Brian- I am very sorry to hear about the situation with the mastiff and your loved one. I can imagine how damaging physically and mentally that can be for all involved.
A few more general comments: To be clear, yes, most of the dogs on trail (and dog owners) are responsible and under control and positive encounters. Most are fine and I am not trying to bash dogs or dog owners in general. But I have had dozens of negative encounters. I don't know if is because I am usually hiking alone, with poles, and a beard. Maybe those who hike in large groups or with dogs (who take away the attention of the aggressive dogs from people) gives others a different experience. Since being bitten on trail, I too have been surprised how many people I know have been bitten generally (not necessarily on trail) when I talk to them about my experience. The problem encounters most often seem to be with folks who are new to hiking with their dog or their dog is new to them period.
Dog bites in general are very, very common. According the
CDC there are 4.5 million dog bites per year in the United States. Per Year! There are 320 million people living in the United states so that is about 1.5 % of the population. 1 in 5 of them becomes infected. 30 or so each year are fatal. These are facts. The CDC article linked above points out that children between 5 - 9 years old are most likely to bitten, and men are more likely than women to be bit. The backcountry context of a serious bite on trail makes it a more dangerous situation that normal when medical help is not available in a prompt manner. Dogs do not behave or think in the anthropomorphized ways some people envision them in their heads.
Sierra- I should clarify my statement about "avoiding the 4ks this summer." More accurately stated,
dogs are one of the reasons I will be avoiding 4ks this year. There are other reasons, such as I can usually only hike on Saturday and the 4k's have become excessively crowded then to the point of taking on an amusement park atmosphere. I have already hiked them several hundred times and there are more quiet places that provide a better backcountry experience in New England. I have not given up 4ks altogether and had good luck this past winter/early spring hiking 4ks on Monday mornings-- for example I only encountered 4 parties hiking Lafayette in early march, and 1 party after the early April snow on Moosilauke. But given my other life responsibilities, I don't want waste a rare chance to recharge alone by having a dog charge me while the owner is nowhere to be found. Dogs charging me now are a mental trigger so I would say its probably 40% of my decision. After my bite, and my daughter’s 3 (off trail bites), I'd rather not deal with it, and see popular “facebook” areas as a magnet for the inexperienced dog owners. So that is the rationale for my decision making.
