Big Dog vs Pepper Spray

For years I carried a light-weight baseball bat around with me whenever I went jogging in our neighborhood. People would stop their cars and ask me if I was hurrying to a baseball game. Of course, this was just small-talk. They knew there weren't any baseball fields nearby. We live in a land of sagebrush and junipers and most of the outdoor sports tend to be associated with ATV’s.

 

I carried the bat because of big and noisome dogs. They are fenced-in most of the time. And they tend to be disinterested in leisurely strolling humans. But if you start to move faster than a general shuffle they start to bark. Sometimes they bark incessantly and aggressively. I have learned to appreciate the difference between a yapping mut (which doesn't bother me) from the growling and threatening sounds of a trained watchdog (which do). 

 

Determined dogs sometimes dig holes under fences. When they see a runner coming they hurry to the hole, crawl through, and start chasing. Sometimes owners forget to close their gates and dogs get away. Most owners are careful most of the time. But dogs are opportunistic and they love coming after old men who pretend to be running. And this is the reason I carried a bat. 

  

Last year a car pulled out of a driveway and passed me as I was jogging. The driver saw the bat in my hand, drove a little further down the road, and then stopped. Turning the car around he drove back to his house and made sure the gates were all closed. Then he drove off again. I realized that my bat was raising awareness. 

A few months later a mid sized hound came after me with her ears laid back and with teeth exposed. She was ready for a fight but when I turned around and ran toward her with my bat swinging she had second thoughts and ran home. Her owner hurried out of the back door apologetically. I was a little disappointed. I kind of wanted a fight.

 

But the bat is a bit of an annoyance when running and I had been considering switching to pepper spray for a while. I finally made the switch last month and I am still working out the details. My postman (she’s a woman) showed me the spray she uses and also recommended a taser. For my first trial I decided to use a product called Vexor pepper spray (recommended by my sister-in-law Linda). It came with enough volume to use a number of times. 

I didn’t think I would be needing it anytime soon. After all, I only get chased a few times a year. I was wrong about that. I got chased by a very big dog on Monday. The owner was working in the back yard with his side gate open. He has two dogs. One is a medium-sized dog of mixed breed. This dog didn’t bother me. The other one is a massive dog that looks like a cross between a rottweiler and a great dane - with maybe a bit of Austrian hound mixed in. I was half-way past the house when this creature came charging without notice. 

I have passed this house many times before and knew the dogs. They both tend to bark until I move past their section of the street. This time, however, there was no warning. I just heard the running feet, and when I turned my head to look, the animal was just 20 feet away and quickly gaining on me. I didn’t have the reflexes yet to grab my spray and defend myself. My instinct was to turn around and stand my ground. When the dog lunged at my face I slapped its head away and started yelling. This had the effect of deflecting the attack and the dog backed off for a few seconds. But he was not about to run away. He came at me again. But this time I was able to grab the spray and send a stream of the pressurized liquid his way.  Sadly I was not a very good shot. The stream hit his coat and not his head. But there must have been a bit that got in his eyes because he stopped and then trotted off to his home. 

I was relieved but also exhilarated. I was certainly pumping adrenaline. But with the threat gone, I kept a hold of the spray canister and continued my jog. I was glad I did. Something made me turn my head back in the direction of the dog’s house and, to my surprise, I saw the same giant beast coming after me again. This time I ran towards him with a little more room. Then I stopped and tried to take better aim. And again I missed. Or rather, I hit his side but not his head. Somehow this was good enough. I’m not sure if the dog felt any of the liquid capsaicin or if he just wasn’t ready for a fight. In any case, he turned around and ran home - not to bother me again. 

As the excitement of the moment receded and I made my way back home, I had time to rethink my options. At first I was of the opinion of using my bat again. I still may do this. My more valuable observation was that I didn’t spray the right way. I am used to holding a gun (even a squirt gun) and taking aim before I pull the trigger. I know now that this is not wise with a moving animal like a running dog. I need to be using the spray canister as if it were a can of spray paint: back and forth and up and down as the spray is released. 

It’s been three days since the incident and I think I’m going to give the spray another chance. I think it worked a bit even given my inexperience and I’m willing to give it another try. I hate to admit it, but the whole experience was kind of fun. Kathy (my wife) just shakes her head when I mention this but I can see her smirking when she thinks I am not looking. After all, old men like me don’t get too many chances like this to feel so alive.