The kids wanted a dog. I didn't. The wife wanted a dog. I didn't. I lost. So now I get to walk him on weekends and pick up poop with a plastic baggie. Oh joy! At least with your own kids, you're related to the party whose poop you are cleaning.
My last major memory of a dog interacting with myself is the dog that bit me up at the local grade school. It was a day for soccer practice. Tons of kids practicing with their soccer coaches. My son is practicing soccer. My daughter is playing with various playground equipment. A dog that is a long long way off makes a beeline for me. Well, a beeline if you include an imaginary reflecting line at the edge of the school yard. The dog reflects off the line, and aproaches and starts barking wildly. Owner is far off, and starts to mosey on over. Guess me getting bit wasn't high on his agenda to worry about.
The problem is, my daughter age maybe 2 or so, is between me and the dog. And the dog is upset. Quite upset. I need to move forward to pick up my daughter. I do that. Dog gets even more upset. He starts lunging. I use one leg to kick at him to fend him off. One of my kicks and one his lunges are mistimed, and he bites me on the thigh. (Note: 7-8 years later, the scar is still there). Funny thing is, he doesn't dent my jeans. There are teeth marks on the jeans though, where my blood has soaked through the cloth. Pretty humorous. Using your victim's blood to stain his clothes. The skin was broken, apparently due to the pressure of the teeth, not because the teeth cut through my skin. I do recommend wearing jeans when you get bit on the thigh. It keeps the dog saliva off of you. Sort of a sanitary way of being bitten.
I eventually called the dog catcher. The owner gave his address at the local mobile home park, but didn't give a small detail like the slot number. Silly me, not knowing to ask such a thing, but I'd never actually visited or lived in a mobile home park, and didn't know to ask. He didn't have a phone. The dog catcher couldn't find him.
I did go to the emergency room eventually. They gave me a tetanus shot. Maybe not needed, due to the jeans. Didn't need to get a rabies shot. Apparently around here there hasn't been rabies transmitted by dogs in 30 years.
-- DCJ
