A Run Through Skidmore Woods—and an Avoidable Bite
What happened when “don’t worry, they’re friendly” went wrong.
In a previous post, I mentioned that I’m an avid runner. This past Saturday morning, I headed out from my house near downtown Saratoga toward the Skidmore North Woods—a route I’ve run countless times over the past 20 years.
This time, it didn’t go as expected.
As I entered the woods and the road shifted from asphalt to dirt, I spotted an older woman ahead with two golden retrievers. One was clearly off leash. I wasn’t sure about the other, but I kept running—making a mental note to stay alert.
As I passed her, I asked, “Are those dogs friendly?” She said “yes” just as one of them started running toward me.
At first, I assumed it was coming over to say hello. That’s happened plenty of times. It’s annoying, a little nerve-wracking, but it usually ends with a quick sniff and nothing more.
Not this time.
The dog reached me and bit my arm—then my butt. I yelled, and the woman grabbed the dog by the collar. It calmed down quickly, but the damage was done.
As I tried to assess the bites, I shouted that the dogs needed to be on a leash. She was apologetic—but it was too late.
The bite on my arm looked minor. Thankfully, I had a layer of clothing on, which probably helped. It was mostly bruising, with some redness and a small break in the skin. As for my butt—for obvious reasons—I couldn’t exactly do a full inspection on the spot.
I asked about the dog’s vaccination status, especially rabies. She told me she was the dog sitter and that the owners were out of town. I insisted she get me the information and asked for her phone number, which she gave me. She said she would contact the owners as soon as she got home.
I turned around and ran back to my house.
Once home, I texted her to follow up on the vaccination info and checked ChatGPT what to do next. The guidance was straightforward: wash the wounds thoroughly and get a tetanus shot if it’s been more than five years.
Mine had been 5½.
Dog bites are considered “dirty wounds,” meaning a higher risk of infection—hence the five-year recommendation instead of the usual ten. So I went online and booked a tetanus shot at Walgreens for later that afternoon.
While I was doing that, the dog owner texted me—apologizing and confirming via a screen shot that the dog was fully up to date on vaccinations. That was a relief.
But the whole incident was completely avoidable.
This isn’t rare. Social media is full of jokes about dog owners insisting their dog is “always friendly,” while everyone else isn’t so sure.
I’m a dog lover. Our family has a great dog named Hudson. I walk him all the time—but always on a leash. I think he’s friendly, but that’s not the point. Other people shouldn’t have to take that risk.
A couple of years ago, I stepped out my front door with Hudson on leash, and an off-leash pit bull charged across the street and attacked us on my own porch. I had to repeatedly kick the dog before the owner could pull it away.
I don’t understand why a minority of dog owners—especially in urban or semi-urban areas—feel entitled to let their dogs off leash.
My weekend was disrupted. It could have been worse, but it was still stressful—and entirely preventable.
Keep your dogs on a leash.
It definitely means they’re not cleaning up after their dog!