young lady resident of C Block, Jyoti Makhijani, was out for her usual early morning run on 21 April at around 6:15 AM when she realised that there was a pack of stray dogs in her way.
As she did not want to encounter them, she changed the lane and continued on her run. After changing lanes, she looked out for any dog and none was visible. However as soon as she started moving ahead noticed two dogs on either side sleeping, in a fraction of a second another dog appeared all of a sudden raging at her and suddenly it. became a pack of 4-5 dogs chasing her.
Panicking, Jyoti tried to run faster. As it was early morning, there were not too many people around to help her. A car cleaner however saw her predicament but did not rush to immediately help. As she was running in panic, she fell headlong on a metal speed breaker and badly injured her wrists. Only then the car cleaner and another person from the nearby ashram rushed to help. She was taken to the hospital and was treated for multiple fractures.
Whilst we cannot avoid our street dogs, a word of caution! Do carry a stick on your morning walk, and walk gently past in case you see a pack.
Running attracts them and though they normally do not attack, panic can set off a chain of events.
As they are part of our lives, in every lane in every city of our country, we need to know ourselves as well as teach our children, how to understand their behaviour and stay safe.
Early mornings and late evening, they are prone to chasing speeding cars, motorists or runners. It is therefore important to walk calmly and confidently by them.
