What would you do?

[M0untaineer]

Was running in my neighborhood last night, same route that I always take and was running by a house on the right (I was on the far left side of the road). The owner/renter was in the driveway with whom I assume was his significant other and his dog (large lab I think). Dog seemed nice enough and didn't seem to be paying any attention to me, so I kept on running past not thinking anything of it...I got about 1-2 houses past and all the sudden felt something hit my ankle..not a bite luckily, but something like hitting my leg and I thought to myself and muttered aloud "Are you kidding me?" I stood there for a minute and waited for the owner to come out and get the dog thinking that the person would come out and at least apologize and ask if I was ok...instead the guy came out saying "What did you say?" in a threatening voice...I stood there and said "I said Are you kidding me?" The guy proceeded to get up in my face and started threatening me-kinda bumped me with his arm/elbow to intimidate me and said something to the effect of "you're not going to do anything about it." I stood my ground, but the guy had a couple inches and about 50 lbs on me (I'm 6'2") and I could smell alcohol on his breath... I pretty much told the guy you need to relax and back off...I really thought the guy was going to throw a punch....He and I kinda got a little distance and then I started back to my run ending up home...

So here's the point...I live in the next neighborhood over and I run this route all the time...I really don't want to stir up a hornet's nest-the odds are good that I'd see this dude again very soon (frequently go walking with my wife past this house), but I'm pretty flabergasted by the whole thing...

So what do ya'll think...I thought about calling the cops and making a complaint, but I kinda thought that might do more harm than good...saw the same guy today while walking with my wife (not sure if he recognised me)...really don't need to be getting into fist fights either...

 

[fjfodee]

Conceal and carry.

 

[JWaldz]

Why'd you delete it all?

 

[LittleRock80]

... ?

 

[M0untaineer]

sorry guys...moved it over to Chit-Chat...just posted it back up...

 

[Michael Kirkpatrick]

i used to carry a small billy club my grampa gave me while hiking. I called it the equalizer. It solves a lot of disagreements.

Was the dog being aggressive or playing?

Most likely both you and the neighbor just want to forget about it and go back to ignoring each other.

 

[LittleRock80]

I hate when those situations arise--it's difficult to know what to do. Violence is always going to be my last option--it's just not worth it if it can be avoided. I can take a lot of abuse if it's just me, but if family/close friends are involved, I put up with very little. I'm sure you are the same way. On the other hand, I would not let anyone alter my life or my routine. You paid good money for your house in the neighborhood of your choosing. If this person cannot conduct themselves in a civil manner, it's on them. If he threatens you again, it's time to get the police involved. If you feel that you might be in grave danger while jogging through the area, there are ways to conceal what you need to conceal--even while jogging. No, it won't be comfortable, but it will give you peace of mind for however long you feel it's necessary. Hopefully you already have something in your possession that is light weight and not too bulky. Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[M0untaineer]

i used to carry a small billy club my grampa gave me while hiking. I called it the equalizer. It solves a lot of disagreements.

Was the dog being aggressive or playing?

Most likely both you and the neighbor just want to forget about it and go back to ignoring each other.

I think the dog was just playing- not even mad about the dog (although, had he been of worse temperment, I probably wouldn't have been running for a while (had headphones on and didn't hear/see it coming at all till it hit my ankle/leg)...it was the owner's actions that really confounded me- most people would simply apologize...this guy did the exact opposite

 

[M0untaineer]

I hate when those situations arise--it's difficult to know what to do. Violence is always going to be my last option--it's just not worth it if it can be avoided. I can take a lot of abuse if it's just me, but if family/close friends are involved, I put up with very little. I'm sure you are the same way. On the other hand, I would not let anyone alter my life or my routine. You paid good money for your house in the neighborhood of your choosing. If this person cannot conduct themselves in a civil manner, it's on them. If he threatens you again, it's time to get the police involved. If you feel that you might be in grave danger while jogging through the area, there are ways to conceal what you need to conceal--even while jogging. No, it won't be comfortable, but it will give you peace of mind for however long you feel it's necessary. Hopefully you already have something in your possession that is light weight and not too bulky. Good luck. Keep us posted.

Thanks for the comments Justin...I definitely understand what you're saying about being by yourself versus with your family when something like this happens...I think that changes the whole dynamic- if someone is willing to threaten violence with your family around, it usually means they're more callous and possibly more likely to act on their threat IMO.

I think the thing that really bothers me about it (and it's kept me up the last couple nights) is that it really kinda shattered my perception of my neighborhood and town...

I've dealt with violence, angry and hostile people during my time in the military on numerous occasions, but I always felt that the surroundings/area and type of people that were prevalent in those places/situations were to blame.

This struck me differently because this is a relatively small town...this is the neighborhood that I live in and I guess I naively thought to some extent (or wanted to think) that there was a similar mentality that existed with similar values/beliefs on right & wrong.