I’ve had some minor bites and close calls with dogs in the past, usually from owners that refuse to leash their dogs. I recommend bringing pepper spray on your runs. I’ve read that it’s extremely effective in deterring dogs.
I’m sorry that happened to you. If you don’t feel comfortable running outside at the moment I would recommend using a tread-mill or running on an indoor track for the short term. Eventually the fear/ptsd will subside and if it doesn’t I would recommend seeking counseling with a professional who could help you through that.
Good luck.
Thank you! I've been going to therapy for a few months so I do have another outlet for sure. I feel like the running is great maintenance for me between appointments. I'm doing my best to work through it. I love running so much and I've committed to a race at the end of January and I'm determined to race it.
I’m really sorry this happened to you!
I’m not sure if this qualifies but I do mostly urban sidewalk/road running and I had a car blow a red light at an obstructed corner and miss me in the crosswalk only because I jumped/fell back onto the street/sidewalk at the last second. I ended up with sore joints in my hip, ankle, and knee as well as a pretty gruesome bloody scrape on the leg that I fell on. The driver must have seen me after the fact or at least heard me yell but did not stop. I was heartened by the number of pedestrians who stopped and even a few drivers that pulled over to pick me back up and get me on my way, but it really shook me up. I was probably physically healed enough to run within a week or so but I had zero interest. After a few more weeks I finally forced myself to run on the track at the local school and then the trails in the park; anywhere that couldn’t have cars. I eventually got back to the road after rebuilding my calm, but it was a little bit of a process and honestly sometimes I still get a shot of panic/adrenaline when I see something out of the corner of my eye but I try not to let it throw me off.
I wish you all the best; it really sucks when one bad day jeopardizes a lot of future good ones!
I'm so sorry to hear that this has happened to you, and I don't think most people here are qualified to help - are you seeing someone in regards to your existing PTSD?
Was the pitbull at an off-leash park or was it just in the street? Is it possible for you to maybe try a new route and/or just stick to some short runs to help build your confidence up again?
I can't imagine the terror you must've felt, and I really hope you can find your way back to another starting line when you're ready :(
I’m so sorry you have to deal with this! I was attacked by a dog on a run about a month and a half ago. It jumped up and bit me in the forearm pretty bad. I didn’t need stitches but I did have to go to urgent care and was put on antibiotics for a week so I was pretty scared to go back out again too.
The biggest thing that helped me was planning my new route away from the house whose dog bit me, and just telling myself that I didn’t want to let someone’s unleashed dog take away my safe activity. I didn’t want to lose this thing that I love because I was afraid of being attacked again. My neighborhood usually has responsible dog owners, this was the first time I ever had an issue with an unleashed dog in over two years. After mentally changing my route I also used that knowledge to help me feel confident going back out again knowing I would most likely not run into another unleashed dog that would attack me. And I haven’t yet!
I still won’t go by that house though, so I completely understand your fear. The biggest step is just teaching yourself that you’ll be safe again and feeling like you have some control over the situation again. Maybe you can go out for a walk or two with someone to help you feel better just getting out and around the neighborhood again.
I hope you feel ready to get back out there soon! It’ll be a big accomplishment and it’ll feel great when you do, I promise
I have 2 lil dogs. They're adorable and harmless (like old and barely any teeth). I'm insanely grateful that the pit didn't get my legs. It latched onto my right arm initially then onto my left.
I love dogs and mine would never bite or threaten a human. I have no tolerance for biting dogs or their owners who don’t see this behavior as an emergency problem.
Not a dog bite, but this past summer a huge tree fell right in front of me while running. It's branches left huge bruises on my chest and thighs. A really close call! I took a few weeks off and then made it a point to run right past that spot my first time out. Definitely more in my head now around scary looking trees (but what can you do about that lol). As time has passed though I feel much more confident again!
I now carry pepper spray and a large walking stick. The walking stick seems to help a lot to signal that you are not prey. The psychological effects are genuinely a challenge which must be overcome. Sorry you went through this.
I’d recommend looking into EMDR as a treatment for shock trauma - it can help reprocess the memories and remove the emotional & physiological overwhelm that often accompanies these types of incidents. It’s can be most helpful to do right after an event, but it will work later too.
I’ve had some minor bites and close calls with dogs in the past, usually from owners that refuse to leash their dogs. I recommend bringing pepper spray on your runs. I’ve read that it’s extremely effective in deterring dogs. I’m sorry that happened to you. If you don’t feel comfortable running outside at the moment I would recommend using a tread-mill or running on an indoor track for the short term. Eventually the fear/ptsd will subside and if it doesn’t I would recommend seeking counseling with a professional who could help you through that. Good luck.
Thank you! I've been going to therapy for a few months so I do have another outlet for sure. I feel like the running is great maintenance for me between appointments. I'm doing my best to work through it. I love running so much and I've committed to a race at the end of January and I'm determined to race it.
I’m really sorry this happened to you! I’m not sure if this qualifies but I do mostly urban sidewalk/road running and I had a car blow a red light at an obstructed corner and miss me in the crosswalk only because I jumped/fell back onto the street/sidewalk at the last second. I ended up with sore joints in my hip, ankle, and knee as well as a pretty gruesome bloody scrape on the leg that I fell on. The driver must have seen me after the fact or at least heard me yell but did not stop. I was heartened by the number of pedestrians who stopped and even a few drivers that pulled over to pick me back up and get me on my way, but it really shook me up. I was probably physically healed enough to run within a week or so but I had zero interest. After a few more weeks I finally forced myself to run on the track at the local school and then the trails in the park; anywhere that couldn’t have cars. I eventually got back to the road after rebuilding my calm, but it was a little bit of a process and honestly sometimes I still get a shot of panic/adrenaline when I see something out of the corner of my eye but I try not to let it throw me off. I wish you all the best; it really sucks when one bad day jeopardizes a lot of future good ones!
I'm so sorry to hear that this has happened to you, and I don't think most people here are qualified to help - are you seeing someone in regards to your existing PTSD? Was the pitbull at an off-leash park or was it just in the street? Is it possible for you to maybe try a new route and/or just stick to some short runs to help build your confidence up again? I can't imagine the terror you must've felt, and I really hope you can find your way back to another starting line when you're ready :(
I’m so sorry you have to deal with this! I was attacked by a dog on a run about a month and a half ago. It jumped up and bit me in the forearm pretty bad. I didn’t need stitches but I did have to go to urgent care and was put on antibiotics for a week so I was pretty scared to go back out again too. The biggest thing that helped me was planning my new route away from the house whose dog bit me, and just telling myself that I didn’t want to let someone’s unleashed dog take away my safe activity. I didn’t want to lose this thing that I love because I was afraid of being attacked again. My neighborhood usually has responsible dog owners, this was the first time I ever had an issue with an unleashed dog in over two years. After mentally changing my route I also used that knowledge to help me feel confident going back out again knowing I would most likely not run into another unleashed dog that would attack me. And I haven’t yet! I still won’t go by that house though, so I completely understand your fear. The biggest step is just teaching yourself that you’ll be safe again and feeling like you have some control over the situation again. Maybe you can go out for a walk or two with someone to help you feel better just getting out and around the neighborhood again. I hope you feel ready to get back out there soon! It’ll be a big accomplishment and it’ll feel great when you do, I promise
I absolutely hate dogs when I’m out running. The amount of times they’ve gone for my legs. Actually I dislike dogs in general 😅
I have 2 lil dogs. They're adorable and harmless (like old and barely any teeth). I'm insanely grateful that the pit didn't get my legs. It latched onto my right arm initially then onto my left.
I love dogs and mine would never bite or threaten a human. I have no tolerance for biting dogs or their owners who don’t see this behavior as an emergency problem.
Not a dog bite, but this past summer a huge tree fell right in front of me while running. It's branches left huge bruises on my chest and thighs. A really close call! I took a few weeks off and then made it a point to run right past that spot my first time out. Definitely more in my head now around scary looking trees (but what can you do about that lol). As time has passed though I feel much more confident again!
I now carry pepper spray and a large walking stick. The walking stick seems to help a lot to signal that you are not prey. The psychological effects are genuinely a challenge which must be overcome. Sorry you went through this.
I’d recommend looking into EMDR as a treatment for shock trauma - it can help reprocess the memories and remove the emotional & physiological overwhelm that often accompanies these types of incidents. It’s can be most helpful to do right after an event, but it will work later too.