment a bit further on.  I think I was smelling of something else at this point