When you associate with dogs all your life, sometimes things can go wrong. When I see parents allow their children to walk up into the face of a dog, I always issue a warning. Even dogs that I know are friendly can sometimes pose a threat.
My first encounter was with the family dog named Boots, when I was very small. Boots knocked me down on the brick steps and I hit my head on the corner of the brick. This left scar number one. A little later we had a nearly blind Cocker Spaniel that loved to chase a ball. One day while playing with him, he bit me in the face. This left scar number two. The German shepherd that was chained in the yard up the street attacked me one day. Fortunately he ran out of chain, as I turned to run, and he only ripped the back pocket out of my jeans with his foot.
When I was in high school I worked in a veterinary clinic. Getting bit on the fingers was an everyday occurrence. One day a man, who was boarding his Boston terrier, handed me the dog by sticking it in my face. The dog bit me on the neck. I didn’t throw the dog down, but I did bowl a strike with him across the tile floor. The man got very angry, but as I stood there with blood running down my neck, it became obvious that I was not the one at fault. This is scar number three.
There was a rental house on dad’s property and our dog pens were behind this house. There was a small cinderblock building next to the dog pen and this is where the dog food was stored. Back then you could go to the State Farmers Market and buy dented cans of dog food for a nickel. One day a bird dog, Pointer, showed up at the shed. He was pretty worthless as a bird dog so he became a yard dog. His claim to fame was the fact that if you opened both ends of a can of dog food and shook the contents into the air, He could eat it all before it hit the ground. He was also very happy to demonstrate this talent for anyone who wanted to feed him. One night the man renting the house decided to scare his wife. He parked his car in the road and walked up the driveway. When he got to the top of the drive the bird dog attacked him and chased him back to his car. The surprise, scare and the scar were on him.
Our coon hounds were very protective of their home. They also would get very excited on a hunt, especially at the tree. I saw a man get the seat ripped out of his overalls because he got too close to the tree. One of my hounds, whose name was Trouble, would not let strangers get out of their car at the house. I remember one Sunday morning as I was leaving for church with my coat and tie on, Trouble attacked me. I thought at first he must have rabies. I said “what’s the matter with you” and when I spoke he started wagging his tail. He didn’t recognize me in my suit.
When we had the coonhounds we would enter them in field trials. We participated in several events. In one event the dogs were shown a coon in a cage. The coon was then taken across a field and hoisted up into a tree. The first dog to bark treed was the winner. The hounds got very excited in this event. I was holding Trouble at the starting line, when a beautiful Red Bone hound bit me on the upper arm. When I pulled away he held on. I was looking down his nostrils. As I back handed him, his handler pulled him off. They took a Q tip and ran it down about two inches into the hole in my arm. Yes, scar number 4. For the rest of the afternoon guys would walk up to see the hole in my arm. A couple of them said that if a dog had done that to them they would kill it. I told them that I felt the same way, but when he turned me loose I was willing to forget the whole thing.
Anyway, I love my dogs and wouldn’t take anything for the wonderful experiences I have had with them. So, if you are letting your children run up and hug dogs, don’t! The risk may be greater than you think.
