It’s a beautiful, unseasonably warm Saturday in Bend. I have a paid baby sitter entertaining my two minis so I can ride as long as I want. Although it’s gusty, I’ve opted for a trail ride, and feel smart as I imagine my husband and his pals riding their road bikes on the open, windswept roads east of Bend.

I ride C.O.D., which is reportedly in good shape compared to some of the other trails in Phil’s, and as I ride under the rock outcroppings I think of mountain lions. For some reason that trail, more than others, makes me aware of my appeal as a tasty snack for a big kitty.

I push the thought from my mind, as I always do, and had a great ride up to Storm King. Coming back down, I clear some tricky sections and, feeling pretty darn sassy, decide to add a loop and extend my saddle time. I’m cruising on fast, tacky single track when a couple of animals jump from the brush onto the trail in front of me.

I’m relieved to hear tags jingling, and realize they’re just dogs—not mountain lions. As a frequent trail user, I’m fairly desensitized to off-leash dogs, and most of the time ignore them. The majority of them seem to be friendly and curious, if not particularly well trained, as I often have to brake and dismount to avoid running over a happy, panting dog running right into my front wheel.

I don’t see a person, but figure the dogs will run back to their owner, and notice a third dog running up to join the others. I can tell they’ve turned around to run next to me when I feel a piercing pain in my left leg. I look down at the dog that’s just bitten me with disbelief.

I yell for the owner, and see her running toward us from a distance. When she comes up, she knows which dog of the three bit me without me saying so, and is clearly distressed. I’m dropping F-bombs and unzip my leg warmer to see a puncture in my leg. Great. I know enough to assume I’ll need a tetanus shot, and say so. Meanwhile, I don’t ask for her information. I think she’ll volunteer it. But she doesn’t. She only offers that the dog has had its shots. I’m confused, and leave.

My response isn’t unusual, based on both expert and anecdotal verification. “You were just bitten,” says the deputy who ultimately takes my report, when I admit my gaffe. His tone suggests I’d expected too much of myself, and I can’t wait to tell my husband, who is furious with me for not getting the owner’s information. A friend who’s an orthopedic surgeon—and a practical, cool customer—was bitten last year while riding in Phil’s. She assures me she did the same and bolted without exchanging information after she was bitten.

Ironically, I remember having checked my Pearl Izumi leg warmers for damage, thinking I’d need to ask to have them replaced. But I didn’t think to ask for the same consideration for my physical self. (Typical biker: the first thing we check after a crash is our gear.)

After being bitten, I head home and use the rest of my babysitter time to hit the urgent care for a tetanus shot. The doctor, who tells me she was bitten by a dog in her neighborhood while running, checks the wound and tells me it’s a crush injury and will be sore. She encourages me to report the incident.

I feel silly calling the Deschutes County Sheriff’s non-emergency line to report a dog bite, and say so to the deputy who takes my report. “Oh no,” he says. “You have to report these things. What if it was a child?” This hits home.

In dog-centric Bend, I expect my experience to be minimized as random, and worse, somehow my fault for not managing someone else’s dog during my ride.  However, the most dogged, canine-adoring members of my posse respond with more than sympathy. They are concerned that experiences like mine give Dog Love a bad name, and could potentially threaten off-leash access for responsible dog owners.

“We don't want to put restrictions on people, but we do want everybody to have a good experience in the forest,” says Jean Nelson-Dean, the Public Affairs Officer for the Deschutes National Forest. “It’s more than just our management. It’s people taking personal responsibility and respecting the needs of others.”

Two of my friends share heartbreaking, personal stories of having to put aggressive dogs down. They felt it wasn’t worth the risk of having a hostile dog, one that was increasingly showing signs of being a four-legged time bomb, and made an incredibly difficult decision.

“People have to be accountable for their pets,” says Lieutenant Shane Nelson of the Deschutes County Sheriff. “Your dog has to be under your control—and that can be by voice command—but only if the dog listens to you.”

Nelson leashes the dog he’s owned for ten years when he’s around other people because he says he’s just not 100 percent sure how the dog will react. Nelson-Dean, who is also a dog owner, agrees. “You can't totally predict what a dog is going to do,” she says.

So what should you do if you’re bitten?

“The first thing is to make the situation safe,” says Nelson. “You need to be prepared to defend yourself against the animal, and have the owner get control of the animal.” Depending on the severity of the bite, you may need to get immediate medical attention. Otherwise, get the owner’s name and contact information and report the incident to the authority with jurisdiction.

Unlike an attack in your neighborhood, where it’s reasonably easy to identify the owner of the dog, one in the woods puts the victim at an unfair disadvantage. Although you can request the owner’s information, they do not have to give it. In this case, Nelson suggests gathering as many details as possible, including a license plate, and calling authorities immediately.

“We really want those dog bite reports,” says Nelson.

Ultimately, I’m able to connect with the dog owner—Bend is small town—and she is sincerely contrite and offers to pay for my tetanus shot. More importantly, she assures me she’ll keep the dog that bit me on a leash from now on.

“County code dictates that the owner of the animal has to have complete control of that animal at all times,” explains Nelson. “People will tell you their animal is friendly, or doesn’t bite. But if you don’t feel comfortable around the animal, ask them to get control of it.”

So how will this experience change the way I respond to off-leash dogs on the trail? Please don’t be upset if I yell authoritatively at your dog, to establish myself as the “alpha,” as I was advised to do by some of my dog-loving friends. I might not say, “It’s OK,” when your dog forces me to yield the trail. And I might ask you to restrain your dog, especially if my minis are with me.

Written by :

TSWeekly

 

Comments (7)

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written by Jon Jegglie , May 18, 2011

Pepper spray. Buy it. Carry it. Use it.

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written by Jeff Perry , May 18, 2011

For an eye opener about the rampantness of dog bites in this country, go to dogbitelaw.com, especially the statistics page.

http://dogbitelaw.com/dog-bite-statistics/the-dog-bite-epidemic-a-primer.html

It is a shame but probably the only solution is significantly painful financial penalties. Too many dog owners have little consideration for other people but they will care about their own wallet.

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written by Jake Reyna , May 19, 2011

You should always carry pepper spray for protection from animals and humans. It's unfortunate that dog owners let their packs terrorize trails. My suggestion if you have multiple dogs is to find the trail less traveled, that's what I do.

Seems like everyone carries a cellphone, all are equipped with cameras. Take pictures of the dogs and owner.

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written by Jodie B. , May 21, 2011

Great article. I was bit at Phil's a couple years ago & now carry spray or run with a friend's dog. Had the same reaction after a German Shepherd bit me while running. After I screamed in pain, the dog ran back to its owner who was way out in the brush. She said the dog 'nips' as a friendly gesture. Because it still hurt, I finally checked it at the parking lot. I waited at the trailhead to show her the bleeding puncture wound. She'd adopted the dog 3 days before from the pound. Of course she felt terrible, and I forgot to get any info... I still get nervous when any dog approaches me on the trail, even if the owner says it is friendly.

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written by Jan G. , May 22, 2011

I hope your article will encourage more responsibility on the part of dog owners, but I tend to agree with the writer who suggested a hefty fine and payment of medical bills is the best way to get the owners' attention. The only way this can happen is if you get the info at the scene and report it.
As a dog owner I resent the irresponsible owners who allow aggressive and/or untrained dogs to be off leash or at a dog park. They make it difficult for those of us who are responsible.

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written by Mark G , June 06, 2011

I'm a dog owner and out-of-control off-leash dogs bother me just as much as you. Every couple of weeks I'll be rushed by some dog with an owner way to far behind shouting "oh he's friendly, don't worry!" No, he's not, I can tell from his body language and so can my massive on-leash pit. My dog's a rescue that came to me with some issues and I've spent thousands of dollars and hours working with him to the point where he's well-trained. Since he's a pit and the other dog is "friendly" I still end up at fault if these situations go badly. I avoid almost all dog-allowed trails because if this problem and it infuriates me that I can't go hiking with my dog.

Report it every time. I wish park rangers would do more to enforce the law.

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written by A. Shriner , June 13, 2011

Thank you for this article and for publishing the comment above. It really seems like off-leash dogs are turned a blind eye to here, and I am also frustrated in attempts to walk our dog within the parks and city streets of Bend. He is a sweet, well behaved large breed dog who loves people- but happens to not get along with other canines. It would be great if we could just mind our business and walk along the river, or through Shevlin Park-places that are clearly marked as "leash required"-but unfortunately for us, and sadly for him, this is not an option because these laws are blatantly disregarded, and dogs are allowed to run free with their owners barely in tow. I hate to say this, and I say this not as a threat but a warning:if our dog (leashed) is approached by an off-leash dog and it gets close enough-which many nearly have-he WILL bite. And as far as I know, while we would do everything in our power to prevent this from happening, we can't be held liable if your dog is loose in a posted leash area. Since we don't want to deal with any problems we have been reduced to walking him in our neighborhood-in a pair-one person to hold him and the other to shoo away dogs running at us out of houses and yards into the street, which happens at least every 2 out of 3 times we walk him. It's ridiculous. I have lived in many places and never seen it this bad-why are leash laws not enforced around here??
On the other hand, I FULLY support dogpac and the creation of spaces for dogs to run free in the wild. We just won't be going there.