Man's Best Friend....Not Today

“You don’t have to outrun the bear, you only have to outrun your friend”

The fourth day of skating began on a hot Georgia morning. While Dan, Carson and I strapped on our skates to start the journey, Jason held down driving responsibilities. It was shaping up to be a good day and for the first mile of our skate, everything was fantastic... then it happened. As we approached the first driveway of the day, we heard something moving in the bushes. As I looked to my left, I saw something sprinting at me...and the chase was on.

I cannot recall the type of dog that emerged from the bushes; lets just say it was big and headed straight for us. We took off in a frantic sprint. I must take a moment and be thankful for the 20 some odd years I have played hockey, as my ability to skate lightening fast helped me in this dilemma.

I almost forgot, when I say we took off in a mad sprint... well two of us did. Unfortunately, being the fastest skater on the team is not a prerequisite to play goaltender in ice hockey. Everyone knows Dan was a goalie in college, and therefore, not exactly the fastest skater on the ice. As Carson and I escaped, the dog bit at Dan's ankles for about fifty long yards. Fortunatly for Dan, he escaped with both of his feet still attached.

The remainder of my skate turned out to be fairly eventful. I had the last driving shift of the day, and therefore, was delegated the responsibilty of filming the boys as they crossed the finish line for the day. I sped ahead in the red rocket (our van) so that I could film the boys coming at me as they finished the last mile. I parked the van, picked up the camera, and looked through the lens. It appeared as if the boys were in an all out sprint. My initial reaction was that the camera was set on fast forward...it wasnt.

I thought to myself that their blistering pace was a little fast for the last mile of a 30 mile skate. I looked again, and sure enough it was another dog chase. As expected, Carson led the pack with a brisk pace, followed by Jason who was screaming like a little girl, and poor goaltender Dan bringing up the rear.

In all fairness to Dan, he didn’t seem to be skating that hard. Quite possibly he was fed up with dogs, it was the 5th chase of the day (4 dogs, 1 coyote). Maybe he was thinking of turning around to challenge the dog, but I doubt it. Only Dan could tell you what happened. Email him (dan@rollingforautism.com), he won't say anything to the three of us...

It was an interesting day and tomorrow is sure to bring more excitement. Make sure to read the blog tomorrow, as we have an interesting day planned in Savannah, Georgia.


Thanks and hope all is well

Sean S.

PS.
Does anyone know why dogs are not chained or fenced in Georgia? Please post a response to our blog if you have any ideas!!!!