At 7:30pm this evening, I had the scariest moment of my life when a Pit Bull bit me.
I was riding my Onewheel on the usual commute back – a pedestrian trail two blocks away from the local train station. The path is pretty dark but my helmet and Onewheel have LED lights with good visibility of up to 30 feet in front of me.
Suddenly, a brown Pit Bull sprinted and lunged from behind an adjacent tree about 10 feet away. It was muscular and as big as my 6-year old twins.
I was riding at 12-13 mph and attempted to swerve away. But I didn’t dodge soon enough. I felt an instant pain in my right leg just below the knee. I cried out as I buckled from the dog’s weight.
The dog’s bite didn’t hold. In fact, it kinda bounced off my leg.
My biggest fear was crashing. Not because the landing would hurt and cause serious injury, but God knows what else this dog would do to me if I fell over. Fortunately, I regained my balance and never stopped.
I looked back. The pit bull was standing and staring at me. Then I saw a homeless man lying down next to his trash bags near the tree I had passed. His back was turned towards me. There was a thin, blue leash on the dog, but nothing anchored it. The leash handle was dragging on the floor.
Despite the physical pain, I dared not stop to take a good look at my leg. I just wanted to get home safely. Thankfully, I didn’t feel any blood or anything running down my leg for the rest of the commute back. Just a lingering, swelling pain.
When I got home, I was shaking. I told Mindy and the kids what happened and then sat down to eat dinner. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, it dawned on me that I should report the incident to the police as this dog could potentially harm others.
The police were thoughtful with their questions and my well-being. Their protocol, however, requires a police officer to complete a report on the condition that I had sustained an injury. Since I wasn’t seriously harmed, they deferred me to Animal Control services who will follow-up tomorrow morning.
I also inspected my leg. There’s a noticeable mark on my jeans where the dog got me. The material was slightly darkened brown, with a faded streak. I rolled up the pants and saw two very faint red lines of scratches. I called my dad, who is a physician, and he chuckled. To my relief, he doesn’t think I need medical treatment, but advised that I keep monitoring if the area gets worse. The leg may become more red and bruised, but so long as there’s nothing oozing, I should be fine.
As I reflect on what happened tonight, I’m aware that I need to be more practical, or as most folks would suggest, use common sense. To prevent similar encounters, I’ll be riding the well-lit sidewalks that follow along the busy streets. I used to avoid this brighter path since it’s filled with annoying stop lights. But now I know better.
As humbling this experience has been, I’m filled with gratitude. So many things could have gone wrong. But they didn’t. And that is why tonight’s hugs and kisses from the twins and wife were the best I’ve ever had.
Update – 10/23/18: My leg is bruised and that’s about it. I’m more concerned about the dog’s jaw when it lunged for me. No, I do NOT blame the dog at all for what happened. I most likely startled it as I was unknowingly invading its personal space. Some folks talk about putting that dog down which I totally disagree with. Also, I don’t hold any grudges against its owner who is living with little means. Just unfortunate timing and place for what happened. Stay safe, friends!