to not understand people that are afraid of dogs

[Josico58]

Is it not an extremely debilitating and irrational fear? Based on how many dogs there are about in public, how do you go about daily life? And to think they’re all about to attack you for no reason?

I can understand people feeling nervous of a big dog hurtling towards them/their small children, but regular, well behaved dogs in public places. Really a problem?

Don’t mean to sound harsh but it just comes across as a bit pathetic to me.

A friend’s little girl is terrified of my dog. It’s a Cavalier puppy, hardly scary! I admit he can be excitable and full on, and we’re training him not to jump up or lick people. But the mum kind of enables it, picking DD up and saying “it’s OK, he’s not going to get you”. I’m left feeling a bit “Er, get a grip!!”

AIBU?

Sorry, as an animal lover I just can’t understand this seemingly common fear.

I suspect popular opinion will be that I am and I’m ready for the backlash!!

@Wolfiefan why would I ever want to increase a child’s terror? That’s not what I said in the slightest. In fact, that’s why I think the mum should reassure her daughter NOT to be frightened. God - talk about twisting my words!

Nah, this thread was intended to be goady as hell hence the 'I' m ready for the backlash' comment. Were you hoping the other mum is a MNetter?

With such a standpoint I sincerely hope you're not afraid of things like spiders and wasps.

I would never get any pet on a wimb

Yabvu but hahahaha
😂😂😂😂

Different subject, but in view of climate change people should think hard about getting a pet (except for medical need of course).

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2017/08/02/whats-your-dogs-carbon-pawprint/amp/

Don't get them much now, but back in the early 80s it was common on my estate for packs of 'latch key dogs' to meet up and attack people.
So, yes, I can be a bit 'afraid'.

I love dogs but hate the way lost owners with dogs off their leash assume that you love them too . People have an irrational fear but for me it’s more the assumption that im going to love your dog jumping on me or bounding towards me and the owner all like aw soooooo cute .

A lot of posters here seem to be imagining that I own a pack of huge dogs that I let go running off the lead towards children, barking and snarling at them whilst I laugh at them crying in fear.

So ridiculous.

Please be reasonable in your responses. I would never ever want to deliberately scare anyone, a child or an adult.

I’m talking about my puppy Cavalier, who is walked on a lead, and smaller than most domestic cats.

When I mentioned him jumping up at my friends DD, this was in my house and of course we told him off for jumping. He’s a puppy, it’s part of the training.

Lost = lots

My EX who loved jogging was bitten by dogs 4 times in ten years. So I'm not sure of the fear is irrational. Maybe you should take the danger more seriously OP?

But you are increasing their fear. If you let your dog approach strangers, jump up or otherwise behave like an excitable puppy around someone who is shit scared then what else do you expect will happen?
No amount of reassurance will help a truly terrified and phobic person.
Dogs shouldn’t approach strangers. If you don’t have control then get a longline. Be responsible. Don’t label these people as “pathetic” and say they need to “get a grip”

And they all were small dogs, not big ones. The teeth still sunk in deep though.

Don't be an arsehole all yoour life

@whatsthepointthen

im not scared of them but I cant stand them, people need to realise that not everyone likes dogs

I can appreciate that. I’m a dog person but not everyone is, I get that.

So I’ve always been allergic to dogs. Really allergic to all animals in fact, and for that reason I’ve had to never be around them as they bring me out in swelling, rashes, closing airways etc.

Because of this, I’m really scared of dogs, they’re just so alien to me!

Please don’t judge, people have their reasons and what’s normal for you may be terrifying for someone else.

I'm not afraid of dogs and like them but the op is being ridiculous and lacks some empathy, describing someones fear as pathetic? Shame on you and very nasty. Please don't think all dog lovers are like this.

Telling a dog off for jumping is pretty pointless. Prevent behaviour you don’t want.
I used to have a proper snake phobia. Didn’t matter how small and cute the snake was. I still wanted to scream and run away.

I'm dog-potty but even I can understand not liking some dogs. Fear not so much but I have a horse so navigating a growling dog feels small fry compared to winning arguments with 500kg of vertical horse.

I know a few dogs (usually small yappy terriers with very strong instincts) who I struggle to allow near me. Extremely doting owners who think they can't put a paw wrong. Ironically friend who owns one of them was complaining to me recently about not liking animals with bad manners. Her dog runs upstairs and jumps on my sofa the minute it arrives, goes mental at other dogs and runs away if let off the lead. It doesn't respond to traditional recall methods. I think it's the owners who are the problem really.

Tensixtysix - you had a similar experience to me then. It was awful. It was really unsafe. I remember being in a group of children aged about 6 to 11, walking back from a park. We were surrounded by a pack of snarling, snapping dogs. I'd say there were 10 of them. I was one of the older ones and held it together to keep the small ones calm but i was seriously terrified.

@Wolfiefan

I don’t know which post you’ve read but it doesn’t sound like a response to mine? I don’t walk my dog off the lead, as he is only a puppy. I also don’t let him run up to strangers. I’ve encountered people that are scared of dogs in places that are used to walk dogs, hence my question about doesn’t it make daily life hard, seeing as dogs are in so many public places.

You’re acting like I’ve said I think it’s OK to let my dog run and jump on people and if they don’t like it it’s pathetic. Please re-read my original post. I said as a puppy he can be excitable and can jump up, we’re training him not to.

The incident with my friend and her DD was in my home. He wasn’t on a lead at home, but he was suitably told off jumping.

Christ on a bike!

I don’t understand people that like dogs. Even the most well behaved ones can still turn. I give them as wide a berth as possible.

I kind of agree op. I get there are people who don’t like dogs - those who are annoyed by them etc. But I do judgr those who are afraid of all dogs. Even more so if they aren’t addressing it. Dnil is afraid of cats to the point where she won’t go on holiday now as there’s akwayd cats roaming free - I can’t help but think it’s ridiculous that she’s not sorting it out. She literally can’t move if one so much is spotted down the road.

How can the girl's mum give the reassurance you want? She's not an expert on YOUR dog, and by their nature all animals are unpredictable. She is defusing the situation by lifting her child out of it and suggest you need to do the same with your dog.
My sister and my son were both terrified of dogs to the extent that they'd have run into the road without looking. You can't fix that in the way you're suggesting - it takes years.
And I like running. I don't like unknown dogs bouncing up to me when I'm doing that. I have no idea if they're dangerous and owners dopily telling me they're friendly doesn't help. Your attitude is why lots of us aren't wild about dogs in public.

A lot of posters here seem to be imagining that I own a pack of huge dogs that I let go running off the lead towards children, barking and snarling at them whilst I laugh at them crying in fear

No you have a small annoying dog (you posted a photo) that you allow to jump up on a frightened child. Then you went on the internet and said it’s “pathetic” to be frightened of dogs.

The responses you’ve had are more than reasonable and kinder than you deserved.

So in answer to your question yes it probably does make life hard and a few dog owners give others a bad name. Maybe do only parks could be the thing. A retriever catered towards my DD when she was little as they not know to bite I was ok but at the last minute the dog turned and snapped neck height all chaos as no one knew if skin had broken everyone going mad and the dog owner scuttled off and evaded those trying to hold her back. Dd was fine had a scarf thick jacket just all shook up .

Dogs are part of ordinary life - unless you are willing to set your children up to a point they can't go to a park, walk in a wood or pass someone on a pavement with a dog on a lead this seems like huge hysteria.

Ours is a spaniel and trained as a gun dog (we don't hunt for the obedience) -we have been away with friends who say their kids are scared of dogs - being scared of ours is like being scared of a marshmallow a complete waste of emotion. Those kids thankfully have all had a hugely positive experience of a well trained dog - and my dd will happily tell them the rules about not approaching a strange one.

If you aren't a dog person fine - mine doesn't approach without a command - but kids need to be ok with being confident around them even to call out bad behaviour or go for a run where dogs are playing.