I have hated those retractable dog leashes since they first hit the market. Owners just let the dogs run far away from them, not caring for the trip hazard that they are unleashing - and one that is connected to their beloved pet. Those are bad enough when walking, or even driving in the neighborhood. But today it finally became an issue for me while running on the W&OD Trail behind my apartment complex.
Only a few minutes into my run, there was this man with his small dog further ahead of me, walking up the gravel hill that splits off from the paved trail that I was running on. No issues, although it was clear that the dog was on one of those retractable leashes. But they were on the side path and the dog was simply sniffing about, not terribly far afield from his owner.
Apparently, the dog took notice of me as I was approaching being even with them. And despite the fact that we were at least 15-20 feet apart from each other, and I was basically about to be running away from them at that point, the dog charges at me, barking his head off, and gets right to my leg. My worry wasn't about getting bitten (which I wasn't), but of being tripped, severely hurting myself and even the dog in the process.
The owner was a clueless moron. He just stood there until I screamed at him to reel in his dog. Thankfully, he complied without a word. Once the dog was at least a couple of feet away, I could safely get back on my way. But, boy howdy, this was the first time I was ever sorely tempted to kick a dog, and at the owner's head at that. It didn't come to that, and for that (and for the dog's sake) I am very happy.
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