(Almost) Goosed by a Goose

If I'm not being chased by a dog, I'm running in fear of getting bitten on the butt by a goose.

Such a thing (almost) happened to me the other day when I was on my long run. I was in a forest preserve-type place, made a turn, and sudently found what scientists refer to as a "helluva lot of geese." (Although, "gaggle" works well, too.)

They looked at me and I looked at them, and I slowed to a walk. Geese are, to put it kindly, mean as hell, and I know of what I speak. My high school has quite a bit of open grassy areas, and when I was in school, we had geese galore. Geese - and geese poop - were everywhere. We couldn't run on the track without delicately stepping over poop and feathers, and when it was mating season, we knew to watch out for the fights.

I remember being warned my first day of cross-country by a senior on the team to leave the geese alone. "Geese look cute, but they're mean," she intoned with the voice of someone who has Been There, Dude. And then there was the time that a teammate was chased a bit around the track. It was hee-haw funny at the time, but really? Those things can bite and can draw blood.

So, yes, stay the hell away from geese. As I strolled as quickly past the geese as I could while on my run, I kept my eyes on them the entire time. The one in front - the leader, maybe? - eyed me, too, and I couldn't get past them fast enough. "This is just great," I thought. "I don't want to be the person who gets goosed, because imagine having to explain THAT to everyone."

I shuffled past and kept my eyes on the geese for a few minutes, watching as they did their own early-morning shuffle, just totally minding their own business. It was neat to see, but it was also super-scary because who wants to be nipped on the butt by a GOOSE?

Comments

[Julia @ Hooked on Houses]

I've never had any incidents with geese, but I was attacked by a gaggle (group? gang?) of beautiful white swans once when I was walking around a pond. I was trying to take a picture because they looked so pretty. Next thing I knew, they were RUNNING at me. It was crazy. Everyone laughs when I tell the story, but it sure wasn't funny at the time! :)