The Mad Dog Story

A story about a mysterious troubling encounter in youth.

THE 1967 MAD DOG STORY

Well we were camping at Pine Lake, near Red Deer AB, I think it was, and things were going okay, I'm not sure if it was the same trip as when my Dad saved my Mom from drowning, as she tried to swim back to shore from the floating raft but it was quite dark at night and I don't know where or why I was returning back to the tent from, in the dark but as I was passing through the dense bush on the trail, I pass this one tree and this mongrel medium sized black, white and brown dog jumps out of the dark bush and tries to bite me. Well before he reaches me I guess instinct or reflex kicks in, faster than I can normally think or move and my right arm gives him a right hook to the nose and he falls to the ground and goes sulking off.

I had seen him previously wandering aimlessly and homeless and ownerlessly around the camp sites. Not sure if he was hungry or what, but he seemed to be acting rather queerly for a pet. And then I guess a couple days later, he jumps out at me like that. I wonder if he had attacked any other children? So any way he does that and sulks off, so I make it back to the tent and tell my parents what happened and they see, I guess, that I'm okay and think maybe I'm just making it up and seem to dismiss it, but I guess getting attacked by a fair sized dog when you're only 12 or so, is a bit traumatic but punching it on the nose by reflex, seems to be the right course of action.

Well I think we were there a couple more days and I was walking on the beach and came across its dead body on the shore far down the beach and he had all this foam around his mouth, which I don't recall if I knew or not, at the time, that it probably was rabies from a wild animal bite to him or ? I guess though I was glad anyway, that he didn't sink his teeth in me, but kinda sad that he was dead.