Tales of Walks, Dogs, and Pepper Spray

As many of you know my friend Natalie and I have been walking as of late. I am in pursuit of my vanishing waistline and it is great to walk with a friend. Anyway, part of the joys of living in rural Montana is that you deal with things like deer, rabbits, and loose dogs. Natalie walks her dog with us and for the most part he is well behaved. However a couple of weeks ago while walking a loose pit bull attacked Natalie's dog (big yellow lab) Her husband was with her and managed to get the dog to leave but it shook us all up pretty good. Natalie and I generally walk not only with the dog but usually with the little kidlets as well. Our husbands both threw out various ideas and long story short we ended up with a can of bear spray as protection.

We have walked almost every day for several weeks and have not seen the dog again but when we walked on Friday there was a loose dog in the same area. After having not needed the spray it was left at home so we turned around and just walked a different route.

Today we decided to walk prepared. Do I really need to continue this story -- I am sure that some of the peanut gallery is already putting two and two together.

Oh well...... my dignity is already lost I may as well continue.

I was desperate for a walk today. I have been basically cooped up for the past three or four days with sick kidlets. I missed walking Saturday and Sunday so I was really looking forward to getting out with Natalie today. We met at our usual time and headed out. We walked maybe 1/2 a mile and we saw that there were three unfamiliar dogs that looked loose and a little rambunctious. I was pushing Natalie's daughter and grandson in the stroller. My kids are home sick. Natalie leashed her dog and took the safety trigger off the pepper spray and we proceeded with some trepidation. Well, we got closer and out bounds this HUGE puppy. Pretty thing and very friendly. We breathed a sigh of relief and went to continue our usual walk. Duke (Natalie's lab) and Macker (the puppy) started playing. Mind you......I should have prefaced the roads right now are slick as snot (gross expression I know). SOOOOO extra super icy. I was picking steps as carefully as possible.

The dogs started jumping around and playing a little more roughly, running and then slipping on the ice. I heard Natalie yell - WATCH OUT - a second before the dogs collided in to the back of my legs. Natalie was struggling to get Duke unleashed before he killed us playing with Macker. The dogs run into her, knock her over and I feel a high-pressured thump in the middle of my back. Like one of those slow-motion spaghetti type movies I hear Natalie yell GO! GO!!! and I start moving as quickly as possible out of the wafting cloud pepper spray........

When the dogs knocked Natalie over she hit the trigger and the pepper spray loosed. Thankfully not all of it and thankfully not directly in any one's face. Unfortunately Natalie ended up with some in her eyes and my right eye was watering profusely just from the little around me in the air. We walked forward as quickly as we could leaving the area and the lingering cloud.

However when we returned I am still not entirely sure what happened -- maybe the wind changed and blew it off of my jacket? -- maybe the dogs were carrying residue??? Maybe my hair had enough in it to blow in my face??? I might have mindlessly touched the sleeves of my jacket and then my eyes??? Whatever the reason I ended up with an "spicy eye" which was profusely watering my cheeks. Joy also started crying - saying that her eyes were burning also. I tell you what - that is just anguish! I'm glad I didn't get it directly in my face!!!!

I stripped my jacket off, rolled it up inside itself and we finished walking home with me holding my eye closed and Natalie reminding Joy and I both - DON'T RUB IT!!!!

I wonder if our extra adventure today or maybe the emotional turmoil burns extra calories?? (LOL!!!)

How embarrassing!