“THE PRICE OF ANYTHING IS THE AMOUNT OF LIFE YOU EXCHANGE FOR IT” — HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Thoreau’s quote says our life, or time, is the ultimate thing we have to spend. However it doesn’t mention variables that can extend or shorten the life we have. If you look at exercise, you could say it extends your life and while some may say that the time it adds is just spent exercising, it can certainly improve the rest of the time you aren’t exercising. Being healthy and having energy beats being tired and sluggish any day. I’d even say running can be a downright refund on life even though I know my inner sloth would respond with, “Maybe so unless you are hit by a car or eaten by a pack of dogs.”

While running, I’ve felt the threat of lightening, cars, hail, skunks, a screaming mystery animal and, yes, dogs. One recent encounter happened when a friend and I decided to run along a seemingly peaceful country road. We heard a bark and saw a German shepherd running toward us on the other side of a rusty barbed-wire fence. As I was thinking “It’s just one dog…” three more dogs emerged from the woods like what my friend would later describe as the Hounds from Hell. You could just tell there was a hole in that old fence somewhere and we didn’t have much time. We stopped running and turned around to walk the other way. With no mace and nobody around to help us, I said, “I’m just going to pray. I’m going to pray out loud.”

The barking was frenzied but as soon as I began to pray, I felt some peace. To remember what mattered did more than anything to ease my feeling of doom. In that moment, I felt just how much we need our own prayers. I also remembered that people who pray are not always protected from danger but God still has a perfect plan for every life. There will be pain as this world is not a perfect place but God will always be enough.

The prayer was short and I realized the barking didn’t sound so wild. When I prayed for our protection I could almost feel a blanket of peace come over the dogs. We could still hear them but they didn’t sound like a hungry pack anymore. We continued walking and were soon on our way back to a more civilized and populated stretch of road.

The next day I drove by and, sure enough, a little farther down from where we turned around there was a hole in the barbed wire. Not only that but there was also a worn path through the brush to the road! I shivered. Those dogs could have easily run out to us. The fact that they didn’t is a boost to the faith I’d say is worth exchanging an entire life to gain.

Matthew 6:25
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Tips for when Dogs Chase

I have been chased by dogs countless times over the years and if I see a dog running free, if I can, I’ll find somewhere else to run. But even if they are on a leash, those extendable leashes can give dogs a lot of room to roam as evidenced by an attack to my knee and another to my wrist. Now when I need to pass people with dogs, I’ll either cross the street or give them plenty of space. If you have to pass near a dog, it helps to  stop running and walk by them.

If a dog is chained up in the yard, that doesn’t mean the chain is still attached to anything. Life is full of surprises. Stop running and stand still if the dog is charging. This happened to me and I stood still. The rottweiler mix that I thought was going to run off with my arm or leg just ran circles around me like I was their new best friend.

It’s also good to run with other people. If my friend hadn’t been there when the pack of dogs showed up, I think I’d have had a heart attack! And lastly, a little can of pepper spray like this that attaches to your wrist gives some peace of mind and can prevent an attack. Just be sure to spray it down wind! This post on Cesar’s Way, has some more great tips for dog attacks as well.

Run Safely,