Dogsled Guy’s dog BIT ME — BEWARE
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I am posting this here because it is the only local forum where a) people seem to know about Dogsled Guy and b) I needed to warn as many bikers/runners as possible.
Last Wednesday I went running around 5:30 pm, picking up the W&OD at Sandburg Street (Dunn Loring). As soon as I started on the trail, I noticed someone at least 100 yards ahead of me on what appeared to be a bike with three dogs in front of him. The rider and the dogs had lights on them, so I assumed he was just a normal rider exercising his pets. Just before the footbridge over 495, he pulled off to the grass on the right (I assume to allow the dogs to relieve themselves). As a result, I caught up to him. When I was just about 25 yards away, he pulled out on the trail again, which placed him into the light of 495. This is when I saw (for the first time ever) the man your board has termed Dogsled Guy: a rider with three Siberian huskies, all loosely leashed together to pull him while he spurred them on with a short crop. OK, that is unique, I thought. As we crossed over the bridge, a rider headed toward us. As the rider came closer to Dogsled Guy, all of his dogs starting lunging to the left in the path of the rider. The rider moved quite a bit and zipped past, but I made a note to myself: Do not get near this guy’s dogs.
As we approached the wooden bridge to Idylwood Park, Dogsled Guy turned in. I was relieved and put on speed up the trail. As I headed up, I glanced left and could see him working his way across the lower baseball field and up to the soccer pitch. As he was going slower than me, I assumed he was going to just run the dogs around the fields, so I gave him no more thought.
I crossed 66 and started heading downhill on Virginia Lane. Just as I reached the spot where the trail turns slightly left (where you can begin to see Shrevewood Elementary), I heard a shout to my left (probably a name) and then the word “Don’t!” I turned and simultaneously saw and felt a big dog bite me right in the thigh. Dogsled guy and his dogs rushed past me, and then stopped. I shouted at him, “Your dog bit me!” His reaction?
“Did it break the skin?”
Not “Are you hurt” or “I can’t believe that happened” or even “Are you OK.” No, it was “Did it break the skin.” I was shocked, partly because of the bite and partly because of his reaction. It was the type of reaction one has when one has BEEN in that situation before, i.e. I was not the first person his dogs had bit. I told him I didn’t know whether the skin was broken (it was dark plus I was wearing running tights, so I couldn’t tell), so I told him to stay put while I went across the street to ask the homeowner to call the sheriff. As I moved away, though, he started to take off! I ran after him and grabbed him by the jacket, something that seemed to take him by surprise. I once again told him not to move while I went across the street. So what did he do? Well, as soon as I was across the street he took off again! Yes, he fled the scene.
As I wanted to get the sheriff ASAP, I forgot about him and ran to the nearest house. The owner promised to call the sheriff, so I hit the trail hard to try and catch Dogsled Guy. I finally saw him at the intersection of Shreve Road and the trail, but when I got down there he had left the trail and disappeared into the neighborhood. I looked around a bit, but with my leg aching, I headed for home.
When I got home and got undressed, I saw his dog had put a nice hole in my thigh, so I immediately went to the urgent care center. They dressed the wound and gave me an antibiotic script, but the most interesting part was they filled out a Fairfax County dog bite form. When I asked why, the doctor told me it was mandatory — and it was mandatory for me to report the attack to the County Sheriff! As I was going to do this, this was no problem, so I drove to the Sheriff’s Station in McLean. When I got there to report the incident, however, something interesting had happened: Dogsled Guy had called the bite in himself! Of course, he lied to the police about it, telling them “the runner hadn’t stayed around to give me his name.” Nice — what a piece of work.
The good news is the dog was quarantined to be tested for rabies (and tested negative). I also had a very good conversation with the Sheriff’s Animal Control Officer, who informed me a file would be opened and his dogs would now be monitored. She did tell me any future reports of attacks/bites would be taken quite seriously, and asked me to pass the word about reporting any incidents with this individual to the Sheriff. So that is what I am doing.
Good luck, and be extra cautious when you see this man on the trail.
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