When I was growing up I spent some time in a rural/ semi rural area. Beautiful Bush land within miles in almost every direction, beaches , scenic views, Australian wildlife, fresh air and much more. For a Young teenager this is like living an adventure with much to explore, see and do.
Unfortunately getting around in these areas is not as easy as in the city. Public services, such as transport, is far less frequent and areas of interest are far more spread apart. Not having a means of Transport can be detrimental to what it is that you can and can't do, from going to school to hang out with your friends, being able to get there is the make or break of the situation.
When your travels can include, being on suburban roads, un surfaced Roads, dirt roads, mountainous dirt trails, crossing paddocks and fields, etc. The cheapest and easiest means of transportation is a mountain bike. What this meant was that there was a high rate of us kids using mountain bikes to get about. There were a number of biker gangs that were around due to this, not in the sense that these groups doing anything wrong just that they existed.
These groups would Hangout and do recreational activities together, riding trails, hitting the creek or the beach, etc. They would also meet up at various locations around town before heading to school.
Every day on the way in to school every one of these groups would pass a particular property, every kid passing this place need to be cautious regardless if on push bike or not. Many would cross the street just to avoid walking along the front fence of this property, for it was known that there was a very mean old German shepherd he lived there and would jump the fence and chase people.
Many of the kids would kick the fence and taunt the German shepherd as they rode passed in the morning on the way to school and again on the way back home. When talking to the kids about their interaction with the animal stories would emerge of great bravery as these kids evaded and escaped an animal that was known to tear people limb from limb and ravage the flesh of all those that this German Shepherd could catch.
Never being chased by the dog myself all I had to go on was the word of my piers, but it was enough for me to be fearful of this animal. I would always take a wide girth when passing the property if possible.
This plan worked well for me, for a while at least, but one day the traffic conditions did not allow for me to take my usual precautions. And when i passed the property this monstrous German Shepherd jumped the fence and began chasing me down. Within seconds the animal was at my feet barking and snarling up at me as I changed gears on my trusty mountain bike and got away from the beast attempting to end my life.
Reaching the safety of my destination I felt as though I had cheated death. I recalled the situation, the thoughts, the memories, all I could from the experience. But I couldn't recall one instance from when the dog had tried to bite me. And this is what got me thinking... Reluctantly a plan was formed to run a series of experiments to assess how dangerous this German Shepherd was.
Experiment 1: Ride slow enough to be the animals top speed see if it snaps and bites, be ready to ride faster.
Result: Dog paced at speed and barked estimated 2 blocks before abandoning Chase.
So given the opportunity, over approximately 2 blocks, the German Shepherd had not even attempted to bite me once, It just got close enough to bark at me menacingly. After testing the thesis a number of times it was time for the next stage in the experiment.
Experiment 2: Slow down while being chased, be prepared to flee.
Result: Dog paced at speed and barked estimated 2 blocks before abandoning chase.
After being given an even greater opportunity to attack, the German Shepherd still did not attempt to snap or bite. This be would be estimated at traveling at power walking speed. Time for the next experiment design.
Experiment 3: Come to a complete stop.
Results: Dog stands barking awkwardly for a few minutes then backs up and walks off.
Mr. German shepherd clearly had no intention of doing any harm to me at all, just to chase and scare me for some reason. Well it was time to go hard or go home, in the next stage of the experiment and decided that I would stop in front of the fence of the property and see what the dog would do
As I walk my push bike up to the fence I got to see in taking a lot more than what I normally do when I speed past on my Mountain bike. The front yard of the house was considerably un kept with overgrown grass and debris all over the yard. Off to one side, a large metal stake driven deep into the ground with a chain coming from it, this was attached to a chewed and broken leather colour that was designed to keep the dog in place, but had clearly failed.
Bursting fourth from the Ruins of a dog kennel came charging the German shepherd, but I did not move, and I did not run, I just waited. He did not jump the fence and soon the barks of aggression turns to barks awkwardness, this is when we first started to communicate.
With Mr German Shepherd at a firm growling state of communication and pacing the fence line, I was able to speak to him in a calm soothing voice, it didn't really matter so much what I said, but how I said it. I told him that I understood why he was upset a lot of the time, from the taunting to his living conditions etc. and that I would try and make things better.
Over the next couple of months I stopped in more frequently and talked to the German shepherd, soon the barks of aggression had shifted to barks of interaction. His tail would wag when he saw me, I would whistle in a particular way (5 bursts at the same pitch) to let him know I was here and call him over. I gave him some tennis balls for toys and would always pack a piece of ham for a treat when i would stop by to visit.
The final stage of the experiment was upon us, the moment of truth had arrived, the next time we met up for a chat, i reached over the fence and gave him a pat, he put his giant paws up on the fence and gave me some kisses as well... quite the turn around form the savage beast he appeared to be and was also made out to be by the people around in the community.
From this point on the German Shepherd had a shift in how he chose to interact with the world, the chasings became far less frequent and only when really provoked, he would bring his ball to the fence and ask those passing by to throw it around the yard, loved his pats and the interaction with people.
The lesson learned though this interaction with this incredibly intelligent sentient being is that empathy compassion and understanding can go a long way in this world, regardless of the species, breed, race or anything that appears to divide us. However, the greatest revelation achieved through this experience is that; Many times those in most need of love, are ones who seem to deserve it the least.