Last Saturday my wife and I, imagining that even in our seventies we are not frail, went on a five-mile thousand-foot hike, climbing Mt. Lagalt. It is but a mile drive for us to get to the trailhead, a wide and gracious uphill climb that at a certain point becomes a narrow and steep climb. It is not dangerous, but the last part, the ascent, is a bit of a challenge. You’ve probably no idea if you are younger, but at our age, the concept of a mile becomes longer than ever before. Each of us were runners in our younger years, and a mile meant nothing. In my best days, not even approaching the really good runners I realize, I was doing 7.5 minute five mile runs, and shorter runs on occasion at 6.5-minute miles. Those were the barriers that I never broke.
My older brother Steve ran marathons, and 13-14 mile weekday runs at a 6 minute pace. But that was the nice thing about running. It was personal, required no special skill except putting one foot ahead of the other, and at the end, no matter our level, it left us exhausted and feeling we had accomplished something.
I once read a magazine piece, God only knows where, where the author speculated that there was a correlation between what they called the “runner’s high” and how it diminished. Over time longer and longer runs were needed to achieve it. Marathon runners, in his view, suffered depression, and their ability to run 26 miles, while genuinely admirable, was a sign of a deep need to find something that was becoming more and more un-findable.
Steve died at age 68, a non-smoker non-drinker who abused his body nonetheless by running it to death. On the whole, distance runners do not live longer than the rest of us. When he died (I was 61 at the time), I made the vow to live until age 70, thereby surpassing each of my brothers. Joe, Tom and Steve, each passed before me at ages 58, 69 and 68. I am now 73, but I have to tell you, even just walking, one mile is a longer distance now than ever before. Someone moved the goal post.
On this particular hike, we stubbornly undertook it without first aid or water. I normally carry a waterproof first- aid kit, and my wife always has water on hand. Not that day. I’ve got a nagging ankle, in a year-long process of recovery from surgery, and I have otherwise deteriorated due to lack of use. It is a long recovery, but the Lagalt Climb, one of ease for us before, is a necessary part of not being in our seventies, you see.
Towards the top we encountered a group of four humans and two dogs, one large, gray and lean, the other mid-sized. We stopped to chat. The terrain was a bit rough, and I moved to pass between a small boulder and the larger dog. I was wielding two hiking poles, and the dog must have viewed me as some kind of threat to him or his master. He jumped on me and bit me on my upper arm, leaving two puncture wounds behind.
No one saw it. I said to the owner “He got me!” He said nothing but kept the dog in check. His wife came to view the scene, and we rolled up my sleeve, and yes, I was bleeding. She poured water on the wound. What was most interesting to me, as I was only in slight pain, was the mid-sized dog. I was bent over as she poured the water, and I came within range. The dog growled at me, as if about to attack.
WTF? I love dogs, and never encounter this kind of rage. On the trail I never seek to pet them unless we are stopped, and then only with the owner’s permission. But one of these two dogs bit me, the other wanted to.
The rest of this story is simply modern-day life. The man who had the biting dog on leash never spoke to me, but he surely wanted to keep it under control. His wife assured us he had “all his shots”, and I wanted to test my own resolve that our bodies can endure wounds and heal, even at our advanced age.
I did not ask their names, as I did not intend to seek reparations. We would go home, treat the wound and the blood-soaked clothing, heal and get on with our lives. They meant no harm, the dogs behaved as dogs do, and my wound, which I washed clean and treated with sulfa, will quickly recover. Even at my advanced age.
I can only imagine the dog’s owner, fearing expenses and lawsuit. We encountered them on the trail on the way down in a shelter, as it was raining and hailing, and I greeted them by lifting a hiking pole in greeting, but they did not respond. I gathered they were worried, young and short of money like most, fearing that they had made a major financial mistake. I bore them no ill will. I might remind them that the larger dog is not so sweet as they imagine, but I did not do so as we did not speak. We passed them without conversation.
And that is the end of the story. I am fine, easily recovering even at my advanced age, slight harm without intent on anyone’s part, even the dog’s. They must be shivering in their boots, somehow imagining that we got their identity and are coming after them with paperwork. I deliberately asked no names, as I wanted to have courage of conviction, that there is no rabies, that Louis Pasteur was a fraud, and that shit happens.
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PS: I should add here that my nonchalant attitude is in part based on my reading in times past, that rabies does not even exist and that vaccines are a multi-billion $$$ racket. The following passage is taken from Dawn Lester and David Parker’s What Really Makes You Ill. They are by no means the final authority on the matter of rabies, and I probably should have behaved differently on Saturday, but the wound was minor, and I was neither frightened or worried. (“Hydrophobia” = rabies.)
In her essay, Dr. Morden refers to two medical practitioners who were contemporaries of Louis Pasteur but outspoken in their criticism of his work; as the following extracts demonstrate. The first extract refers to Dr. Bruette’s exposure of the fraud of the rabies vaccine, “Dr. William A Bruette, former assistant chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry in Washington, was also a contemporary of Pasteur and gave many proofs of Pasteur’s incorrect findings. Dr. Bruette has proved, as a matter of fact, that rabies vaccine is not only a fraud, but harmful. He scorns the use of rabies vaccine and states that “inoculation spreads disease.” He goes so far as to call the sale of rabies vaccine an out-and-out racket.”
Although twenty-first century vaccines are different from those used in the nineteenth century, they are all based on the same flawed theory. The second extract refers to Dr. Woods’ exposure of a major flaw in the theory about the alleged cause of rabies, “Dr. Matthew Woods, another contemporary of Pasteur, then a leading member of the Philadelphia Medical Society, wrote much on the subject of rabies. He stated, “… At the Philadelphia dog pound, where on an average more than 6000 vagrant dogs are taken annually, and where the catchers and keepers are frequently bitten while handling them, not one case of hydrophobia has occurred during its entire history of twenty-five years, in which time 150,000 dogs have been handled.”
Page 169
After treatment for gangrene and amputation of my right arm later today, I will be good as new.
Piece of Mindful 
“… the dogs behaved as dogs do…”
You missed a qualifier: UNTRAINED, or possibly TRAINED to “defend”/MAIM.
I know that you are not me, but I have uttered “Get that animal under control, or I will get YOU under control” more than once. Not necessarily from me directly… phone whatever enforcement entity is at hand. Powerful jaws (and teeth) can EASILY leave permanent damage. Those do NOT belong on public trails.
Idiots. No excuses. Should not be pet “owners”.
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I get that. She insisted that the dog had never behaved like that before, and the bite plus the growling from the other dog made me wonder if I was projecting angst as we were almost at the top of the hike and I did not like being tired. But I was not. I always enjoy interacting with people on the trail, who tend to be very nice. Dogs are very sensitive to human emotions. Maybe the owner was having a bad day. I don’t know, but I imagine that the other dog growled because of the incident with the bigger dog, and not that they were both untrained. Both were leashed.
You’re right, as we are different people.
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You are not me, DSK; however, I am entirely with you on this. A responsible pet owner would do what they could to ensure that the person on whom the bite was afflicted was fine. Ignoring it offers an insight to their lack of regard and compassion for you, Mr. Tokarski. I am just so sorry~ your benevolence is admirable. All I can say is that my people did not have much, but we were taught to be well-mannered, empathetic, gracious, and caring~ so, I guess we had everything. Thank you for sharing your experience. I think I will be EXTRA nice from now on!!!
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Other than lecturing them on the spot (even as they already knew everything I could possibly tell them), my choices were to take down their names and threaten them with medical bills. The gal was actually helpful, helping me clean up and reassuring us that the dog had never bitten anyone before and that it had all its shots. I knew there would be no medical bills, as a visit to the doctor would produce all kinds of unnecessary procedures, and probably tetanus and antibiotics, both of which I would reject. So why bother? Let it heal. Move forward, let them go.
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Just going on what you described, I’d be surprised if those weren’t rescued dogs with a history of abusive owner(s). My understanding is that dogs have two olfactory systems: one sense of smell for memory, which can go back a long way in dog years, and a second system to process immediate sensation. Possibly the combination of attitude (fatigue) and scent (long walk secretions) set the dog off on both systems. You reminded him of someone.
The dog’s dude comes off as morose, probably gives off an odor of trouble with those dogs- they know his type- but he feeds them and dog loyalty is based almost entirely on that, so I’m told.
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So sorry to hear that, nobody needs puncture wounds.. I agree with all the comments, it sounds like those dogs have some history whatever their owners say. And the guy’s behavior sounds odd. I guess if one wanted to make excuses, maybe his view of Fido as a “good dog” was threatened, so he sort of shut down and didn’t want to process it or accept it.
I had an irksome encounter with some sullen 20-somethings and their dog in the park recently. Very trivial, just strange – their large dog bounded at me sort of menacingly. I think it was testing my reaction, and I was calm and friendly, and it lost interest quickly. But I looked up expectantly because usually owners apologize or call their dog or something. This young guy made no eye contact, and the two young women, perched on rocky outcroppings around a tiny creek, stared sullenly at nothing. I’m told this is standard now for 20-somethings lol..
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This may be applicable to you Mark or no.
When our cat was not eating properly nor walking aright, we took it to the vet, and the vet said he had been bitten. After draining the pus, the vet said animals carry bacteria which caused a painful swelling behind his left foreleg – and gave him some antibiotics. Our cat was back to his self shortly afterwards.
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“The dogs behaved as dogs do”
Nopity nope.. They just have shitty owners like the two you had the disgrace to come across, Mark.
I’ve had dogs all my life, and only one bit me years ago, as she was lying on the ground after being hit by a car- thank God she recovered after surgery – I was trying to delicately turn her around to check for open wounds and blood, pick her up and carry her to my car as fast as I could.
She was in shock and in excruciating pain I believe, and she bit me on my forearm. I managed to rush to the vet, who gave me something to wipe my wound and adviced me to go to the ER myself and get a shot, I didn’t as I knew my dog and I knew my arm would be ok in a few days.
What kind of entitled asshole doesn’t say a word after some stranger got bit by their own dog? And how deluded his wife must be to just say their dog is on track with vaccinations and that’s it?
I’d sue them just for the attitude.
These folks should never be allowed to have pets of any kind.
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Not much to do after the bite, unless you wanted to call the police. But as described, I think they sounded like jerks. Especially the guy. And seeing them again and for them to not ask how you’re doing?! Nope
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If you did want to call the police and file a report, what if the couple denied it. I guess they could do a saliva test on the dog to see if it matches saliva on the wound, however you cleaned it. I’m not sure how that would work, plus it would take a lot of time, for the police to show up and track the couple down, then visit to the medical center.
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Yes, a hassle indeed, but consider: doubtless this animal, with these people, will incite a future event – with perhaps far worse results.
This may turn into a confrontation. Break out your camera, and capture images of the people and the animals. Immediately dial up the authorities. Make haste to the trailhead and capture images of their automobile and plates – if you arrive before them. However, they may hightail it to exit unidentified. If the relevant authority IS engaged, and the animal made available, I am fairly certain that a similar reaction would be easy to replicate, and appropriate action taken by the authorities.
Alternatively, inform the people that “…’attack’ dogs out of control are [put down] around here; would you like me to contact the authorities? [Of course they would not.] Please depart the trail and do not come back.” [Bring out your phone as a minor threat.]
Obviously I feel strongly about the issue. A great many of these “pet owners” are simply irresponsible. It’s not cute to have a 75# Pit Bull lunging while tethered to a flimsy 30′ leash without harness – it’s dangerous.
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