DOG BITES MAN

Don’t attempt to pet strange dogs. Even when they have already been petted by your spouse.

I still have a scab on my right arm after nearly three weeks. And the wound was caused by only one big tooth that did not – repeat, not – penetrate the sleeve of my trench coat, or the arm of a sweater or a long-sleeved shirt.

We were in a pet store that welcomes dogs on leashes .Before the bite, my wife had stroked the dog and later learned its name. Its owner, a nice young matron, was with a child. The dog was big, more than 80 pounds, nearly waist tall.

I reached down to her and patted her head. Wrong. More about that later.

Shelby’s upper right fang hit in a nano second.

The pain was sharp and immediate.

A burning sensation lasted for minutes.

A gunshot must feel something like it.

Shelby’s owner was humiliated. Her apologies unceasing. She and her dog were excused. There had been no apparent harm. My wife and I went on shopping.

Perhaps five minutes later the woman, without dog, tracked us down in the store, again inquired about any damage, again offered sincere regrets. She did explain the rescued dog had been abused, probably by a man. She was assured no harm had been done. The wound was discovered only after reaching home. By then the pain had subsided, but discomfort continued. My clothing was checked again; no indication of a dog bite could be detected.

Flesh on the inside of my right forearm had been pushed in by the fang, leaving a nearly round wound about the size of a lead pencil’s shaft. Although the flesh was slightly indented, It was barely bloody. Below the wound was a bruise, about the size of a half-dollar. Antiseptic on a stick-on bandage was the treatment.

A couple of days later my wife showed up with a newspaper clipping from her files. It instructed that strange dogs should never be petted on the head. Such a gesture was clearly an unfriendly approach to a pooch. Rather, when wishing to be nice to a strange canine, an upturned palm should be presented below muzzle level. That gesture is accepted, generally, by dogs as friendly.

I can wait to apply the lesson.