[su_heading size=”18″]Biting The Dog That Bit Me[/su_heading]

I have somewhat recovered from the trauma of getting bitten by a dog while hiking the Arbaney Kittle trail a few months ago. The owner or the dog was completely rude and unapologetic and I continued to see she and her beast on the trail after I got bitten, and I always have to move out of her way as she comes stomping up toward me with her demented dog by her side.

When I’m lucky, I see them coming and pull off to the side to let them pass as she never slows down, at other times I literally have had to jump out of her way while running down the slippery trail, landing in a snow pile that took me down to all fours. I hissed at her and received her retort, “I don’t know why you give me such a hard time when you see me. I don’t know what you want from me.” I told her that if she just listened to me, she would hear that my only request was that upon seeing me she stop, hold her dog by the collar and allow us to pass one another. Another time I spoke up again suggesting that she be more courteous, being that her dog was a freak. It took her a few seconds before she took off her headphones and made me repeat what I had said.  “Since your dog has already bitten me, do you think that when you see me coming, you could respectfully hold your dog and wait for me to pass?” Rolling her eyes she responded by telling me that since she was the one coming uphill she had the right of way. I let her in on the fact that I never reported her even though her dog left an enormous bruise on my ass. She was clear that she thought I was overreacting and should not be complaining to her. We angrily parted, my emotions now also bruised from her insensitivity.

“Who are you?” I persisted. “What type of person would behave like this?” realizing that she was just like her dog and that there would be no getting through to her. She was one of those wounded, demented people that I was best to stay far away from. As she angrily continued I contemplated biting her on her bum but decided against it. I have a temper and could easily get into a brawl but I have never sunk my teeth into somebody’s skin, it seemed way to intimate of a gesture. I had to call forth my pranayama breathing again and let my anger go to the wind. Her issues were not my own.