When you talk about the relationship between runners and dogs, there are two sides to the coin. The good side is that they make great companions on a walk or easy run. At almost any time of the day you will see owners walking in the neighborhood with their dog. This is good exercise for both the owner and the dog. You may even see a person with as many as five dogs. These may be hired dog walkers for the owners too lazy to get out with their pet. For some women, the dog is a guard dog. If a mugger tries to attack the woman he will also have to deal with a very protective and determined dog.
Most road races in this area will have a few runners with dogs entered in the race. The runners with dogs are placed at the end of the pack of runners for safety reasons. The dog will have to be on a short leash. If the dog veers to the side they may trip another runner that is running by the owner’s side. There is always a chance that the dog may bite another runner. This is not always the dog’s fault if the runner is abusive to it out on the course. But, the race director still has to deal with the fact that one of the runners in the race was bitten by a dog. Many of the larger races forbid any dogs in the race for liability reasons, as well as safety for the runners.
The other side of the coin is when dogs attack a runner and try to bite them. This week I have heard of two different attacks on runners. One, here in San Marcos, had two dogs confront a runner and caused enough damage to the arms and legs that he needed to go to the hospital for care of the wounds. The other incident happened in Lockhart to a woman running in her neighborhood and was attacked by two dogs. Fortunately, a man happened to be driving by and got out of his car to drive the dogs away and take care of the woman. He transported her to the hospital where she received over 200 stitches to close her wounds. Several months ago there was a report where a woman was killed by dogs that attacked her as she was walking by.
