Toledo Talk "How Do You Approach A Dog?" id 56995

..of East Toledo remembers feeling nervous and a little scared about 5:45 p.m. Sunday as she approached on her bike a fenced yard with two loud and agitated barking dogs. She convinced herself to be brave and ride past, thinking she would be safe on the sidewalk with the "pit bulls" behind the chain-link fence surrounding 669 Dover Pl. But one of the "pit bulls" managed to jump the fence - not the first time it had done so - and the next thing Sarabeth remembers is getting knocked off her bike and attacked.

I read this, and knew that she had the "right" to do such a thing, but I would have crossed the street and ridden on the other side. My parents stressed that to me long ago when I was a kid and saw "strange" dogs. Just a few yards of distance might have given her the chance to speed up her bike and get away. I remember being chased a couple of times by dogs while riding my bike in my 20's. Those were close calls, but I got away. And it is exciting until you get between their jaws.