Do you ever worry about being attacked by a dog while you’re out for a run? You know that dogs often react aggressively to people who are moving quickly. Dogs are predators by nature, and they like to chase. They also see people moving quickly toward them as threats in some cases, so they may act in what they believe is self-defense.
If you are worried, some reports show you have every right to be. One survey taken at a runners club found that around 75 percent of those in the club had either been bitten or chased by dogs.
Part of the problem is that dog owners often assume their dogs won’t bite just because it’s never happened before. While this may be true, it’s not a guarantee. One runner talked about how she raised a dog for its entire life, had no problems, and then was eventually bitten by her own dog. As such, she never trusts that owners actually know if their dog will bite or not.
Another issue is that encounters can come out of the blue, with no warning whatsoever. One young woman was running with her boyfriend when a Rottweiler exploded out of a nearby house and ran straight for her.
She tried to calm the big dog down by standing still, but it didn’t stop. Instead, it leapt up at her face. She fended it off with an arm, but it bit her arm before her boyfriend stepped in and chased it off. When they called Animal Control, they found out that this wasn’t the first time the dog had escaped.
As you can see, even when you do everything right, dog bites can and do still happen. If you suffer a serious injury, make sure you know your legal rights to compensation.
Source: Huffington Post, “Why Runners Hate Dogs,” Sophia Yin, accessed March 02, 2018