June 13, 2013

No Mirth Today - The Worst Walk I Ever Took

I had a very different post planned for our usual Mirth Watch Thursday, but today (Wednesday as I am writing this), I had the worst walk I've ever had with my dog.

Not even sure where to start.

As you know, my friend and I walk with our dogs (Rita, and Rita's best friend, Dakota the boxer) at Fiesta Island (FI) at least 3 days/week. On the weekdays we usually know almost everyone down there. There are a couple of dogs that our dogs don't like, or that don't like our dogs, and we steer clear. Sometimes there's a bit of noise and a skirmish, but no one ever gets bit and it's always fine.

Well, now that school's out and it's summer, there are a lot more people down there. I'm constantly checking out the other dogs and assessing Rita's body language, etc.

We were just about finished up with our walk and had run into another friend who comes to FI pretty much every day with her 4 huskies. At the same time two men (big, older men with big walking sticks) and 3 dogs were coming the other direction. They had a timid puppy with them, and Dakota ran at it showing teeth. Dakota is very good about listening to her mom, but before my friend could even yell "Sit, Stay", the one man raised his walking stick and hit Dakota across the back with it, breaking the stick. (Luckily, he had the smaller of the 2 sticks. The other stick was thicker and could have inflicted some serious damage.)

My friend started yelling at him - as you might be prone to do when a stranger beats your dog. She yelled, "You didn't even give me a chance to call my dog off!" And she starts trying to explain that her dog has never hurt another dog. But both men just went nuts on us, yelling about how their dog was "attacked" and calling us every name in the book.

yelled at them to calm down. I kept repeating "Calm down! Calm down!" And every time I would say it he would just scream louder and come closer. He then got in my face and called me a "skanky f***ing whore." (Um, yes, because I told him to calm down. The nerve that a woman would tell him what to do!) 

Now, anyone who knows me knows I hate confrontation, but they were bullying us. And I'd had enough. So I got back in his face and yelled "You are not going scream over the top of us and call us names and bully us off the beach. F*** you." And he reared back and HIT ME with his walking stick. He slashed me across the side/back of my thigh.

Meanwhile, our other friend is yelling at them as well to stop being idiots and to go away. Someone says, "Call the cops." Mr. Beater Moron screams, "Yes, call the cops because I'll have them make it so that dog never comes to this beach again." Um... yeah, not gonna happen.

So our other friend gets her phone and calls 911. And (I didn't realize any of this was happening at the time) he went over and spit on her. So she slapped him across the face. (Not hard - she said her hand basically grazed his gross beard.)

While all this is going on, I see some other friends of ours (a husband and wife) in the distance. They come walking up and the husband is telling these jerks that they saw the whole thing and "way to act like a man, beating women and dogs." As you might imagine, they did not take super kindly to this. They start calling him all kinds of names too and, um, questioning his, er, manhood in all sorts of colorful language. 

I told our friends to just walk away cuz there's no reasoning with morons. So, they left saying, "You have our cell #s. Call us if you need a witness."

Also, while all this is going on, the "attacked" dog keeps running over to say hi and play with our dogs. I said, "Gee, I see your dog is really traumatized by that 'attack' he suffered!" Told the guy he obviously doesn't understand dogs and he screamed at me that "he's owned more dogs than I ever will." Because trying to reason with morons is a futile pursuit, I did not point out to him that (a) this was not a fact he could have possibly known and (b) not relevant to understanding dogs. Whatever, moron. I just rolled my eyes. 
  
Meanwhile, 3 cop cars pull up (luckily we were right by a parking area - there are back stretches of the park that are a 20+ minute walk from the parking) and 4 uniformed officers start coming our way. I was a bit worried how Rita would do with the cops. She did bark at them a bit, but I told her it was okay and gave her a treat and then she was fine and let them approach her. They held out their hands and she sniffed them and was fine. (Phew.)

So, the cops get our story; they get their story. The cop tells me that Mr. Beater Moron admits he hit me (although he says it was a "tap") and that he realizes it's not acceptable behavior. The cop says I can press charges and they'll take the guy to jail right now. But, he says I'll have to come along, and they'll need to take a picture of my leg. (I was wearing yoga pants and he hit me high up on my thigh. I'm thinking, "Great, I'm going to have to go stand there in my underwear while someone photographs my leg??" Plus, even though it was still hurting - I knew there probably wouldn't be a bruise there yet.) 

The cop said if I had been visibly wounded they could have just taken him away, but since it wasn't visible, I would have to press charges and there would be a trial, and there would have to be proof of grievous bodily harm. I'm assuming a bruise doesn't constitute grievous bodily harm, and just not wanting to put myself through all that, so I said I would drop it. I asked if they could at least give him a ticket, a warning, or something. Unfortunately, nope.

But... the cops told the morons that they are not allowed to carry their sticks down to the beach anymore. The cops also told us that if we ever see them again with their sticks we can call 911 and report them. 

Afterwards, I went up to my friend who had called the cops and told her I was letting it drop. She said, "Good. Because before the cops got here he [Mr. Beater Moron] threatened that if you pressed charges against him, he was going to press charges against me, and I don't really want to get hauled down to jail."

I don't know if he really could have done that, but at least she was glad with the decision I made. 

I'm not sure I made the right decision. I don't think a bruise would stand up as "grievous bodily harm," but at the same time, it makes me quite literally sick to my stomach to think that these assholes think they can hit a woman (in public, in private, anyplace - but especially in PUBLIC with witnesses) and there are no consequences. [I looked it up when I got home - even for "simple assault", in other words no "weapon", you have to prove the person "attempted to commit a violent injury upon another person." Is a bruise considered a violent injury? I dunno. So, yeah - there kinda are no consequences if you hit someone - as long as you don't hit them tooooo hard. Awesome, right?]

I feel sorry for their dogs. I feel sorry for any women who might be in their lives. 

The ironic thing is that just 30 minutes or so earlier, my friend had been telling me how they went to her nephew's high school graduation the night before and a fist fight broke out between some people in the audience. I'd said, "People are so on the verge of rage all the time." Little did I know that I'd soon have a raging asshole screaming in my face and actually hitting me. 

It really sucks because it makes me not want to go back to the beach again. But I have to go, because the bullies can't win. If we see them again (please let us never see them again!!!) we will give them a very wide berth. There is no dealing with irrational people. 

And besides, even if I didn't go there, I'm just as likely to have some sort of run-in with a neighbor or loose dog on the street or at a dog park. I have a few friends whose dogs have been attacked while out on a walk or at the dog park. If you start thinking about the "wait ifs" you'd never go outside again. 

Sorry this was so long-winded. I'm still just stunned. Family members aside :) I've never been hit by someone before. I see the idiocy that goes on every day on TV "talk" shows and "reality" shows and I think that some people have become conditioned to think it's acceptable to scream at each other and start hitting. 

I was thinking I'd ask y'all, "Tell me where there's a place we can move to where there are no idiots. I'll go." But I know no such place exists. Well, maybe the moon... Anyway, I'm going to retreat into a book for the rest of the afternoon.

Hopefully this will remain as the "worst walk I ever had." It could have been a lot worse. I'm glad they hit me and not Rita. She's afraid of strange men to begin with, and men with sticks (or anything that looks like a weapon) just makes it that much worse. It would have set her way back if they hit her instead of me.

Also, if they hit her, I probably would have completely lost my s**t.

So, how about you? Have you had a "worst walk ever"?

On a more pleasant note ... don't forget to go leave a comment and enter the giveaway for a trio of KONG treats. Morons or no morons, the dogs need their treats!

55 comments:

  1. I'm still stunned that you actually had to experience this. Some people are just not rational or reasonable and it's a no win situation.

    I'm sorry but the fact that he raised a thick walking stick (which I would argue should not be allowed at a dog park, considering how many dogs may or may not have issues) shows intent to do bodily harm to me. And I'm with you, I can deal with them hitting me as opposed to my dog. I think I might just go ballistic on someone who hit my dog.

    I am so glad that is wasn't any worse than it was and I think you handled the situation remarkably well. Hopefully you will never see those morons again.

    On a totally different note, I have to tell you, I'm reading "What the dog ate" and I can see a lot of my own humor (sayings and situations) in the book. Last night I was actually giggling, which is something I NEVER do when reading a book. So kudos to you, I can't wait to see how it ends. :-)

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    1. Im glad it wasn't worse too!

      Hooray for enjoying the book! Glad you are giggling! We like the mirth, and hope to return to our regularly scheduled mirth soon! :)

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  2. Holy cow that is horrible!! I'm so sorry. I don't like confrontation either, but when you are attacked like that I think you tend to go into survival mode. I'm sure I may have given him a kick to the groin if he had hit me. Makes you want to carry pepper spray, doesn't it? What happened to "assault" - it's okay to hit someone if you don't cause grievous bodily harm?? I can't believe it!

    I hope you never run into those horrible men again and I hope it remains your worst walk ever for a long, long time. Big hugs to you.

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    1. I was just so stunned when he hit me, I think I was in a state of shock!

      I hope I never see them again too!! my friend said she's seen them there before, but I never noticed them before. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out from now on!

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  3. OMG! As I'm reading your post and getting really pi**ed off. Dude hauled off and clobbered your dog? That's fighting actions there. Unfortunately, I'd have to hold Titan back because when people raise their voice, especially at their Momma, he goes into Protect Momma zone. I just can't believe it though, then hit you! I'll admit, I walk Titan with a pvc break stick. The stick is to ward off attackers, however, first instinct is to put the stick out to keep the dog from attacking me or Titan. Not to instantly slug at the dog.

    What a bunch of a**hats! Just angers me at the ignorance in this world. This is one reason I don't go to dog parks and keep my boy out of highly congested areas. Too many idiots around and uncontrollable dogs.

    Super sorry you had to go through this. Is Dakota ok?

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    1. Exactly! Put the stick out to try to separate the dogs, not immediately whack the other dog! he seriously gave not time for anything else.

      I really thought Rita would bark at someone yelling at her momma, but luckily she didn't. And, yes, Dakota was okay! Should have mentioned that!

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    2. Glad to hear Dakota is ok! Shew! Did you get a bruise? Oh yeah, Titan would definitely have gone into protection mode, thus I don't let anyone engage him other than the vet and the tech's and a other people. He's extrememly protective. I'm sure Titan would have given the cops of piece of his mind too. ;)

      Those guys were just moron's. I'm glad your friend slapped the one. Seriously bully's. Hate those types of people.

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    3. So far it's just a slight bruise, which surprises me because the spot is SO tender and I can feel it every time I touch it or my leg touches the back of a chair.

      Rita is normallly super protective of me, on the street or at home - but at the dog park she's different. She seems to realize that other men are just there with their dogs, whereas a man on the street is potentially a bad guy!

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  4. So sorry. :( I probably would have flown into a violent rage (speaking from the safety of my living room, thousands of miles away). How fricking despicable. I'm so glad Dakota, Rita, the puppy, you and your friend were not gravely injured (though the emotional toll with remain a while, I'm sure). Perhaps a wayward bus will accidentally run into and over that man...several times.

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    1. Oh, I like your wayward bus scenario! Don't think I haven't gone there in my head a few times!

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  5. What a terrible experience you had to go through, but it could have been worse as you noted. Pressing charges might have made a point with them but it would have taken so much of your time to see it all through. Unfortunately douchebags like these count on getting away with hitting weaker people and dogs. We can be sure this wasn't the first time.

    For a while in a different city I carried pepper spray because of the threat of stray dogs. I think I would dust it off again if I had had this experience. The threat of being pepper sprayed might serve as a deterrent.

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    1. I used to carry pepper spray (had a lovely little pink canister of it...) but it fell out of my bag and I lost it at the beach! I had been thinking of getting some citronella spray - maybe I could "sell" it as pepper spray if I needed to threaten someone.

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  6. When I lived in Philly, I knew several people flew into regular rages. I used to wonder what that felt like.

    My husband, who has experienced temper tantrums says there is a kind of rush that comes from being that angry.

    I'm sorry you and your friends were on the wrong side of this guy's foul mood. But I'm very thankful that no one was hurt worse. I hope you can get past the bad feelings this has left you with and recover your joy for walks on Fiesta Island.

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    1. I'm definitely going to be on edge the next time we go there. And the next time after that, etc. etc. etc. I hope the joy will come back.

      I have a bad habit of always imaging the worst possible scenario, so I worry about going back now and something bad happening to Rita. I'd probably never forgive myself for going back!

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  7. That is just plain awful. I mean it. I can't believe these two morons think it is OK to behave in that manner. What a pair of uneducated primates. Opps sorry that isn't fair on primates. We are glad you and your friends and the dogs were not hurt any worse. Grr that makes me angry. The house next door has just been sold and is being renovated. The sleaze ball who owned it rented it out to some real pond scum. Anyway out in the garden partying and keep everyone awake I told them off. No they carried on so I went outside and told this cretin he had no respect for any of us and more sadly none for himself. He went nuts and got a metal pole and started to try and bash down the fence. Yikes I had to lock the door call the emergency police. Next day went to the estate agents and they were evicted. RESULT. What is it with these people? You are right just go back to the beach and any sign of trouble call the police or moron control.
    Take care
    Best wishes Molly

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    1. Geez, what is with people?? SO many people are ready to fly off the handle and start whacking people and property. I don't understand...

      Every needs to take a giant chill pill!!!

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  8. That is awful. I'm glad it wasn't worse. Sadly, I think I know why his puppy was timid.

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  9. I have no words. My husband assures me (and has for years) that the crazies are everywhere. I'm pretty sure their numbers are growing :-( Really... I hate to think what I would've done. I have a terrible temper and zero patience with idiots any more... pretty sure I'd be in jail. Guess it's a good thing I live in a very unpopulated, rural area LOL I'm so thankful that Dakota was alright... that that guy did not hit Rita... that it did not physically escalate from there (though that was certainly bad enough.)
    (Guess I had a few words afterall... ;-) )

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    1. I have a terrible temper too! But I still do usually avoid confrontation. I was kinda proud of myself for just having the presence of mind to tell him to calm down while he was being so belligerent and screaming at us. (Cuz normally if someone screams at you, you just kinda wanna scream back!) But then it all went further downhill from there.

      Your hubs is right, sadly. Whenever we see horrible things on TV (or stuff like this) we always say "let's just stay in our bubble." Seriously, I'm surprised we even leave the house anymore.

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  10. Gosh I cannot believe the guy hit you. I can't imagine what would possess someone to do that. Likewise, I think your friend was wrong to resort to hitting too. Sounds like a bad scene. You were trying to deescalate and got the worse of it.

    I have to admit though that we carry a stick for off lead charging dogs. In some cases it is the only way to prevent injury to our dog. And no, depending on demeanor there have been times where we did not wait for the owner. It is sometimes a split second decision between waiting and the dog ending up at the vet or worse, say if our dog was to really injure the charging dog. A swat with a stick seems like the lesser evil. Walks where dogs have charged us are the worst walks.

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    1. Yes, ideally it would have been better if she didn't slap him. But he SPIT on her. Who knows what disgusting diseases this man might have. I have since heard from a friend that spitting on someone is illegal in many states and considered assault. (Not sure about California though.)

      These were disgusting people. I hope to NEVER see them again.

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    2. Yes in many states you cannot spit on people and would have been assault. Even then I don't think you can hit back. I hope your future walks there are more relaxing.

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  11. Oh Jackie, I read this entire post in disbelief... I can't imagine how I would've handled such an insane situation. I think you and your friend (and most certainly the dogs) handled it remarkably well. I know I would've absolutely lost it and done something that may have made the situation much worse.
    I can't believe that the assault laws are so lax... especially with a weapon. It doesn't matter that his strike didn't end up causing you "grievous bodily harm"... it matters that it COULD have. He used a weapon. He could have caused any or all of you a LOT of harm. I am so thankful that you are all okay, but I'm sitting here stewing in my own anger that these guys were able to completely get away with what they did to you. Because they got away with it, they will continue to feel that they were "in the right" and that their behavior was totally acceptable.
    I understood the guy's need to protect his own dog from what he felt was an incoming attack... we all have the desire to protect our own dogs. But the way he handled it was... ignorant at best and criminal at worst. He should have NEVER hit Dakota, but the police would justify that as defense since he thought Dakota was attacking. It's not right, of course, but they would. But hitting you? What? Zero justification. Not from anyone's perspective.
    Again, I'm so thankful it wasn't worse and that you are all okay! Some folks do Thankful Thursday... so yeah, Thankful Thursday.

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    1. I'm hoping Karma will get him some day. Maybe she already has. He's certainly a miserable person, so assuming he leads a miserable life.

      Yes, thankfully it wasn't worse!

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  12. Oh my goodness! That was an awful story! I don't know what mom would do if someone hit my sister or I with a stick, she would go nuts. What a couple of really &#(%^&**& guys! It is probably best to just let it go and hopefully you won't run into them again. Sounds like you have been there a lot and never seen them, so hopefully you never will again. Glad no one dog or human was hurt too badly. Mom often says that the would would be a wonderful place without most of the humans and sometimes I think she is right.

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    1. Yes, I think your mom is right too...

      I've been to this park 100s (we've been going 3 or 4 times/week for years now) and never had anything even remotely close to this happen before. I've seen dog fights, dogs get bit, people yelling at each other - but I've never seen someone hit another person there before. I'm still kinda in shock about the whole thing. It just plains sucks.

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  13. That is pretty much the worst walk ever. That is absolutely stunning that it even happened. I'm so sorry.

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    1. I'm hoping it will be the worst one ever. I hope to never have a worse one!

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  14. HO. LEE. CRAP. I know I read this yesterday on FaceCrack, but reading it again today gets my heart racing all over again. I have no idea how I'd respond to someone so ugly and violent, a stranger. I have a tough time remembering to honky my horn at idiots who swerve into my lane. Mace? A taser? Geez o'flip.

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    1. OMD - I wrote honky instead of honk. WTF?

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    2. Honky. Opps. Was that an autocorrect?

      Hope to never be in that situation again. Not fun win a crazy person is screaming at you, let alone hitting you. Ugh.

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  15. this isn't just a "worst walk" this is horrific. This is terrifying. I am in complete shock, disgust, horror, I was terrified.
    It is scary to think that 2 people are walking around like that. What scares me more is that they could have a gun with them.
    These are NOT normal people.
    Please do NOT EVER go to that area again by yourself!

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    1. It's such a bummer because I used to go there by myself all the time. I liked to go alone, because I could run/walk with the dog, whereas when I go with a friend we stop and talk and it's not as good of a workout.

      But, nope. No more going alone for me. :(

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  16. So surprised when we read you FB post. Usually SD is pretty safe (well from our friends'stories who lives there). Awful what happened to your friend. Well, hope you had a better day today. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar n mom

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    1. Yeah, San Diego is usually quite safe. I've never really been in a situation where I felt afraid of someone here. Although we have a lot of crazy, aggressive drivers here, off the road folks are usually a little more mellow.

      Honestly, I wonder if these guys were visiting? There are so many out-of-towners here in the summer, it's a possibility. I hope so! That means we're less likely to see them again.

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  17. Holy crap. I cannot believe this a**hole hit a dog... and then hit you! What a terrible person. I'm glad that you weren't seriously hurt. That is truly scary and it's insane that someone thinks that they can do that. What is wrong with people?

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    1. Yeah, a terrible person indeed. At the end, even his buddy was realizing how out of control the one guy was and trying to talk him down. Insane.

      I think these were some seriously low-IQ individuals. Like neanderthal-level!

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  18. OMG so sorry to read what you went through. Some people are worse than idiots. They don't deserve to be dog owners and I can't believe that the guy hit you...
    Hope you're not to shaken up by it all xx

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    1. Have been a bit shaken up and did not sleep too well last night still rehashing it, but we went back to the beach today. Can't let the bullies win!

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  19. OMG Jackie. When you said you had had a bad week, I had no idea. That is frightening, scary, upsetting and sad all at once. I am so sorry you and your friend had to even encounter these guys (although, given your experience and how irrational they were, I suspect someone else would have experienced it down further on the beach).

    I have had one altercation with a guy who lived in our duplex (in college) on whom I had called the cops because he was having parties and playing loud music every night. He was screaming and pounding and threatening me and my roommates. The incident left me shaking. I can only imagine how this left you.

    I wish there was a "Go-Away" island we could send these people to so we never have to encounter them again. You're right about the world being such an angry place these days and that people are so quick to rage these days. I am so sorry this happened to you. :(

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    1. I wish there was a Go-Away island too!

      Thanks for stopping by. Scary about the screaming and threats from the neighbor. I've had some folks email me similar stories. What is with people being so quick to rage??? Frightening.

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  20. Oh my god, this is just simply awful. How scary and stressful for all of you. I am a quiet timid person but when I get pushed too far, I really lose it, and I would have reacted just like you did. I probably wouldn't have pressed charges either.....it just seems like it would have dragged the whole thing out, and put you through even more stress. I live in a quiet rural area and don't even encounter a lot of people or dogs when we walk. Seems like a good thing to me after hearing this! Though if I had a beach to walk on, I would certainly want to. I hope you can avoid these a-holes in the future and not have to deal with anything like this ever again. I am just glad it wasn't even worse, though it sounds like it was certainly bad enough! BTW, I get more long winded than I intend in a lot of my posts....but you had me enthralled in your story, and it didn't even seem long!

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    1. I'm the same - fairly timid, but don't push me!

      A quiet rural area sounds really nice right about now!

      I'm glad the story didn't seem too long. It's probably one of the longest posts I've ever written. And no fun pooch pics!! :\

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  21. I am still shocked and disgusted after reading what you and your friend went through. No one should be treated like that. I don't understand why that man wasn't charged with assault for hitting you and also for spitting. Different laws I suppose. I've never had a serious incident like that and I hope I never do and certainly hope that you never, ever encounter them again. Stay safe.

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    1. I must say, I'm pretty annoyed with the cops. They really made it seem like it wasn't that big of a deal and we should let it go. I hope I never see them again!!

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  22. Oh my heavens I'd be raging...Once I had a jogger who actually kicked Gizmo out of her way...I caught up with her and kicked her back...That was probably the worst walk we've had but nothing as awful as yours...Bravo for you for plan on going back and not backing down to bullies

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  23. I know this post is a few days old but I didn't have a chance to comment until tonight, and I wanted to because the whole situation was weighing on my mind. I don't know if I've said it here (I'm more of a lurker, than a commenter :) ) but I grew up in San Diego. When you mention a place or post an outdoor picture your stories become very vivid to me. Normally that's a good thing. But hearing about someone beating a dog and hitting/spitting on people at Fiesta Island... that nastiness and cruelty breaks my heart. -I- feel violated, can't imagine how you feel. Hopefully time is making it better. I'm glad there was witnesses and hopefully those men won't return.

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    1. Hi Diana - thanks for leaving a comment. I've still been quite stressed about it. Tend to think about it at night and then can't sleep. It was all quite ugly. Today at the beach, I saw this BIG dude in the distance, and I thought it was one of them and my heart started pounding. Luckily turned out to not be them. It will be a long time before I can relax on our walks there. :\

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  24. Oh, Jackie!
    I am just completely appauled!
    This would stress me out so much, I am glad that you are going back to the beach for your walks, though. I think those are important for both YOU and Rita.
    I cannot believe that people can be that mean...it's beyond words and I think that if this happened if I was walking Jozi, I WOULD completely lose it on the other individual.
    It breaks my heart that people can be so mean and physically extract violence to another. I also do feel sorry for any women and any animals that are around these men.
    Please take care of YOU and Rita and take a few deep breaths and know that you have lots and lots of support out there for you and how you handled those bullies.
    Peace, barks and treats forever...
    Cat and Jozi

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    1. Thanks, Cat. It's been a little hard to go back, but so far so good. Hopefully it stays that way!

      It's nice to know we have the support of folks and to remember that there are more good people out there than jerks!

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  25. Forgive the salty language, but HOLY SHIT.
    My jaw dropped and remained there for this entire story. I hope you've been back and not let them detract you from nice dog walks, but I also hope you haven't run into them since. That is truly terrible. To hit you? To spit on your friend?! WHO DOES THAT? And over something that was so ultimately trivial and harmless. People. Seriously. What's wrong with them?
    I have no idea what I would do in a situation like this. I'd rather not find out. But I think you handled it as well as possible, given the circumstances.
    I just... can't believe some people.

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    1. I went back a few times right after and we didn't see them. Then I waited until the summer was over and went once in the fall, when it was quieter again, but I was stressed the whole time, so decided it wasn't worth it. If Rita had a 100% (or even 95%) reliable recall, I'd go back, but she doesn't and I worry about her getting in to trouble. We're going to sign up for some more training classes and maybe we'll feel okay about going back some day. Not sure... I should do a big follow up post I guess, cuz there are lots of other factors as well.

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  26. Oh my! That is incredibly crazy and I'm so sorry you had to go through that-I'm at a loss for words. But I do hope you never have to see them again!

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  27. Wow. I'm reading this in August 2014 and my jaw is hanging open. You showed unbelievable restraint. That is the scariest story I've heard in a while. I'm so glad you and Rita were okay.

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