Exactly a year ago, I was running in DC, down Embassy Row, to be precise, on an easy evening run when a dog ran at me from behind and bit my arm.

You might be wondering, “How on earth did that happen?” or “What did you do to provoke the dog?” Truth be told, I don’t really know as it happened so quickly. (Warning: There is a picture of my bite below. If you don’t like blood, don’t scroll!)

I was crossing at a pedestrian crossing, right by the Islamic Center of Washington, DC,, when I spotted the dog, a German Shepherd, walking with his owner. I did what I always do when I see a dog: I gave it plenty of space. I didn’t creep up from behind; in fact, I ran a couple of steps into the road to stay even further out of his way. (German Shepherds do make me nervous as we used to have one at the end of our street in the home I lived in as a child and it felt ferocious to me.)

As I stepped back onto the pavement, now a couple of metres in front of the dog, I felt a sharp pinch on the back of my arm. When I glanced underneath, I saw three puncture wounds starting to bleed. At first, I thought the dog might have jumped up and scratched me, but then I saw the very long lead, and realised it was a bite.

Perhaps I, or maybe even a passing car, had unintentionally spooked the dog. Regardless, the owner was on his phone and not paying attention and I don’t think would’ve done anything if I hadn’t’ve stopped right in front of him. I looked up at him, looked back at my arm, and he finally took out his headphones and looked back at me.

Me: Did you see what your dog just did?

Dog Owner: Oh yes, are you OK? 

Me: Uhhh… not really. Your dog bit me. Is he healthy?

Dog Owner: Yes, of course he is.

Me: Is he vaccinated?

Dog Owner: Yes.

Me: Can you please give me your contact details so I can follow up? I need to see the vaccination records.

Dog Owner: Stares at me, puts his headphones back in, and continues his slow walk down the road.

Me: (shouting) Uhh, hello! Is that it? I need your information? Your dog bit me and that’s not ok.

Dog Owner: Keeps walking with his headphones in.

At this point, I really wish I’d called the police, but I didn’t. I think I was in shock both from the dog bite and the owner’s response. I’m always nervous of people in the US, as they can carry guns, so I crossed back over the road and carried on along my route, trying to decide what to do. The man and dog were still ahead, and I didn’t want to get near them, so I turned up a hill and headed for home – he clearly wasn’t going to help me in any way. The bite wasn’t too sore and wasn’t bleeding much, so I figured I’d jog slowly back.

On the way home, I popped into an open CVS pharmacy near our apartment, to see if someone could help. I showed the wound to the pharmacist, who confirmed it was a bite rather than a claw scratch (it was tricky for me to see, as it was on the back of my arm). As it was late in the evening and it had pretty much stopped bleeding, he suggested I shower and clean it thoroughly, then contact my doctor in the morning.

I did exactly that; showered, cleaned the wound, and applied antibiotic cream and then the next morning, I called my doctor and got a quick appointment. She was incredibly kind and helpful. She recommended a course of antibiotics because dog’s mouths are full of bacteria and, after consulting with DC Health, advised that I get the rabies vaccine. Although rabies is very rare in DC, because the dog owner wouldn’t provide any details of his pet’s vaccinations, we didn’t want to take the risk.

For those who don’t know (I didn’t), the rabies vaccine is a course of four injections, and in Washington DC, you can only get them at the ER or one of very few urgent cares. Over the next three weeks, I made multiple trips to my local ER, where I was treated by the kindest doctors and nurses. I waited for hours each time, spent $1,200 despite having insurance, and was always so grateful to have access to the vaccine. Over the course of a couple of weeks, my bite healed, first bruising in the most amazing purple and green colours, then it started to ache, and eventually, it all cleared up. Now you can just see the tiny little scars from the dog’s teeth – nothing more. I am very fortunate that it wasn’t worse!

DC Health and Animal Control were also fantastic. They checked in regularly to make sure I’d got the vaccine, and they took details of the dog and owner so they could patrol the area. I had taken a few fuzzy photos on my phone, which I’d shared with them but unfortunately they couldn’t be found. I suspect the owner was a contract worker, only in town briefly, and probably changed his walking route after the incident – I know I would’ve!

Preventing Dog Bite Incidents While Running

While I’ll never know exactly why this happened, I have changed how I run around dogs so that I’m even more careful than before:

• Give wide berths to all dogs, especially those on extendable or long leads. They can move further and faster than you expect.
• If a dog is approaching, slow down or stop rather than trying to run past quickly. 
• Avoid sudden movements and direct eye contact with unfamiliar dogs, as both can be seen as a challenge.
• If a dog charges towards you, stand sideways, keep your arms by your sides, and remain calm until it loses interest.
• Keep an eye on the owner because if they’re distracted on their phone, they may not notice their dog’s behaviour.

Reporting a Dog Bite

If you’re bitten by a dog and the owner isn’t cooperative:

• First of all, look after yourself and make sure you get medical care.
• Call the police immediately while you’re still at the scene (I wish I’d done this!)
• Contact Animal Control or your local health department to report the incident.
• If possible, take photos of the dog, the owner, and your wound for records.

Try to get the owner’s details or their vet’s contact information so you can confirm vaccination status.

What I Learned from the Incident

• It’s the owner’s responsibility, not the dog’s fault.
• Give dogs a wide berth, even if they look friendly as they can easily be spooked.
• Distracted owners can be just as much of a hazard as aggressive dogs. There are many responsible owners out there, and a few irresponsible ones, who need to be held accountable.
• Always ask for proof of vaccinations after a bite.
• If the owner refuses, report it right away.

If you live in the DC area, you can find more advice here:
DC Health – Dog Bites