Runner's Forum: Attack Dogs=Good Training

Ok so I was off for my morning run and about half way through it when I felt something cold and wet hit my ankle....I looked down and there was a little ball of fur chasing me, so I sped up a little to out run it. About 5 minutes later....A miniature Collie came bolting out of a garage. I jump over it and sped up again. Then I was almost done and another little ball of fur came after me again I picked up the pace. This morning was a pretty quick run......I’m just saying (Little yappy dogs=Good training) food for thought!

I've learned that those little yappy dogs are fast! There's a little chihuahua that always chases me on ene of my loops. Usually i just wait for the owner to come out and get him cause he'll keep following my the whole way. One day when no one was home i just decided i would outrun him. So i jumped at him to make him run back a bit to give myself a head start then took off. I lost him but he made me run at least a sub 60 1/4 mile before he gave up the chase.

Is it safe to try and out run dogs? I had a dog chase me into the middle of the street and i almost twisted my ankle. It really pisses me off that people dont tie up their dogs but anywho, I thought running from a dog was a really BAD IDEA, is that not the case?

Occasional dog attacks are the worst part of running in my community.  Recently, an owner shouted, "don't act frightened."  I answered, "believe me, ma'am, I'm not acting."

Amen!

I live and run out in the sticks and just about every house I pass (admittedly, they are few and far between for the most part) has at least one dog running free.  The vast majority of them stop at their property line or shortly after (no electric fences out there!) and are usually friendly, just looking for a running buddy to give them a little attention; there are a couple, however, that clearly are attempting to "protect" their territory, and they scare the bejesus out of me as they come at me barking ferociously and snapping.  Now don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE dog lover; my husband and I have a Jack Russell/Pit Bull mix, and are constantly fighting the urge to rescue more, as we don't have the room right now.  My dog is my baby, and I don't scare easily, so for me to feel threatened by these dogs, I feel, is a testament to the severity of the problem. 

There is also a beagle that would almost always follow me home over the last couple miles of my usual route.  I tried everything I could think of to get her to stay home, and I drove her home whenever she made it all the way to my house.  But a few weeks ago she took off as I went inside to grab my keys and wallet, and I haven't seen her since.  I am sick thinking about where she could be, and I feel like I contributed to her getting lost/hit by a car/starving to death, even though the blame should really fall on her owners that refused to tie her up, fence her in, keep her inside, or even put a tag on her, when they admitted to knowing that she follows anyone that she sees.

Please, control your animals!  Socialize them, keep them penned in (or preferably inside, with you, as dogs are pack animals and you become their pack when you adopt them!) and put tags on them.  Taking on any pet is a huge responsibility, and if you can't handle it, don't get one.  Dogs especially rely on their owners for proper training and socialization, and shouldn't have to suffer because of bad owners. 

Sorry about the rant, this is a subject that I feel particularly passionate about, as both a runner and an animal lover.  Both the dogs and us runners deserve to be protected!

Dogs, especially big ones, are excellent at finding out what your max heart rate is...... I had the **** (insert your favorite) scared out of me this weekend by a massive black dog...... I think the electric fence stopped him but not before he came bounding like a maniac towards me and growling....... first time my HR monitor beeped at me for going above my target zone......