Dogs, Dogs, Dogs

Several years ago, I was invited to speak at a conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I took Peter, my five-year-old son, with me to have some father/son bonding time. I was paid to deliver two talks and after that I was on my own with Peter. I was looking forward to spending three or four days with him.  
 
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We drove my truck from Salt Lake City and arrived a couple of days before the conference to spend some time camping. Peter wanted to camp the entire time, but I explained that under the circumstances I needed to stay in the hotel when the conference started. He was ok with this.
 
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At the time, I was an avid jogger, jogging about 3-4 miles per day and I loved it. On this particular morning, Peter and I left the campground and went to a local high school where I could jog, and Peter could play on the field where I could watch him.
 
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I had run a couple of miles when I noticed a pack of dogs (about 5 or 6 German shepherds) playing on the south end of the track. I realized there were no people near the dogs and that made me a little nervous but decided I would keep running any way and keep my attention focused on them.
 
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I ran past the dogs, and nothing happened. They acted as though they were not interested in my run or me. I ran another two or three laps and still no problem, but on the fourth lap their interest in me picked up and by the time I passed them they decided that they didn't like me very much. They growled as I ran by, bared their teeth, then started running towards me. I was nervous and afraid, but more concerned about my young son Peter.
 
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I didn't know what to do and the only thing I could think to do in that moment was to offer a silent prayer for Peter’s safety and my own. The thought came to me that I should stop, turn around, and look those dogs in the eyes. Someone who knows more about dogs will surely write back now and tell me either that this idea of mine was a great one or a crazy one.
 
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As my thought process continued, it dawned on me that I really didn’t know what to do about those dogs, but I decided that if they came after me, I might be able to give one of them a good kick before they got me.
 
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I stopped and turned to face them. I was scared but determined to try to protect my son, even if it was ineffective. It seemed like five long minutes that I stood there staring at those dogs and they stared back and growled at me, though it was probably only five seconds. Fortunately, they must have thought I wasn’t worth the effort. They turned around and went back to where they were originally playing. I said a quick thank you prayer, ran towards my son, picked him up, gave him a big hug and a kiss, and then we left and went back to the campground.
 
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I thought about this incident and realized that while I was afraid of what those dogs could have done to me, my first concern was for the safety of my young son. Today, I realize that many times parenting involves taking action to protect our children when they are in danger.
 
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Most of us will never have to protect our children from a pack of dogs, but we need to be aware of other dangers, such as pornography, bullying, inappropriate internet usage, academic failure, and many others. The best way to protect our kids is to make sure we are aware of potential challenges, learn how to effectively step in, and then not hesitate to jump in with our protective knowledge and abilities when such moments arise.
 
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Here’s to failing forward together,
 
Calvert
 
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