Not on the Road, but in the Woods

We haven’t been on the road a lot since returning from our summer adventure. But we do wander the trails and paths throughout Van Cortlandt Park as often as we can.

Mondays and Tuesdays have a wacky schedule for public school teachers in NYC, so I race home on Wednesday. Kenobi knows we’re going out to explore because I change into my hiking shoes and casual clothes. I grab the camera, and we’re off!

A few weeks ago, while walking down a path, a white female dog turned down the path and charged Kenobi–head down, ears back, and tail strait back she latched on to Kenobi’s face. She didn’t have a harness or anything, so I couldn’t pull them apart. Then, a handsome blue male rounded the corner from the trail in the same stance and latched on to Kenobi on his other side. He did have a harness, so I grabbed him and picked him up. I was shaking and kept repeating, “no! no! no!” I was able to pull the blue dog off, bu unable to help with the white dog. Two kind men came to our rescue. We had passed them earlier on the path and had a pleasant greeting. They grabbed Kenobi, and the owner of the other two dogs came rounding the corner toward us. He took the blue dog from me. I fell and was eye-level with the other two dogs. I got to my feet, and Kenobi had the cheek of the other dog in his teeth. I was not cool and collected. My command was more of a beg, “leave it”–no good. The dog owner pulled the white dog. I felt terrible because she was slightly injured. Kenobi was covered in scratches and bites. A section at the top of his ear is missing.

There a reasons for leash laws. As a dog owner, you don’t know what might set your dog off. Maybe the white dog felt Kenobi was in her territory. Perhaps it was something about his sound or smell. Who knows? I have a feeling that this was not her usual self. And the human was so much farther behind them, right?

Please leash your dogs in public areas and let them off leash only in dog parks, runs, and beaches.