Day 8 - Lake City to Perry - Two Far 2021 - Sooo... Far - CycleBlaze

April 16, 2021

Day 8 - Lake City to Perry

Dog bite!

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Keith A. SpanglerI remember Perry!
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithYesterday, I would have said that there was very little memorable about Perry. Today, that has changed!
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2 years ago

The day started off so nice.  It was sunny and a little cool, but warmed up quickly.  The forecast predicted a 50% chance of rain showers beginning around 2PM, so we figured we would make it dry most of the way.

We passed a number of small cattle ranches and generally attractive rural north Florida scenery.

Morning cows
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Live oaks and Spanish moss - classic north Florida view
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We also saw our first corn field of this trip

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About noon, it started to rain lightly.  After a few minutes, we stopped and put rain covers on the panniers.  The rain continued to pick up and we added our rain jackets.  There went our chance for a dry ride!  I had put the camera away to keep it dry, so there were no pictures in the rain.

At about mile 40, several large dogs chased us from a front yard.  The owners stood in the yard and screamed at them which did no good at all, of course.  I used my whistle and we thought they had all turned around.  Then, suddenly and silently, one was on my right.  Before I could do anything, he chomped down hard on my right leg.  He ran back home as soon as he bit me.  Kerry went back to the house and got the owners' names and information.  They offered to "take me somewhere" for medical attention, but we declined.  We rode three miles to the next store and the clerk there called the sheriff's  department.

Kerry wanted to document my wound.  It was OK, and not hurting very much.

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Sandra LawnThat’s nasty! Wishing you a speedy recovery from New Zealand
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithThank you so much! It's so cool to know that people from so many places read this journal.
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2 years ago
Jacques CharronOMG ! this is such a sad story ... I hope that you can recover quickly.
I was jogging in the roads for many years and I have been chased by several dogs but never been bitted like this🥲
Take good care!
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Jacques CharronWe've had a few good dog chases, but I never really thought I'd get bitten. It's always such a surprise when bad things happen, but I think I'll be fine before long.
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2 years ago
Mike ObermeyerSo sorry you have to go through that. Hope the rest of your ride goes a lot better. Always thinking about you guys. Stay safe.
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Mike ObermeyerThank you, Mike. I am almost all healed now and the dog remained healthy while he completed his quarantine. We restocked our pepper spray and hope for the best!
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2 years ago
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They sent two deputies and an ambulance.  The EMT's were great.  They cleaned and bandaged the wound and said that, if I felt like it, I would be OK to ride into Perry (20 miles) to seek more care.

Nathan and Gary - thanks for your care!
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I was feeling OK to ride - and the rain had stopped - so it seemed like the best way to get both of us and the bike to Perry.

The deputies got the information from Kerry about the owners and the dogs.  They told him they knew the house.  They had been there before on "other matters".   They left to pay a visit to the owners.

We got back on the bike.  Just about a mile after we started the 19 miles to Perry, the rain started again, too.  It rained harder and harder and there was some thunder and lightning the last few miles.  

We finally got to the Hampton Inn around 3:00.  After showering and getting into dry clothes, we called a cab to take us to the Urgent Care Center.  The cab was an old guy in an old, very worn van, but after one wrong stop, he got us to the right place.  We should have looked up the address before we left, but Perry is such a small place, we figured he would know.

At the medical center, we had to wait to see if they would take me, because they were getting ready to close.  Fortunately, they decided to see me and both Lee, the medical assistant and Hillary, the nurse practitioner, were great.  Hillary carefully examined, cleaned and dressed the wound and gave me a tetanus vaccine.  She sent an order for an antibiotic to the local Winn-Dixie.  When we were ready to leave, we found there had been a discussion among the staff to see who would get to drive us to Winn-Dixie and back to the Hampton Inn.  The winner was Dan, who is a local pastor.  He drove us to Winn-Dixie, where the pharmacist had my prescription ready in only a couple of minutes, and then back to the hotel.  He refused any payment, saying he always loved a chance to do a good deed.   

Lee and Hillary - more great people I have to thank today.
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Curt & Helene ReedDear Jeanna, I am so sorry about the incident. I hope you heal well and can continue riding. Lot of rain in the forecast, perhaps it will work in your favor. Shame on the dog owners.
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2 years ago
Keith A. SpanglerGuys, I'm so glad you found all of the help you needed. Jeanna, HUGS! You are a trooper!
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Keith A. SpanglerWe felt very lucky to have so many people to help.
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Curt & Helene ReedThe dog owners are definitely the villains in this story. I hope they were telling the truth about their dogs being vaccinated. We have numbers to call to follow up with the county health department. The dog will be quarantined for 14 days even if it's rabies vaccine is current. I'm very glad it wasn't an unknown dog that couldn't be located.
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2 years ago

So, my leg hurts, I don't know how it's going to heal, and I'm not sure how I'm going to feel about riding for the next few days, but we met some kind and generous people which made the whole incident much easier to handle.

Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 365 miles (587 km)

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Comment on this entry Comment 22
Mike AylingThat would have been a nasty experience.
I hope othe healing goes well.

Mike
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2 years ago
Bill ShaneyfeltBad! Sorry to hear about that bite... Dog bites can be really bad news to a cycling tourist. The second day will be worse. I hope you recover quickly.
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2 years ago
Kathleen JonesOy! Not good. Cheers to all the folks who gave you such good care and support. Hope it heals fast.
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Mike AylingThank you, Mike. We're in the midst of a major rain event here, so it's not a bad time to stay put for a couple of days.
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Bill ShaneyfeltThanks, Bill. I've never been really afraid of dogs chasing us before - just annoyed at their owners for being so irresponsible. I have a feeling that will change now and I'll be scared every time I see a dog run out. That may be the worst impact on our future touring.
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Kathleen JonesThank you, Kathleen. I like to think that most people are like Dan, happy to have a chance to do a good deed. We really appreciated that yesterday.
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2 years ago
DAVID FAULKNERType your comment here
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DAVID FAULKNERTo DAVID FAULKNERSad, terrifying news
Pleased you’ve medical attention..pain continues
Trust you recover sufficiently to continue your adventuresome trip
Stay safe in days to follow
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo DAVID FAULKNERThanks Dave and Sharon. We will continue the trip after a couple days recovery, I'm sure. There is a huge mass of rain and thunderstorms in our path for a few more days, so it's a good time for a break from the bike.
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2 years ago
Francie GassOH!!! I am so sorry you were bitten! I would be so afraid and angry. Glad you can take a rest. Are you considering pepper spray? Sending you wishes for a thorough healing .
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2 years ago
Ken GassNice job you two thoroughly responding to the dog bite for both the sakes of Jeanna and the cycling community. I second Francie's query about keeping pepper or bear spray handy and for the need to ice and rest the injury for at least a day before restarting to minimize bleeding into the tissue which encourages infection and scarring. KG MD
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Francie GassWe've carried pepper spray before, but this was so fast, I don't think I could have reached anything in time to stop him. I was going for my water bottle, but he was biting my leg before I even got it out of the holder. We may get more pepper spray after this.
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Ken GassKG MD - I was prescribed Augmentin 875 BID for 10 days. Do you concur? It will be nearly 48 hours post bite when I ride again. The pain is actually less today than yesterday.
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2 years ago
Rich FrasierOuch! So sorry this happened to you! I hope you can continue with your adventure. Maybe give yourself a day or two off?
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2 years ago
Ken GassTo Jeanna & Kerry SmithSounds good all around, Jeanna. May the remaining 5,600+ miles of your ride be pleasant and dog-free.
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Ken GassThank you, Ken. That's what I'm hoping for!
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Rich FrasierWe are taking a day off and will evaluate how I feel in the morning. I don't think we will have to cancel our trip, just rest until I'm ready to pedal. On the tandem, I can let Kerry to more of the work. My dog bite may become a great tool to use when I am just tired:)
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2 years ago
Dave CardarellaHi Guys, We were sorry to read about your dog bite. It looks like the dog really got you good. At least the authorities responded well. If the owners have insurance you should be compensated. We have never been bitten, but have many cycle friends that have. We have a Zounds air horn that works well at stopping a chasing dog if you can wait until they are really close.
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2 years ago
Rachael AndersonI’m so sorry you had such an awful experience! It’s hard to believe the owner was there and didn’t call the dogs off! Scott got a terrible dog bite that took 7 months to heal and the dog also bit me but I just had a fairly minor puncture wound. Ever since then I’ve been on constant lookout for dogs.
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Rachael AndersonThe owners actually stood in the yard and screamed at the dogs, but it did not stop them from chasing us. The pack (Kerry said there were five of them) finally turned around after I used our alarm whistle, but the one who bit me apparently came back on my right side, completely silent, and bit me before I could react at all.
I remember the terrible saga of Scott's bite. It was awful to read about and worse for him to experience, I'm sure.
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2 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Dave CardarellaI used my very loud alarm whistle and the pack chasing us turned back. The one who bit me returned again and came up silently on my right. It happened so fast, I don't think I could have used any deterrent. I guess the lesson is keep watching even if the dogs have retreated.
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Jeanna & Kerry SmithMy bite last spring was like this. I didn’t even know the dog was there until he was grabbing for my leg. There’s nothing I could have done to deter him because it was all too sudden. Glad to hear that you’re back riding again and it wasn’t worse!
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2 years ago