We may never know the full circumstances that led to Meredith Emerson’s death. She’s the young woman, originally from Colorado, who went missing while hiking alone with her dog (Ella) in Georgia. What did that creepy man do to gain her confidence? Police have since arrested someone, charged him with her death, and found her body. Ella was found safe some 40-50 miles away from the wilderness area they were hiking. I assume that a friend of family member will keep her, but I have not heard. HOWEVER, I suspect many of you go on outings alone with your dogs, so I thought I’d offer a few ideas on safety.
But, first, please know that Meredith’s friends have established a memorial fund at the humane society near her home town of Longmont, CO. Here’s a link: www.firstgiving.com/meredithemerson
Now, I think it’s probably a good idea to carry a few things while hiking alone with your dog:
- A whistle (since whistle noises carry farther than your voice)
- Some kind of mace or direct-stop (around here it’s more likely to be used in case of mountain lion attack, but still)
- A walking stick of some kind (as a weapon, if needed)
Certainly, we need to keep an eye out for weirdos. Especially since there’s something called “a fundamental attribution error.” It simply means that people are more likely to approach you under normal circumstances, if you have a dog with you. Research shows that people assume that other people with dogs are smarter, nicer, make more money, etc. So, if you’re walking with your dog, people are more likely to say “Hi,” to ask for help, and such.
I interviewed a human-animal bond expert a while back for a magazine article, and he told me that it would be weird for a strange man to say “hello” to me on the street if I was alone, but if I have a dog with me, then the social context changes, and it’s not so weird or creepy.
This is absolutely true. I cannot tell you how many people talk to me when Lilly and I are out. Even my mother-in-law noticed when Lilly went with us to a local art festival. She joked that she needed to get a dog. She was amazed how many people spoke to us or smiled at us or whatever.
Only once has it turned into something weird. It must have been summer of 2006. Lilly and I were in downtown Golden, talking a walk, visiting the farmer’s market and such. A man at a picnic table along the creek asked if he could ask me a question. This happens all the time in Golden. People are forever asking me to take their photo, for advice on where to eat, and for directions. So, I said, “Sure.”
Then this total nutjob started ranting about the war in Iraq and flapping a back issue of The New York Times Magazine at me. It included a cover article on people with links to terrorism getting into Ivy League schools. I’d actually read it before, so I knew what he had. He kept ranting, pausing only to say, “What to you think about that?” over and over.
Well, I interview people for a living. That means I listen to a lot of people talk, and clearly this guy didn’t care what I thought. He just wanted to tell me what he thought.
I tried several times to end the conversation and get away, but when he didn’t get the hint, I finally lost it and really yelled at him — A. for being a total ASS, B. for ruining a lovely summer day with my dog, C. for luring me under false pretenses by seeming like he had some mundane thing to ask.
He finally backed down, but it freaked me out. I would have been more scared, if it hadn’t been in such a public place. But, still, it was upsetting. So, I wrote a note to a local shop owner I’ve interviewed before who is very involved with local government. I’m not sure they could do anything since he was just being weird and not doing anything illegal, but I wanted to tell someone.
About a week later, I was driving through town on my way to a meeting, and I saw the same guy ranting at some younger guy at a bus stop. Creep!
So, based on my own wariness and Tom’s years and years of karate training, here’s some additional advice:
Keep an arm’s distance or more away from strangers, even if they seem OK.
Don’t be afraid to be mean or rude, if someone seems weird.
If someone grabs you, fight back hard, including:
- poking them in the eyes
- punching them in the throat
- stomping on the instep of their feet (right where the foot meets the ankle)
- screaming NO over every time you punch (making noise increases the power of your punch)
Even if there are weapons involved, ALWAYS fight back.
If you have never taken a self-defense class (or haven’t taken one in a while), please do. And, be careful when you’re out in remote (or even public) places with your dog.
I had not heard that. Interesting.
I love your Whoa, Boy strategy. Sadly, Lilly is so shy with people, I don’t think it would work for me. There’s nothing scary about a dog wiggling like a worm at my feet. If she startles, though, she does a good bark fit. Maybe that would help.
I didn’t know about your childhood in the middle east. Another pal grew up in the UAE. She had a driver all the time too, for similar reasons.
I read that the guy who they’ve arrested for Meredith’s murder had a dog with him and that he was talking to several people on the trail before her disappearance. Maybe his dog was used as a lure.
I’ve been hiking alone for years but I always had dogs that were big and/or scary looking and if we saw someone acting as if they didn’t really have a purpose out there we either turned around or I’d pull my dogs in close to me and say things like “it’s OK, easy now, easy” to try to make them think I might not be able to control my big, bad dogs:-)
Growing up in Iran certainly made me aware of the danger of being alone since I was assaulted at the age of 12 just after moving there with my family. Luckily I had been riding my horse and was still carrying my riding whip which I used across his face and then took off running until I reached our house. After that my father bought me a tear gas pistol with which I promptly shot myself when cleaning it (without damaging anything but my pride) and which my mother promptly took away from me. After that I never walked anywhere as long as I lived there. I had to either be driven everywhere or had to take a taxi or hired car. When I returned to the US to live I felt so free and so much safer. But I never take anything for granted and always keep my guard up. Some lessons you just never forget.
I read that the guy who they’ve arrested for Meredith’s murder had a dog with him and that he was talking to several people on the trail before her disappearance. Maybe his dog was used as a lure.
I’ve been hiking alone for years but I always had dogs that were big and/or scary looking and if we saw someone acting as if they didn’t really have a purpose out there we either turned around or I’d pull my dogs in close to me and say things like “it’s OK, easy now, easy” to try to make them think I might not be able to control my big, bad dogs:-)
Growing up in Iran certainly made me aware of the danger of being alone since I was assaulted at the age of 12 just after moving there with my family. Luckily I had been riding my horse and was still carrying my riding whip which I used across his face and then took off running until I reached our house. After that my father bought me a tear gas pistol with which I promptly shot myself when cleaning it (without damaging anything but my pride) and which my mother promptly took away from me. After that I never walked anywhere as long as I lived there. I had to either be driven everywhere or had to take a taxi or hired car. When I returned to the US to live I felt so free and so much safer. But I never take anything for granted and always keep my guard up. Some lessons you just never forget.
Good advice! I’ve just been reading “The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals that Protect us from Violence” by Gavin De Becker, and I highly recommend it. He talks about how we all need to learn to pay attention and listen to our intuition and gut feelings, because usually we get those feelings because we have subconsciously perceived that we are in danger. There are often subtle signals that we pick up from people, but most of us unfortunately tend to talk ourselves out of our intuitions because we don’t want to look silly or rude. I’m not finished with the book yet, but so far it is a real eye-opener and a great read!