Bad Dogs and Hard Pavement

June 19, 2024

Well, damn…

There’s no point in burying the lede, this is how my day turned out: dog bites and a broken collarbone.

I am typing this with one finger.

After a leisurely breakfast at the Old Timers Cafe, Rich, Genny, and I rolled out at around 10:00. It was Jim’s turn to drive. It was going to be a good day with clear skies and warm weather, a 38-mile route along the Clark Fork River.

Our first stop was just a couple of miles from our motel: St. Ignatius Mission. One of the desk clerks at our hotel in Columbia Falls had told us we shouldn’t miss it.

The mission is famous for its frescos. We didn’t know much about it and wanted to check it out. From the mission’s website:

“The Mission in St. Ignatius consists of four buildings: the 1891 church, the original 1854 log church and residence, the 1864 Providence Sister’s residence, and the 1960 Rectory. The most predominant of the buildings is the church itself. Construction began in 1891 and took two years to complete. All materials were sourced locally with the bricks made from local clay and trees milled on site.

The interior of the church contains fifty-eight murals painted over a fourteen-month period in 1904-1905. The artist was a Jesuit Brother who served as the Mission cook. Brother Carignano, SJ, (1853-1919), with no professional training in art, completed the paintings between his regular duties as the Mission cook and handyman. The paintings depict scenes from Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, and the lives of the saints. The triptych behind the main altar show the three visions of St. Ignatius of Loyola for whom the Mission (and town) are named.”

Upon leaving the mission, I was leading and had only gone about a half block when 3 or 4 dogs came charging out of a driveway. The biggest dog, a big brown muscular mutt didn’t even hesitate, biting my right calf as I tried to avoid him. He was coming after me for more, and in my panicked attempt to swerve away from his teeth, I went down, hitting the pavement hard. All I could think in that movement was that I had to get up before I got mauled.

Everyone was yelling. A woman came out into the street, screaming at the dogs, which were apparently hers, but they weren’t listening. Then, unbelievably, she blamed me for getting bit, said I should have stopped (!?!). She didn’t even try to help, but loaded the dogs into her car and drove off, presumably trying to protect them from the law.

In the meantime, I was clutching my shoulder, realizing that’s where I was hurting the most, the dog bite fading into the background. Began shaking. Rich called for an ambulance, which came from Ronan, a town we passed through yesterday.

St. Luke’s Community Health Center took good care of me. Several hours later, I was released with a confirmed broken collarbone, some pretty deep punctures in my leg, a tetanus shot, antibiotics, and some pain medication.

Rich and Genny and Jim were angels to me throughout. I feel bad about messing up the tour. Rich and I haven’t decided yet when to leave, but it’s clear I need to get an appointment with an orthopedic specialist back home (I have Kaiser, so it’s complicated.)

On the drive to Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort, our destination, we managed to get a few photos of the scenery we missed during our intended ride.

Our planned route:

Heart

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Looking on the bright side:

I broke my right collar bone and I’m left-handed.
The highway turned out to have very little shoulder with fast-moving traffic — so maybe not a tragedy we didn’t ride it.
I have great friends and a wonderful partner to look after me.
The resort is beautiful, and I have this gorgeous room right by the river to convalesce for the evening.

That’s all I can handle writing tonight. Read Genny’s journal for more details.

Today's ride: 2 miles (3 km)
Total: 209 miles (336 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	9
Comment on this entry	Comment	17

Scott AndersonI’m so sorry, Amber. What terrible luck, and so scary. You’re lucky you were with friends who could help rescue you. I’ve been there and know unnerving this can be. Heal well, nd make sure the authorities check out the dog.
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2 months ago

Suzanne GibsonHow awful and frightening! A real bummer. But I'm so glad you got help and treatment right away. I hope you have a speedy recovery!
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2 months ago

Susan CarpenterWhat a horrible turn of events - I am so sorry Amber. A double whammy. And yes, make sure to have the dog checked out. Wishing you a full and speedy recovery
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2 months ago

Mike AylingVery sorry to hear about it. I hope you recover quickly.
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2 months ago

Rachael AndersonHow scary! We’ve had quite a few encounters with dogs in the United States, with the worst being the very bad dog bite Scott got in John day and the minor bite I got. It took Scott a year for the bite to heal. We are in Great Britain now where there are a lot of dogs but they are smaller well trained dogs out for a walk with there owner. I hope you heal quickly!
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2 months ago

Kelly IniguezHoly moly! That could be any of us, on any day. You've joined an exclusive club that you'd rather not be in.

Take care of yourself, accept the pampering I'm sure is being offered.

Damn.
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2 months ago

Amber StarfireThanks, Kelly. It could have been worse, so I’m looking at the bright side.
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2 months ago

Amber StarfireTo Rachael AndersonThank you, Rachel. Fortunately, I’m generally a pretty quick healer. That dog bite Scott got sounds awful! This has been my first negative encounter with dogs in quite a while, and the first time I’ve ever had a broken bone. So, a first for everything.
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2 months ago

Amber StarfireTo Mike AylingThank you, Mike. Me too!
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2 months ago

Amber StarfireTo Scott AndersonThank you, Scott. Yes, the police were supposed to call me after the hospital reported the bite, but they never did. I guess I will have to follow up on it myself. After we left the hospital, we went back to that street and took pictures of both the house and the car that the woman drove off in ( it was back in her driveway).
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2 months ago

Amber StarfireTo Suzanne GibsonThank you, Suzanne.
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2 months ago

Amber StarfireTo Susan CarpenterType your comment here
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2 months ago

Amber StarfireTo Susan CarpenterThanks, Susan, I will.
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2 months ago

Andrea BrownI'm really sorry to hear about this, Amber. Scary, aggressive, biting dogs can really throw a monkeywrench in a bike trip. Good things your honey and your friends are there with you. I hope that something happens with those dogs and their owner but I'm not holding my breath. Good luck with everything!
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2 months ago

Amber StarfireThanks. Update on the dog — I finally got a call from the St. Ignatius police. The officer I talked to was quite familiar with the dog and the owner. She told me the owner is an enrolled member of the local tribe and that all she could do is write a report and send it to the tribal police. Sounded like they have had trouble with the dog before. So I’m not holding my breath either. Let’s just hope that someone else doesn't get seriously injured.
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2 months ago

David McCormickOMG, I am so sorry to hear about this. Very sad for both the discomfort and the impact on your trip.
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2 months ago

Amber StarfireTo David McCormickThanks, David. I’m adjusting, but it is disappointing.
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2 months ago