I had an unsettling encounter in Cedar Beach one morning last February and I wanted to share it as a cautionary tale. I had run past a lovely (leashed) German Shepherd and was astonished when I felt its teeth grab my hip and hold on. This bite caught me completely by surprise and I realized that I had never considered what to do in such a scenario. Dog bites are not an uncommon occurrence and I wanted to share my experience (and mistakes) with others in the hope that they may be better prepared than I was if this happens to them.

Although I don’t blame myself and do not believe I provoked the dog, I was running with my AirPods and may have missed any growls from the dog or warnings from the owner. Given that the woman didn’t apologize after I shouted, “It bit me!” I’m not sure that being more alert would have mattered. My first instinct was to get away from it, but in retrospect, I probably should have had a quick conversation and asked the person walking the dog if it had had its vaccines.  If I had felt more comfortable, I would have asked to see the dog’s rabies tag or taken a picture of it. At the time, I just wanted to get away and it wasn’t until later that I realized the bite had broken the skin.

I finished the run, took a shower, and went to work. As the day progressed, I read a bit about dog bites and became increasingly worried about rabies or other diseases. I had washed the area, but decided it would be wise to err on the side of caution and get it checked out, so I went to the LVHN Urgent Care on Tilghman Street. When I walked in, the receptionist told me (without inquiring why I was there) that since this location bills as a hospital, I might be better off going to another site. Based on that, I went to another LVHN location (after stopping in a St Luke’s first by mistake). 

I asked the physician’s assistant at the second place if it was possible to wait and decide later to get rabies shots, but he told me by the time you see any symptoms it’s too late. And you’re dead. Yikes! He seemed to think that was very unlikely the dog was infected, but at this point I had freaked out enough that I didn’t want to risk it. And guess what! Rabies shots are handled only at the Urgent Care location. So back I went to where I started.

I had heard that rabies shots were painful, but I didn’t want to take any chances that the dog might be sick. I’ve read Old Yeller! The women who treated me could not have been nicer. (One was also a runner!) They reassured me that doing the shot treatment was the right course of action. I also learned that bats are among the most common rabies carriers and if you find one in your house, you should go ahead and get shots because it has probably bitten you. Okay. Good to know!

They gave me a numbing agent and a series of four injections, two in the wounds themselves, and one in my other hip and a shoulder. I’m a pretty stoic person and, although not fun, the shots weren’t too bad.

I gave the staff what information I had about the incident (not much regarding the dog) and it was reported to Animal Control. I received a letter a few days later and was instructed to call when I finished the protocol: three more rounds of shots. Fortunately the later ones hurt no more than a typical flu vaccine. I sported quite a bruise for a few weeks, but eventually it went back to normal.  

What I learned from this incident was to be a bit more cautious about dogs moving forward. Most are fine, but a rogue one can really ruin your day! I was pretty hard on myself for not getting information or taking a picture, but later had to give myself some grace. I was a bit shaken up and the person walking that dog had a weapon and wasn’t afraid to use it! She also may have lied about the dog’s status if I had thought to ask. I also learned to tell someone why you are at a location before leaving it!  Sharing the reason for my visit at the start would have saved me a good bit of time.

As a dog owner, I made sure my own animals wear their tags and if they ever bite someone I will offer the information that they have been vaccinated, showing proof if needed. During the next run following the incident, I did shy away — for a moment — from an adorable golden retriever puppy. But it was just too cute and after the owner assured me it was friendly, I stopped to give it a pat. This bite experience made me realize that an ordinary event can turn unexpectedly serious and that being prepared matters. Still, I’m not giving up on running — or dogs. I’ll just give them a bit more space in the future. 

– Sheri Miltenberger