On the 24th of January 2011 I received my first dog bite. I guess this is just the first of many more to come. I really hope not. But that's going to be a bit hard considering my to-be occupation. I am an animal fanatic. In class 7 I'd decided that I was going to become a veterinarian and nothing has changed till date. But moving on to the incident, it was one of the most shocking experiences of my life.
It was 7:45. I was on my way to school with my cousin Sanjana, a 1st grade student. There was exactly 15 minutes left to get to school. I was not unduly worried but I kept up a brisk pace. We as good citizens stuck to the sidewalk (or mud walk) of the busy road. Most of the shops were closed and the air was slightly chilly. As we walked I noticed a mother dog with her pup sitting near the entrance of a closed shop. I didn't mind them. I'd seen them a dozen times before while walking back from school.
Ignoring them I continued walking down the road, my hand in Sanjana's when suddenly as I passed them the pup jumped up a ran towards me (or rather,my basket)wagging his tail. Aware of the playful nature of puppies I kept walking. It was then I felt the teeth sink sharply into the back of my leg and connect with a 'snap'. The first emotion that came flooding through my body was shock. My eyes widened as my brain comprehended what had happened. The puppy had bitten me! The next emotion was disgust and annoyance.
Disgust because I'd actually felt the teeth in my body (i.e my calf muscle. Damn school uniforms for having a skirt!) and annoyance becuase I had no idea why the idiot had taken a bite of me in the first place! I swear I have no idea why! I would never go out of my way to harm a living creature. Later, after the incident I came up with two theories.
1. As I was swinging my basket and walking, it might have clipped him (why him? I'm just guessing, he seemed too rude to be a female) on his nose and hence he retaliated. But I find this theory very unlikely as I don't remember anything of the sort happening.
2. He bit me for fun. Doesn't seem so far-fetched does it? Puppies, children (especially males) generally enjoy playing that way. So I'm guessing he mistook me for his chew toy sibling and took the liberty of sharpening his biting skills on me.I'm kind of certain that its this one as the way he bit me didn't exactly seem like an attack.
It was 7:45. I was on my way to school with my cousin Sanjana, a 1st grade student. There was exactly 15 minutes left to get to school. I was not unduly worried but I kept up a brisk pace. We as good citizens stuck to the sidewalk (or mud walk) of the busy road. Most of the shops were closed and the air was slightly chilly. As we walked I noticed a mother dog with her pup sitting near the entrance of a closed shop. I didn't mind them. I'd seen them a dozen times before while walking back from school.
Ignoring them I continued walking down the road, my hand in Sanjana's when suddenly as I passed them the pup jumped up a ran towards me (or rather,my basket)wagging his tail. Aware of the playful nature of puppies I kept walking. It was then I felt the teeth sink sharply into the back of my leg and connect with a 'snap'. The first emotion that came flooding through my body was shock. My eyes widened as my brain comprehended what had happened. The puppy had bitten me! The next emotion was disgust and annoyance.
1. As I was swinging my basket and walking, it might have clipped him (why him? I'm just guessing, he seemed too rude to be a female) on his nose and hence he retaliated. But I find this theory very unlikely as I don't remember anything of the sort happening.
2. He bit me for fun. Doesn't seem so far-fetched does it? Puppies, children (especially males) generally enjoy playing that way. So I'm guessing he mistook me for his chew toy sibling and took the liberty of sharpening his biting skills on me.I'm kind of certain that its this one as the way he bit me didn't exactly seem like an attack.
I'm not an idiot. I know animals are not always friendly-friendly types. I know when I have to stand my ground and protect myself. But this lacked the aggression of an attack, believe me if I'd felt at any moment that it was I would've brained the little guy with my basket. A stinging backside would've been the perfect reminder for him not to go nibbling others again. But he took me completely by surprise. And I didn't feel like bashing him up later again. After all he is a child.
Well anyways after he'd bitten me, I dropped my cousin off in her block and proceeded towards mine. I checked in at the office and informed the teacher there of what had happened. The bite wasn't too big but it was deep. There I met my class teacher and she was very sweet. She made me rinse the wound thoroughly with soap and water and instructed me to call my parents. I did as she said, and in no time even my parents were added to the list of 'people who are worried about my dog bite'. They got to the school as fast as they could and bundled me up into the car. I grinned at my friends on the way out, kind of liking the attention I was receiving.
The grin dissolved the minute I stepped in the car. My mom was furious. She was so worried and scared. She even made me promise that I wouldn't touch any other dog except mine again. My dad worried silently and occasionally shot me looks through the rear view mirror. We reached the hospital considerably fast and I was ushered in almost faster than my legs could carry me. I loved the reaction of the duty doctor there. He was as cool as a cucumber and proceeded to make jokes as he checked out the severity of my injury. Finally, someone who reacted properly!
I was to recieve 5 injections all in all. Each costing Rs 500. I've already recieved 3 of them and have two more to go. The wound itself didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. The worst part was as I said the second after I'd realized that the dog had bit me, kind of like when you gag after you realize you've stepped in dog poop (charming example, I know). But all's well that ends well. My parents dropped me off at school on the way back and I spent the whole day being asked, "Lavanya you were bitten by a dog?" to which I replied " Yes"to which they replied "How?" to which i replied . . . . . well, you get the idea.
This incident has as of such not changed my perspective towards animals. I still adore them beyond belief but I'm certainly more wary of them now. But I'm sure not going to give up on the whole lot of them just because one puppy bit me. No matter what anyone tells me, I will still love my animal friends till my last breath (I hope). I was,still am and will always be proud to remain a Nature Freak!
Well anyways after he'd bitten me, I dropped my cousin off in her block and proceeded towards mine. I checked in at the office and informed the teacher there of what had happened. The bite wasn't too big but it was deep. There I met my class teacher and she was very sweet. She made me rinse the wound thoroughly with soap and water and instructed me to call my parents. I did as she said, and in no time even my parents were added to the list of 'people who are worried about my dog bite'. They got to the school as fast as they could and bundled me up into the car. I grinned at my friends on the way out, kind of liking the attention I was receiving.
The grin dissolved the minute I stepped in the car. My mom was furious. She was so worried and scared. She even made me promise that I wouldn't touch any other dog except mine again. My dad worried silently and occasionally shot me looks through the rear view mirror. We reached the hospital considerably fast and I was ushered in almost faster than my legs could carry me. I loved the reaction of the duty doctor there. He was as cool as a cucumber and proceeded to make jokes as he checked out the severity of my injury. Finally, someone who reacted properly!
I was to recieve 5 injections all in all. Each costing Rs 500. I've already recieved 3 of them and have two more to go. The wound itself didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. The worst part was as I said the second after I'd realized that the dog had bit me, kind of like when you gag after you realize you've stepped in dog poop (charming example, I know). But all's well that ends well. My parents dropped me off at school on the way back and I spent the whole day being asked, "Lavanya you were bitten by a dog?" to which I replied " Yes"to which they replied "How?" to which i replied . . . . . well, you get the idea.
This incident has as of such not changed my perspective towards animals. I still adore them beyond belief but I'm certainly more wary of them now. But I'm sure not going to give up on the whole lot of them just because one puppy bit me. No matter what anyone tells me, I will still love my animal friends till my last breath (I hope). I was,still am and will always be proud to remain a Nature Freak!
