June 3, 2003: I was running along my usual 3-mile route, less than a mile out from my house, and stepped up onto the sidewalk in front of a house. I heard the sharp yapping of small dogs as I passed, but ignored them, which is what I usually do, especially in the case of small dogs. Sometimes I stop, or stop and chase the dog, or stop and chase and yell at the dog, but in this case, I decided it was best to just get past them as fast as possible.
I was having trouble doing that, however, because they were around my feet, and I actually had to be careful not to step on or be tripped by one or more of them. Then I felt a sharp pain. I
stopped, looked down at my ankle, where the pain was located, and saw a bright red spot. "Shucks! (actually I did not think or say shucks, but I'd like to keep this G-rated) I got bit!" Luckily
I was right in front of the house from which the dogs had apparently emanated, so I knocked on the door. When a young woman finally appeared, I said, "Your dog bit me". I think she asked which one,
but I didn't know; I didn't even know for sure how many dogs there were. She said the dogs were owned by her mother, who was at work at the time, but she gave me the name, phone number, and
address. Here it is:
Celia Garza
803 Weizmann
349-5721
She wasn't sure exactly where her mother worked, but said she thought she was a housekeeper at the Methodist Hospital. She said her mother would not be off work until around 12:30 AM, so I just asked for something to clean the wound, and went on my way. I cleaned the wound more thoroughly when I got home, then went to the Texas MedClinic, where they cleaned and dressed it and gave me a tetanus shot. This visit cost me over $100, plus $10 or so for the antibiotic prescription. Did I mention that I had recently become unemployed and uninsured? The next day I called the number I had been given. The daughter answered again, and said her mother had arisen early, about 4:30, and gone to work. I expressed disbelief, to which the daughter said "Are you calling me a liar?" Productive conversation seemed unlikely after that point, so I figured I'd catch Ms. Garza at work. This just got me answering machines or people who didn't know her. Apparently there are a number of places which could be called "The Methodist Hospital". In any case, I never could reach her at work. And then I found that she had changed her home number!
Meanwhile, the Animal Control organization had been in operation as a result of my visit to the clinic; if there's an animal bite involved, they are notified. Since the bite was on a Friday afternoon, they didn't do anything until Monday, when they went over and got one of the dogs, a Chihuahua. I asked "what about the other dog?". I didn't know which one bit me. They said that they had picked up only one. There ensued a week-long ordeal to try to have the other dog picked up. Why, when it was so easy to get the first one? Why hadn't they got both to begin with? I'm not really sure, but but apparently because I had not identified which dog had bit me they relied on the owner to tell them which dog was responsible. Now they had to go through a protracted process to pick up the other dog, which involved paying a visit to try to get the other dog. That failed; nobody home or something, so then they had to post a notice. That was another day. Meanwhile, there is an incubation period of ten days for rabies, but really, it seems if you don't get the shots sometime within those ten days, they aren't much good. The shots, by the way, are in two series, each of which cost about $1000. I was assured that there had not been a case of rabies within the city in a dog for a long time, but with something like this, you are playing a kind of Rabies Roulette. My mom offered the helpful information that rabies could actually stay dormant for up to a year before producing symptoms. Meanwhile, the dog pound went through its methodical process. Around Thursday, they were telling me that I should come down to the pound and identify the dog that bit me. (!) Apparently the woman had actually come to visit the pound, and was resisting giving that second dog up. I would have to come down to the pound and sign an affadavit, which would then have to go before a judge, who might or might not be in a mood to review and sign it. This was all with one weekday left, and the end of the incubation period was that next Monday. Friday morning I visited the pound and signed the affadavit, and the judge must have been in a compliant mood, because they did pick the dog up, and kept it until Monday. Apparently it looked OK. I did get a scarey notice in the mail, telling me to call the Animal Control office, but it was nothing; just a formality when they pick the animal up.
This was all a relief to me, but I thought it would only be fair if I requested that the dog's owner pay my medical bills, at least all except the tetanus shot, which I probably needed anyway. So I copied the bills, drafted up a letter, and sent it off, delivery receipt requested. It was returned; never accepted and never opened.
Of course I could take this person to small claims court, and probably win, but it costs something to file a claim, and there's no way to make the person pay even if they do rule against them. For now, I've just let the matter rest, except for telling you about it. I've gone by that house several times since then, and there have never been any dogs about. I really do believe that in this case, it was an unusual situation for those dogs to have escaped from the back yard, where they had been kept. It could have been a lot worse if they had just been wandering around, as so many of the dogs in San Antonio are. Although I believe it's theoretically possible for Animal Control to pick up a stray dog, I have never actually experienced dog relief as a result of one of my calls. Seems as though the dog catchers could just cruise my route every day and make their quota.