I have always stayed away from dogs and when people asked me if I had had a bad experience, I would answer in the negative. That changed today. I actually just wrote a post about my relationship with animals - can dogs actually read or is this some weird jinx factor that I have aroused ?
Sunday with good weather means runners, children and above all dogs catching balls, running around, playing frisbee and simply basking in the sun with their owners. As I was humming ''Guzarish'' and walking along, a ''brilliant'' dog owner threw a ball towards the pedestrian path and I saw a tiny mean looking dog (don't know what kind) running towards it.
As luck would have it, it caught the ball just a feet away from me. I mustered all my courage and started walking away as if the dog wasn't there. Either it liked me or my shoes. It came towards my feet and my heart beat rose. I said loud enough for the owner to hear ''Ich habe Angst für Hunde'' (I am scared of dogs) and I don't know if he responded because by then I was focussing my attention on the dog that sniffed/licked my shoes and I said ''Aiyyo''....the dog probably understood Thamizh and it responded my jumping on me and I screamed !!
The dog jumped on me again and started biting my skirt (I was so glad I wore a long flowing skirt with layers instead of pants) and I am now in tug-of-war for my favorite skirt with the dog's teeth and all the while I am screaming my head off...I don't know how long this lasted, probably about 10 seconds but it seemed like an eternity to me. Finally the owner manages to tear the dog off my skirt and says ''sorry'' and walks away as if he just bumped into me !!!
There I am in the middle of a large ground, with a torn skirt, completely shook up, scared, embarassed with tears welling up in my eyes. I managed to pull myself together and started walking home (it was at least 1 km away) and I start wondering at how irresponsible the dog owner was and how I should have made him pay for the skirt !! I was also wondering about how no one in the whole place even offered to comfort me with a perfunctory ''are you ok'' !
I was hurrying to get home when I notice another dog running towards me and while I am thinking how in the world I am going to muster strength to deal with it, a Turkish guy stopped me, held my hand and said ''don't move'', the dog came, smelled me and left. He then says he saw the whole episode and he was shocked at the dog owner's behaviour and that I should go home and make sure that the dog did not actually make skin contact. Finally before leaving, he tells me ''never let a dog know you are scared''...I made a mental note to remember it but then its a whole other issue when you actually have to do it, right ?
I came home, took a dettol-shower (yup, I still use dettol!) and was relieved to find there were no teeth marks anywhere. I looked at my torn skirt and I remembered what my appa used to say whenever I bought any ragged looking, faded clothes in the name of fashion - ''ennadhu idhu, nai pidingina madhri irukku?''....for once, its actually true !!
I am a vegetarian and I have never knowingly hurt an animal but if it has to stay that way, all you pet owners out there, for God's sake, keep your pets to yourself !!!!
sooo saad.. edhuku walking ellam? amaidhiya IPL finals paathirukalam la :P
ReplyDeleteyour body language means a lot as to how a animal reacts! never run in front of an animal. never make eye contact with it. especially when it is threatening.
ReplyDeleteHope you are ok! Very bad of the dog owner. But he was probably worried that if it got all legal his animal might be destroyed. so dont worry. but be careful next time. animals can smell fear a mile away literally!
@Pranaav
ReplyDeletenyayamana kelvi !!
@Rakesh
yes, am ok, thanks but its going to take a while to shake off this fear memory and to adjust my body language according to your tips
Achicho!! i can't believe even animals started reading ur blog!!(instant reaction for ur pet-hate blog)!! :)
ReplyDeleteTake care and take it easy..
//I am a vegetarian and I have never knowingly hurt an animal //
I feel the first part is little cliche'd. Do u mean to say if somebody is non-veg then maadu vandhu muttum??? :)
In the context of hurting/killing animails, I generally mock people who pride themselves to be veggies as.. "I agree you are a SILK loving LEATHER sporting Veggie"
hehe welcome to the league of "bitten by pet dogs" but super coincidence la yest u rite abt it, today it nearly had a bite of u.. probably, the God, wanted to u to face ur fear, the dog :)...
ReplyDelete@Bharath
ReplyDeleteThe 'vegetarian' part was to explain that although I am not fond of animals, I still was not for seeing something killed or hurt.
I totally agree with your silk and leather logic because in that context no one is a vegetarian, there are eggs in chocolates, shampoos and noodles, not to mention how all the medicines and cosmetics we use are tested on animals first in many cases.
Since the dog was tiny, I was so tempted to kick it away but couldn't bring myself to do it but I am worried that I won't have the same patience next time and hence my warning to the pet owners!
My friend in India had same kind of experience. He is scared of dogs. He went to a movie and came home at 12.30 in the night. When he was approaching his home he found a dog was standing at the beginning of the street hence he took a U turn and tried to enter other end of the street and again there were some dogs. My friend was telling like the dogs surrounded me and started chasing (Ellam onnu kooditangaya onnu koodeetangaya - Vadivelu style). Fortunately somebody came to his rescue. He had a bad experience with the street dogs.
ReplyDeleteI just wrote in ur other post abt fear and dogs.. yes its true Dogs can smell your fear, I used to so scared of dogs because of a bad episode of being chased by a street dog in India, but now I am fond of bushy huge dogs.
ReplyDeleteHope you are ok and take care, dont let the fear get to you!!
I read your post the other day. The next day morning when I went for a walk, an owner with his dog was coming on my opposite direction. Suddenly when they came closer the dog was about to jump upon me with a "irrrr" sound.Soon the owner pulled the rope tightly to his side. Otherwise, like you I would also be a victim to a dog. I don't know whether dogs in all countries have read your post or what? It's terrible for me at that moment and I could understand very well how u would have reacted.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry !!!Hope everything gets cool and normal.
Such a mean 'owner'... no wonder the dog was so mean too. A scream from you might have invited a few helpers.....
ReplyDelete@Priya H
ReplyDeletethat was the thing...I was screaming my head off (atleast that's what I remember from those few panciky seconds) and noone helped or offered to except that Turkish guy (God bless him!)
Yeah guess dogs are too smart..I have a friend who is dead scared of dogs and similar incidents happen to her too often...I kinda got used to dogs because of my early morning runs and my community peopleku..pasanga irukkalo illayo aluku oru naayi valappa...so too many dogs...funny part is we have a dogs playground but nothing for the kids...andha alavukku they outnumber the kids ..Aditi.. my God is sooo fond of animals that she literally pounces and hugs any dog she sees...so we have her b'day party at a farm celebrabing with all aadu maadu panni and kozhi :)...she will be thrilled tommorrow....take care anyways :)
ReplyDeletehahahaha..:) funny story..:)
ReplyDelete