I was about to enter the park near my house when I spotted the dog. Taut and muscular: the type that looks as if it is permanently primed for a fight.
The dog’s female owner was giving chase, trying to grab hold of its neck with one hand and waving a lead in the other. The dog suddenly stopped and locked its eyes on me. Oh crap! What do I do now?
I stood very, very still. Good decision. I’ve since learnt, after reading up on how to avoid a dog attack, that this was exactly the right thing to do. Other useful tips include resisting the temptation to scream and run away, not smiling (baring your teeth to a dog is seen as a sign of aggression) and avoiding eye contact.
I certainly wasn’t smiling and I was rooted to the spot in fear. I was, however, eyeballing the dog, watching for any sudden movement. Bad decision. Apparently I should have been looking sideways, not directly at it. The dog pricked up its ears and tensed its body. I braced myself for the attack.
Thankfully the owner managed to regain control of her dog, but only after being dragged half way across the park first. The dog now stood at her side, panting. All that tugging at the lead had obviously exhausted the poor thing. The woman laughed. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘He thought your handbag was a dog.’ As if that was meant to reassure me. Not only was it a dangerous dog but a short-sighted one too.
I bought my soft brown leather handbag from Other Stories, the Swedish high street chain. It is described as being ‘based on a bowling bag shape’. There is no mention of it being dog bait!
Only to a canine, seriously in need of a visit to Specsavers, could my bag have looked like another mutt. Nevertheless, the incident has got me worried, which is why I’m now urgently rethinking my handbag purchases. I definitely won’t be placing my pre-order for Thom Browne’s ‘Hector’ bag. Take a look at the picture and you’ll understand why.