Friday, February 1, 2013

Some People are Afraid of Dogs.

It's true, and there are a lot of different reasons for it. Some people have an irrational phobia, they're afraid of dogs like tons of people are afraid of spiders. You know, you're way bigger than it, you're a safe distance from it, but it still gives you the creeps or maybe makes you want to flee screaming. Dogs make some people feel that way, and there's no good reason for it, but they don't want dogs touching them the same way you don't want a tarantula or an orb weaver touching you.



















You can understand how this person feels by picturing the dog as a giant spider. This is one reason why it is polite to not let your dog approach strangers uninvited.



















Some people have movement disorders like cerebral palsy and Huntington's disease. The way these people move often creeps dogs out, even really friendly dogs that never act aggressive. Many people with movement disorders are afraid of dogs because they have been by normally nice dogs.

















Some dogs are fine with everybody, and some have been specifically and deliberately trained that people that move in unusual ways aren't scary, but most dogs don't have a whole lot of experience in this area and find it kind of horrifying. The problem is that scared dogs do scary things like bite, lunge, and bark. Sometimes you can tell that someone has a movement disorder because they are equipped with a cane, crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair. Sometimes you can't tell until they take a step and your dog suddenly freaks out because it's seeing this:

















It's polite to keep your dog on a leash because just seeing an unleashed dog can ruin this person's whole day without you ever knowing it.

















For someone with a movement disorder, a leash means the difference between a safe dog and a dangerous dog.

















Likewise, plenty of people are afraid of dogs simply because they've been attacked before.




















There's a good chance the dog that bit them was supposedly friendly, and that dog's owner probably said it had never done anything like that before.
















People who are afraid of dogs are everywhere. We dog owners can avoid scaring them by keeping our dogs on leashes and not letting them get into anyone's personal space in public. It's a good idea, because people who are afraid of dogs might be landlords, politicians, city council members, and other people who can actively make life easier or more difficult for dog owners. Think of it like scooping poop: when a few people don't do it, it makes all of us look bad and it makes non-dog owners want to make rules and ordinances banning dogs from places. Likewise, seeing a dog owner break a leash law can make a person who is afraid of dogs feel that way. Let's stick together and make dog owners as a group look good by keeping all of them on leashes, even small, friendly, harmless, elderly, and young ones. I can promise that the people who are afraid of dogs don't visit off-leash areas.

71 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you so much for this article. Every since I can remember, I have been afraid of dogs just in the same way you have described. I am now almost 50 and my family loves dogs and I am happy they don't have this same fear. It is something that I try not to show but I can not help but be overcome with fear when I am near a dog, particularly a large dog. I am a normal intelligent person. I live a normal life. Most people are very polite with their dogs and I simply tell them before they get too close that I have a fear of dogs. Occassionally I meet a defensive person who states, "My dog has never bitten anyone." Those people don't understand, it is not a personal opinion or anything against your dog in particular. It is just a fear, like a fear of heights. It is nothing I can control. Fact is, I can't help but think that dogs are lovely in their own way, but they are not human. They do not think like humans. Every year you see a small child mauled and killed in there own yard from a dog that had never harmed anyone before. I have such a distrust of their potential actions it frightens me. I wish I loved dogs. I hope someday I get over my fear, but until then, I appreciate the majority of the general public that have dogs and realize that my fear has nothing to do with their dog in particular. It is a fear of all dogs. I have to cross the street when someone is walking a big dog so I don't disrupt the owner and make them feel bad because they are near me. I realize the owner is enjoying their time with their dog and I try not to disrupt that feeling simply because I have a fear. However, when I do, it's nice to know the average citizen is a really nice person and has no problem keeping their dog away from me while passing me. Thanks for this article. It is much needed.

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    2. I get really annoyed by people who have a fear of dogs when they ask me to do something unreasonable like "can you cross the street, I'm scared of dogs" when I'm walking my dog (a border collie ON leash who isn't even looking at them). THEY are the one with the problem, NOT me. Why should I (and my dog) have to go out of our way to accommodate them when THEY have the problem?

      I have an irrational fear of strangers but I don't stop every stranger and say "Please don't walk near me, I'm scared of strangers" it's MY problem and I have to deal with it without inconveniencing anyone else or making anyone else feel uncomfortable when they did NOTHING WRONG they were just existing in a nearby space. Dog phobia sufferers should do the same. And before you say "humans don't maul" more people die from attacks by other humans (around 16,000 per year in USA alone) than dogs (about 42 per year USA) so clearly humans are more dangerous.

      And yes my fear of strangers is strong enough that its exactly like having a spider near an arachnophobe. Going in a lift is intolerable, I take the stairs when possible because being in a lift with a person is like having a spider on an arachnophobe (I love spiders and I'd put a tarantula on my arm any day before touching a stranger) but I've never said to someone entering a lift "please don't get in, I'm scared of strangers" because why should THEY suffer for MY problem?

      I'm glad you are the one that crosses the street when you see a dog coming, because I'm totally out of patience with people who ask ME to move and I now just tell them "no" when they ask. I have my own fears to deal with and I don't need to deal with everyone else's too.

      For the record my dog never bit anyone (like the vast majority of pet dogs) but I distrust pit bulls and breeds bred for fighting as much as any cynophobe (those are the breeds mostly doing the mauling by the way).

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    3. @Lucu Lencia You're stupid. We're not arguing about Dogs and Human, which one is more dangerous. It's about the responsibility of the dogs owner. Dumb.

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  2. This is one of my pet peeves.

    I *hate* when people let their dogs run loose. It used to make walks with my elderly dog extremely difficult because I would have to put myself between the oncoming dog and him to keep him from being hurt.

    I have never understood why people fail to grasp the fact that I don't care if your dog is "friendly", I don't want him in my space, so leash your dog!

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  3. So true and your illustrations are awesome!

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  4. I don't agree that dogs should always be on leads, if you have a good relationship with your dog and good recall then you shouldn't need one. If you haven't, you do. Quite simple.
    You also have to have some empathy with other people - none of my dogs would approach anyone who didn't want them to because they are aware of body language just as much as any sensitive person is. In fact, if one is merely scared rather than phobic, this can be a really good thing - dog begins to approach, you make obvious 'go away' signals and dog does just that without needing to be pulled away or repulsed. It can be the beginning of the road to recovery for the person.
    Full blown phobias are a different thing - they are actually a mental disorder which no amount of contrary experience can fix but which can be cured quickly and simply with NLP training or rather more slowly with CBT.
    So, whilst I have some empathy with people who are not comfortable with dogs I think we should all take some responsibility for ourselves and get help when it is offered. After all, a dog-phobic person has trouble even walking on the other side of the road from a well behaved dog on a lead. There's nothing more I can do to help this person but they can very quickly and cheaply help themselves by getting treatment. And a fearful person will be less so if they learn a little about dog behaviour and how to tell one giving off aggressive signals from one merely going about its legitimate business. It is usually the unexpectedness of an incident that causes both fears and phobias and leads people to think that dogs are unpredictable, which is simply not the case. If you speak dog they make their moods and intentions perfectly clear in the same way that Russian people make no sense to me but at the moment but would do if I learnt to speak Russian. As such I could conclude that Russian people are dangerously unpredictable because I would not know what they were about to do. The advantage when dealing with humans though, is that we mostly know when we don't speak the same languages - dogs think we all speak dog and intend to say what we say, even though most, if not all of what we say is actually unconscious.
    Dogs are a fact of life, they are out there and one doesn't have to like them any more than one has to like cars or bicycles but if you approach life pretending you don't have to take notice of all three, you will probably come to grief quite quickly, no matter how other people behave.
    As for dogs approaching an elderly vulnerable dog who doesn't want them there - yes of course that dog should be on a lead, or good recall, because no well balanced dog would dream of approaching a dog who is saying "keep away". Ergo, in this scenario, the dog is not well balanced and should be kept under closer control. In human terms this would be a guy in a bar talking to a woman who says, "thank you, no, I'm waiting for someone" and then, instead of backing off, he comes in closer and says how beautiful she is, buys her a drink whether she wants one or not and finally has to be ejected by the bartender. This is not good behaviour, not well adjusted and most definitely not friendly, no matter what he or his mother or lawyer may have you believe, and the same goes for the dogs. Unfortunately, too many dog owners know virtually nothing about dog behaviour and manners either, and many don't even know much about it between humans!
    I can really see why non-dog owners and even many dog owners get so frustrated but we all have to play our parts in educating all, taking responsibility for ourselves and our actions and understanding that none of us has more rights than any other.

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    1. Your comment basically breaks down to: I don't want to have to leash my dog so I'm going to make all kinds of excuses and blame other people for me being an inconsiderate jackass.

      As a professional dog walker, it makes my job FAR harder and more stressful than it needs to be when people have unleashed dogs around. I don't give a damn if you're "sure" your "friendly" dog isn't going to come running at me and the dogs I'm walking, I'M NOT SURE of that, and therefore I have to be on constant alert. I walk many a dog-reactive/dog-aggressive dog and in some cases I can no longer walk dogs in parks near their houses because of people like you insisting that you are somehow entitled and special and don't have to abide by leash laws.

      So take responsibility for yourself, as you say in your comment, and LEASH YOUR DOG IN ALL PUBLIC PLACES. Stop making excuses. Stop thinking you're special. You aren't. And neither is your dog. Leash laws exist to keep EVERYONE safe and comfortable. I have just as much right to walk a safely leashed dog across a public park as you do, but YOU are breaking the law when your dog is off-leash. So be considerate of others, leash your dog.

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    2. ^ I don't expect humans to be perfect, nor do I assume I know how my children or family will act in every given situation. It's ridiculous to claim that your dog is perfect all the time, and it's extremely unfair to your dog. You're setting him up for failure at that time when the "perfect storm" comes along and he's just too distracted/frightened/overwhelmed/interested to listen to your cue. This becomes that ONE TIME that ended up leading to a frightened or injured person. You are the "Ohmygosh, he's never done that before!" crowd. If you set him up to make a mistake, eventually it will happen and you'll act so surprised and end up blaming the dog because you expected he would be more perfect than you.

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    3. I met an arrogant guy like you at the park recently. My dog is fear aggressive towards other dogs so I always have to be watchful. This guy's dog was off leash and running up to other on leash dogs. My husband was holding our dog so I asked this guy to please put his dog on a leash as mine would not react well if his approached. He was totally rude and dismissive, claiming his dog wouldn't approach her. Needless to say we took her out of the situation as I did not want to test his theory and end up in a dog fight. This was a public park with signs saying leash your dog. What a prat he was.

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    4. Ditto to the 3 people's replies above mine. Phobias or no phobias, keep your dogs away from people who are not interested. End of story. Period!

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    5. Leash Your F'IN Dog, it's the LAW.

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    6. It DOES NOT matter if your dog has a 100% recall 100% of the time, its instincts will override training EVERY TIME. LEASH YOUR DOG.

      It DOES NOT matter if you have an awesome relationship with your dog and he/she is the best trained dog on the planet..if the law says to leash your dog, then LEASH YOUR DOG!

      I do not give a rip how good your pooch is....just LEASH IT. Its not a difficult concept, and stop deluding yourself in thinking you have control over him/her via voice command because you don't. Dogs are free thinkers and instinctual animals, not your personal robots and you can not guarantee a perfect recall the instant you call your dog. Leashes keep your dog safe, others safe and you safe from a liability suit if your off leash dog attacks. If your dog is so awesome walking beside you and not veering off ahead and disturbing people and other dogs, then a little leash will not be an issue. It eases EVERYBODY'S mind, and you are NOT above the law.

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    7. While you believe you have the ultimate relationship with your pet, you are living in a fantasy. All dogs are capable of behaving in ways that surprise us. Your complacency and ego will be the downfall of your pet.

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    8. I would rather people used being considerate, and thoughtful of others as a reason to use a leash instead of shouting "it's the law." There is also a law prohibiting anyone under 19 from drinking alcohol - and I would venture a guess that most of you did. It is of no consequence to me so I would not be angry and report you. Did you think you were above the law? That law exists because people under that age are apparently not capable of acting responsibly, but I am sure there are many who broke the law, drank and were responsible about it. It's a law in place, just like the leash law, to protect us from those who don't use their head, are stupid, and or inconsiderate. So instead of acting like we are all pillars of society, who never drove without a seat belt for 3 minutes, or had a beer before we were nineteen, lets just say it is about sharing a planet with others and being considerate of those around you. Those who are saints of course, may continue to shout "It's the law!"

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    9. Your logic is flawed. Sure many people do drink underage, but sometimes those people do indeed do dumb stuff and get the rest of us in trouble or injured. Just like not having a leash for your dog. Not everybody is a dog person, and not every dog likes other dogs. One has to respect that. Also, if you were drinking, and then did something the affected me, and I was sober and not breaking the law, who do you think will get the ticket/fine/charge? Me or you?? At what expense though? Just so you think you have the right to drink underage??

      If I'm walking my dog on leash, and you are walking your dog off leash, and your dog comes to mine and hurts it and me...who do you think will pay the doctor bill and vet bill? Me or you?? Again, at what expense?

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    10. I don't care how friendly a loose dog is. My dog is dog reactive and we have worked on this issue so hard and he has come so far. If a loose dog comes up to us it is getting sprayed. I have put a lot of time and effort and money into getting my dog to where he is, and I will not let the stupidity of another dog owner ruin that. I carry back off spray, and I don't care if the owner gets mad about it...it's the law, leash your dog if you don't you will reap the consequences. A truly responsible dog owner follows the law.

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    11. The simple matter here people, is that dogs are animals, they have instincts and natural reactions. As much as my service dog is well trained and ignores most situations and focuses on her work at hand at the stores, etc, growled at the wrong way by another dog, service or not, she does react. Being animals, we can never 100% predict what they will do, or react to in a situation, this isn't about law or no law as far as I'm concerned, Oregon has a leash law and I obey it, even though my girl is well trained, this is about instinct, natural reactions in the dog, and keeping everyone else and their dogs safe. For the protection of everyone that leash needs to be on, and to go a step further, I think everyone should be using some kind of control device beyond a collar and leash for more maximum control. I see a lot of people using these clip collars, and running a rescue, you know how many I've seen pop open with a good tug on the leash by a bigger dog. Use responsibility and consider other people, public means just that, used by everybody, which means everybody must be considerate to everybody else. It's not your park, or your sidewalk, it's the publics. Use a leash, and in my case a Halti to go along with it.

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  5. ^ you are missing the point and over-complicating the issue.

    The fact is, it's not your right to keep your dog unleashed, that's why leash laws exist. It doesn't matter what kind of personal bond you have with your dog or how well-trained he is, ensuring the safety of others is a responsibility you take on as a pet owner.

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  6. I love this. I love dogs. I work with children who have learning disabilities and autism and most of them don't! Dogs are very unpredictable to them and have the ability to make lots of noise. It is nice to know that a dog is friendly but even better that they don't come close!

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  7. Then there's the fact that some *dogs* are afraid of other dogs. Or just don't want them in their faces. You keep your dog on a leash, I'll keep mine on a leash, and no one will be making that nasty trip to the emergency vet.

    Your whole post is so well put, Ned. Thank you for writing it.

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    1. Finally people who understand!
      My dog reacts poorly towards other dogs regardless of the size. It ruins the walk when an unleashed dog attempts to approach her. I have to ask the owner to call back their dog. I'm told it's ok because their dog is FRIENDLY. They are missing the point. Their dog stress my dog. Keep it on a leash. Yes even "little yappy" dogs need to be on a leash.

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  8. On another note, I "bike mush" with my dogs and dogs that aren't on leash chase after us and run up to my dogs, distracting them and possibly causing injury to myself, my dogs, and the unleashed dogs as well. I don't f'ing care if you call out that you're dog is friendly. Don't put me in danger because you can't be bothered to leash up. Many of the reasons you need to leash up are not for your dog but to safeguard against things you can't predict; just like you wear a seatbelt because you can't predict that today or tomorrow you might be in a car crash. We do all sorts of things for the insurance of safety, leashing your dog is just another one of those things.

    Please leash your dogs.

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  9. I am a pet groomer and I have to tell you about an elderly gentleman who was walking HIS dog on a leash. His small poodle was totally minding his own business UNTIL a dog came running out of a yard, off leash and tangled up with the poodles leash. The elderly gentleman fell, broke his ankle and also had no way to contact someone as he was near his home but unable to stand up,(about a block away), it was daytime(few people were home) and he didn't have a cell phone with him. Someone finally came to his aid, but it could have been a lot worse. Keep your pet confined or on a leash, securely under ADULT SUPERVISION at all times.

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  10. I love my dogs. I walk my dogs. I train my dogs. I take my dogs to the dog park and run them. I am a member of the local kennel club. Dogs belong on leashes. The only exception is if you are inside a fenced or designated 'off-leash' public area. I have seen small dogs on leashes injured by 'well-behaved dogs with good recall' that were off-leash. I've seen people bitten by dogs that were off-leash and had 'never, ever done that before.' I've also seen well trained dogs dash into traffic and run off after a deer. Only smug, self-important jerks walk their dogs without a leash. I will call animal control in a heartbeat if I see you in the park or on the street with out a leash on your dog.

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  11. Very well said and I completely agree. If a dog is well trained, it won't mind a leash. The sheer terror the sight of an off leash dog instills fear in someone with a mobility issue (trained or not) It sends them off balance. My mother was faced with this after hip replacement surgery. You don't know if that dog will or will not respond to the owner.
    You can bet she heard a lot of "He NEVER does that."
    The people who swear their dogs will never mess up seem to be the biggest offenders.
    I say this as a dog trainer and pet writer. I train my dog to listen off leash. But I don't let them off leash where prohibited.
    I think, we need zero tolerance and we need double the fines for professionals that tell clients to break the law. Any trainer that encourages people to break laws should be taken to task.
    If you want your dog off leash, buy a house with a fenced yard or use a designated off leash area.
    I hate the extra dog laws that are piling up on us to the point where dogs aren't allowed to go into reasonable places. When people feel their dogs are above the law, they are serving as proof that we need more laws because dog owners are represented as rude and selfish.
    Please rest assured, most dog owners do follow the law and feel breaking the law is unacceptable.
    Where I live, if your dog looks a certain way, being off leash is an automatic death sentence. If we keep breaking reasonable laws, we will eventually face unreasonable ones.

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  12. I like cats. I've never been bitten by a dog or attacked by a dog but just the same, they make me uneasy. I like cats. Keep your friggin dog away from me. Don't tell me to hold my hand out. Don't tell me to put my face lower than his. I don't wanna give your dog a treat because I don't care if it likes me or not. I'm sure he's the BEST dog ever but that doesn't assuage my nerves when he looks at me sideways with his beady, black shark's eyes, head lowered and his fur ruffed up. And for the record, your Pit Bull scares the shit outta me. I know, I know. Pit Bulls have gotten a bad rap because of gangsters and Michael Vick types. But they STILL SCARE THE SHIT OUTTA ME!

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    1. I love dogs and pit bulls scare the shit out of me too. Mostly because I'm worried they'll attack my dog and I won't be able to stop them. When I'm alone they don't bother me, when I'm walking my dog and I see them my heart is in my throat and I'm praying they don't break free and come for my dog...

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  13. Unleashed dogs are a pet peeve of mine. I'm a dog trainer. My dogs are well behaved and don't need leashes either, but out of respect for other people, other dogs, and most city laws, my dogs are leashed when we're out in public. It's about respect, politeness and putting the ego away, I don't care how strong your bond is with your dog or how well you can read canine body language, many dogs and people can't and there will always be that initial worry, is that dog safe or not?

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    1. Thank you. Just yesterday I screamed at an owner (out of frustration) when his dog DID NOT 'come' to command after he said to me, "My dog is friendly!" - I screamed back, "AND WELL TRAINED, I SEE!" Under my breath I continued with a few colored pearlatives. What do we have to do to get through to this completely stupid people? Cesar is right, he "TRAINS PEOPLE" and rehabilitates dogs. I so frustrated right now I'm calling City Hall and sending a letter about following up on the $2,000 fine that is posted in our "onleash" park, for dogs off leash. I will be a happy helper in apprehending these very 'stupid people'.

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    2. Cesar is an idiot and buys into the debunked myth of "alpha dominance" theory which isn't even applicable to wolves let alone dogs.

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  14. My pet peeve is people who leash their dogs then let it trail on the ground, thinking its okay under the law. Don't forget to hold the leash fucktards!

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  15. I love it when i am out for a run and a loose dog, with owner nearbye, makes chase after me. This happens weekly where i run, always a different dog. The supposed friendly dog tries to catch me. I run faster. Dog owner calls out to dog in despair. I run faster, only to prove to said dog owner that his/her dog is not as predictable as he/she thinks! Poor dog owner loses breath chasing us. Fun. More fun when i am runnin with my dog ON A LEASH and same thing happens, my dog thinks its fun. I just like proving my point to other dog owners, your dog is unpredictable and you do not know for sure what it will do.

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    1. Well said, stupid dog owners leaving them unleashed and scaring others just because they are so selfish and stupid...

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  16. I pass about a hundred people a week when I walk my dog. In my experience, the people who generally have a problem with it are people who own unfriendly dogs or people who are afraid of dogs. Having said that, I have no problem leashing my dog if I feel someone is nervous or has a dog that is not friendly...even though my dog does nothing but walk next to me, closer than most leashed dogs. He is 3 inches from my side. My dog doesn't chase people. My dog does not go up to anyone we pass, whether they are with or without a dog. That just isn't his personality, he couldn't care less about you or your dog. But I understand fear whether it be of dogs or of your dog biting mine, so I am happy to leash him when this is the case.As we approach someone I look for signs of these things and act accordingly. I do understand the irritation of people who meet dogs that jump on them, run up to them or chase them- it is a nuisance. In my everyday life, 99% of people I pass are lovely, even the ones who I have leashed him for. I feel very sad though for dogs who have never had the chance to run or even walk without a leash. And I do not mean in a leash free zone. Dogs that visit these sites are generally the ones that cannot be trusted off leash, have not been well socialized off leash so they are excited, hyper and unpredictable. These places are famous for bites, as you're taking a bunch of over excited dogs and untrained dogs and putting them together behind a fence. Even my vet recommends they be avoided . Being without a leash is not of great excitement to my dog because we started getting him used to it (in safe places)when he was just a pup. It's the dogs that are not used to it that get over excited and act unpredictably. All in all, be considerate of the people we share the world with BUT also don't complain about a dog that has done nothing but walk past you, in exactly the same manner it would on a leash, just because you are miserable.

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    1. So if your dog is always 3 inches from your side, why the resistance to keeping a leash on him when you walk in public? You could certainly eliminate the need for you to "...look for signs of these things and act accordingly". If you have a leash on your dog, you won't have to worry about a lapse in your attention...cause it happens, even to the best of us and the best of dogs. Walking in public off-leash proves nothing other than you are inconsiderate to others and have to prove that your dog is perfect.

      Yes, yes I get that you and your dog are perfect and the rest of us are miserable. You seem to fail to understand that having a leash between you and your dog has nothing to do with your dog and everything about being considerate to others while walking in public. My dog can heel off leash in public too, but I don't walk her like that as I'm too aware of all the things that can happen that are completely out of my control and in consideration to other people and their dogs. I save my off leash walking for non-public areas.

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    2. I don't care where your dog is. It is illegal to not have a leash. Some cities remove dogs from their owners if it is a blantant disregard for the law. Three strikes and you are out. Most dogs removed end up euthanized. I think my dogs are worth kerping the leash on no matter what the circumstaces

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  17. Thats an excellent and so true. iM AM A HARD DOG FEARER. i feel the same when i see an unleashed dog approaching me and got chased about 4 times and all i cud do was to run. and all these were unleashed dogs, and owners wud everytm tell they don't bite, or hes friendly. I almost hyperventilated once. But i got to get out of it. I need help. Im almost out to afriad to go out for walks anymore.

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    1. I know you've got this irrational fear and all but running is the most stupid thing to do when a dog is coming at you. You cannot outrun most dogs (barring tiny toy breeds) and running stimulates their prey drive so even a friendly dog will chase a running target. It's better to stand, cross your arms and back away slowly.

      You can help yourself by not giving into the fear and standing firm and telling yourself you won't be a slave to it. Running will only increase your fear.

      I don't have a dog phobia but I deal with my own phobia daily. Humans are literally everywhere in a city - its impossible to get away from them. I admit I avoid crowded places as much as I can but there's times I just have to suck it up and not let my fear rule my life. I deal with it by avoiding eye contact and pretending the other people don't exist and walk briskly so that no one stops me. If someone talks to me my heart is in my throat but I bear with it and try not to let on how uncomfortable I am.

      You could try ignoring the dog and pretending it isn't there. It's also far less likely to come anywhere near you if you aren't looking at it - looking directly at a dog is telling the dog you have business with it - either you are challenging it or you're trying to make friends. If a stranger stared at you intently as you passed you'd wonder what the hell they wanted wouldn't you? If you were a confident person you may even go over and ask them if they needed something / had a problem (for obvious reasons I'd never do this). That's exactly what dogs are doing when they approach a person staring at them - in many cases they've only approached because the person was staring and the dog thought the person WANTED them to come closer. If you don't want to be approached don't look at the dog and if you can't bear to walk near it, cross the street or put something (maybe a parked car) in between you and it.

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  18. I like the illustrations and find comments to be interesting. I have worked on my anxiety around dogs for the past year. In 7 years I've had 2 small dogs killed by large neighbor dogs (in different cities). There also was a prior attack on one with minor injury. Each time owners acted shocked and said it was out of character for their dogs.

    When I first took in my current stray I had not been able to walk to the mailbox without fear. One day a large dog came running down his condo stairs unleashed. I yelled across the street to the owner that I was afraid of unleashed dogs. He told me to shut up. It is common in my condo complex to see people open their front doors so their dogs can run out unleashed to go potty in spite of the leash law.

    It is not easy to get over seeing your dog's eye pop out while he's wagging his tail right before dying, or your next try at having a small dog end 9 months later when the vet in the emergency room says he's already dead.

    The dog poop-everywhere-problem is another issue even more difficult to understand...especially when poop sits right next to a poop station with free poop bags.

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  19. Actually I forgot to say that when I yelled across the street to the owner that I was afraid of unleashed dogs he first said that his dog was trained. I then told him my dog was killed. That is when he told me to shut up.

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  20. I have always been very afraid of dogs. They always are barking at me from even across the street or walking by and at other people including children. I have been chased by a small dog barking at me for 10 minutes, until the owner finally came out of her apartment and called him in, and hade should have been on a leash with his owner! I have also had two other dogs with no leash jump on my thighs and their owner was right there.



    In June 2012 a medium sized dog without a leash came running up to me barking, and her owner only called her to come back from a distance, he didn't even run after her up to me down the street.First she came back to him, but then she started running towards me again barking repeatedly! Her owner said sorry about that, but she wouldn't hurt you though.Yeah right, did his dog personally tell him she wasn't going to bite me? I was physically shaking for two hours after this.


    I checked with my local police department and asked them isn't it against the law to have dogs in public streets and places running around with no leash,and they said yes, there is a 50$ fine it really should be a 100$ and told me to go to the .gov site about it.The Center For Disease Control reports that dogs killed 167 people over the age of 14 from 2001-2010! And they say *any* type of dog is capable of biting and or attacking people and that even small dogs can do real damage and harm.



    When I was five I was bitten by my uncle and aunt's little grey terrier Heidi.When I 16 I was over my first cousin's house and they had found a poodle type dog,I was standing across from her in my cousin's bedroom and she was growling at me and my cousin yelled at her and said stop it! And then she said it was like she was ready to bite.


    I hate dogs, cats never come up to strangers ready to bite them the way many dogs do and you usually have to provoke cats to get them to hiss, bite or scratch, and they are beautiful and don't make loud barking noises they just have a beautiful quiet meow and purring! I had a dog for about a year when I was 4 until I was 5, and then I had a gorgeous calico cat from the time I was 6 until I was 12.My former next door neighbor had such a sweet friendly beautiful orange and white tabby cat that I loved and he was an out door cat.


    Just over a week ago I was down the street and I saw a German Shepard with another dog running back and forth with no leash at my apartment complex.I had to stand and wait for 15 minutes until I didn't see them anymore and then I had to go across into the parking lot and I was still really afraid that they were still out there and would have run over to me and possibly worse.



    But also, for the first 18 years that I lived in my apartments they said in the lease and brochures that no dogs were allowed only cats.Then they put a notice under everyone's doors unfortunately saying that now small dogs were allowed,and now with no notice in the last two years there are medium and big here now.



    PEOPLE WERE BITTEN BY A NEIGHBOR'S POODLE OFF A LEASH and went to court.

    http://voices.yahoo.com/dog-leash-law-pa-summary-offense-case 7036144.html



    A nun was mauled almost to death by three neighbor's dogs and the dogs owner is a an owner of a dog grooming business,the dogs escaped from their fence and she was rescued by another nun.

























































    ReplyDelete

  21. http://www.mysecuritysign.com/blog/dog-bites-nun-prevent-dog-attacks/


    Center For Disease Control Scary statistics about how common dog bites really are!
    http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/dog-bites/index.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://www.nj.com/passaic-county/index.ssf/2014/03/paterson_boy_13_killed_after_dog_attack_second_teen_hospitalized.html

      Delete
    2. Beth I see from your avatar that you have children, well did you know that The Center For Disease Control reports that out of the 800,000 people bitten by dogs a year half of them are children! And it also says that over 12,000 people a year have to have plastic surgery due to dog bites! And they report 20 people a year are killed by being bitten by dogs obviously who were illegally off of their leashes by insensitive,irresponsible dog owners just like you! If you,or anybody you love gets bitten by an off leash dog,*then* you would wake up and be angry and upset and *never* let any of your dogs out in public places like neighborhood streets with people walking around!


      Or as other people have said elsewhere,your dog can run out into the street and cause a car accident and or get killed!

      Delete
    3. I meant that you wouldn't and shouldn't allow any dog you own to be out in public around people without a leash on!

      Delete
  22. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  23. http://globalnews.ca/news/607120/police-shoot-dog-in-neighbourhood-attack/


    http://guelph.ca/living/pets-and-animals/pet-ownership-tips/10-good-reasons-to-leash-your-dog/


    http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_23141219/ten-reasons-keep-your-dog-leash#top


    http://www.collegiatetimes.com/opinion/columnists/article_9e45df03-1cb4-562a-84d0-ed730ec057a3.html

    ReplyDelete
  24. Also, around 2009 not long after I was chased by the first barking small dog with ( obviously) no leash for 10-15 minutes when it's owner was inside her apartment I was walking on my way to a shopping center when I met a man in about his 40's walking a small terrier type dog similar to the one that chased me. I kept my distance while we spoke and the dog didn't bark at all,he told me it's his mother's dog. I told him that I'm afraid of dogs and I told him my bad experiences up till then with them,and I said a lot of dogs are nasty and he said most dogs can be.Then he told me that he's a UPS delivery guy and that he sued a woman an won because her nasty dog wasn't kept locked in a room,and bolted out the door and bit him in the back when he was still in the street and had just got out of his truck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh and this UPS delivery guy had his mother's small dog responsibly legally on a leash!

      Delete
  25. I agree on this 100%. As a big black dog owner, I understand we always have to be prepared to encounter people who're afraid of dogs. However, I wish I could get some advice about dog owners like me, who is embarrassed by a person who hates my dog.
    Here's what happened. I went to one of my favorite cafes with my friend and my dog. The Cafe provides a large outside sitting shared with a flower shop in front of the cafe. This place is super dog-friendly so you see people with dogs, small of large. That day, I was sipping coffee with my friend and my dog was lying next to my feet peacefully. The bench we were sitting on was right by the wood-framed glass door of the flower shop. All of a sudden, a lady working at the flower shop opened the door abruptly, making a rattling sound. My dog was frightened by the sound and stood up and barked at her a couple of times. I stopped him immediately and followed the poor lady into the flower shop. She was trembling with watery eyes in the very corner of the shop. I approached to her and apologized and asked her if she is o.k. I even gently stroked her hands. I tried to explain why my dog barked. But she totally ignored me and repeated "get you dog out of here" with a high-pitched voice. I felt a little hurt but, I know there's some people who just are afraid of dogs, so I just got out of the shop and talked to my friend what the lady said. She was upset but we wrapped up things and left there a few minutes later. It could be just a happening you can forget a while later. Fyi, my dog is constantly trained, finished a Canine Good Citizen class and, of course, he was on the leash and I was holding it all the time. But dogs bark sometimes, my dog barks and I am well aware of it. That's why I try to be prepared to a situation my dog can cause.
    What made me really mad happened today. I went to this Cafe again, totally forgot about the lady. This time, 2 of my friends and my dog were sitting about 20 feet away from the shop. Minutes later, a young couple with a baby and a really big, a grey wolf-colored dog came and sat at the same bench we were sitting the other day. The dog, bigger than my dog found my dog first and barked at mine. My dog barked at him 2, 3 times in response to him. None of them sounded aggressive but, I know, it could be loud. Then, this flower shop lady came out with a very mad face and accused of my dog of barking and talked to the couple how bad my dog was the other day. My friend, who was with me the other day and I were really mad this time. I talked to her that my dog didn't initiated the barking and explained the couple what really had happened last time. I didn't yell at her, I swear, but I had to raise my voice because of the distance. The couple simply said, "some people are afraid of big dogs" and let our dog greet each other happily. But the lady ignored me again. We all felt upset and unfair but we moved to another table where she can't see us as soon as we find an available table.
    I feel sorry for her for what happened the other day no matter what. However, she wasn't right this time. I don't know what to do when a person wrongfully informs people about how "bad" my dog is.
    The place is not even hers. The outside space is shared by 4 businesses including the cafe and the flower shop. I don't want to stop going there just because of her. The cafe provides great coffee and customers there always bring dogs and super friendly.
    What would you do? Any advice? Is there anything that I've done wrong?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just ignore her. She's the one with the problem not you, your dog only barked it didn't hurt anyone and it only barked at her because it got startled. If it had been a child shrieking out of fear and a person who was scared of children you wouldn't even be posting this. If anyone else comes to talk to you about what happened or accuses your dog of being aggressive calmly let them know the facts. That's all.

      Dogs bark at each other sometimes, just like children shriek and drunk adults get overly noisy. It's annoying to people around but you have to deal with it because most people do something that annoys others at some point (no one is perfect). That said you shouldn't allow your children to shriek, your dogs to bark or your drunk friend to shout at the top of his lungs where possible. Either correct them or remove them from public space (and you said you stopped your dog so that's fine).

      Delete
  26. I agree on this 100%. As a big black dog owner, I understand we always have to be prepared to encounter people who're afraid of dogs. However, I wish I could get some advice about dog owners like me, who is embarrassed by a person who hates my dog.
    Here's what happened. I went to one of my favorite cafes with my friend and my dog. The Cafe provides a large outside sitting shared with a flower shop in front of the cafe. This place is super dog-friendly so you see people with dogs, small of large. That day, I was sipping coffee with my friend and my dog was lying next to my feet peacefully. The bench we were sitting on was right by the wood-framed glass door of the flower shop. All of a sudden, a lady working at the flower shop opened the door abruptly, making a rattling sound. My dog was frightened by the sound and stood up and barked at her a couple of times. I stopped him immediately and followed the poor lady into the flower shop. She was trembling with watery eyes in the very corner of the shop. I approached to her and apologized and asked her if she is o.k. I even gently stroked her hands. I tried to explain why my dog barked. But she totally ignored me and repeated "get you dog out of here" with a high-pitched voice. I felt a little hurt but, I know there's some people who just are afraid of dogs, so I just got out of the shop and talked to my friend what the lady said. She was upset but we wrapped up things and left there a few minutes later. It could be just a happening you can forget a while later. Fyi, my dog is constantly trained, finished a Canine Good Citizen class and, of course, he was on the leash and I was holding it all the time. But dogs bark sometimes, my dog barks and I am well aware of it. That's why I try to be prepared to a situation my dog can cause.
    What made me really mad happened today. I went to this Cafe again, totally forgot about the lady. This time, 2 of my friends and my dog were sitting about 20 feet away from the shop. Minutes later, a young couple with a baby and a really big, a grey wolf-colored dog came and sat at the same bench we were sitting the other day. The dog, bigger than my dog found my dog first and barked at mine. My dog barked at him 2, 3 times in response to him. None of them sounded aggressive but, I know, it could be loud. Then, this flower shop lady came out with a very mad face and accused of my dog of barking and talked to the couple how bad my dog was the other day. My friend, who was with me the other day and I were really mad this time. I talked to her that my dog didn't initiated the barking and explained the couple what really had happened last time. I didn't yell at her, I swear, but I had to raise my voice because of the distance. The couple simply said, "some people are afraid of big dogs" and let our dog greet each other happily. But the lady ignored me again. We all felt upset and unfair but we moved to another table where she can't see us as soon as we find an available table.
    I feel sorry for her for what happened the other day no matter what. However, she wasn't right this time. I don't know what to do when a person wrongfully informs people about how "bad" my dog is.
    The place is not even hers. The outside space is shared by 4 businesses including the cafe and the flower shop. I don't want to stop going there just because of her. The cafe provides great coffee and customers there always bring dogs and super friendly.
    What would you do? Any advice? Is there anything that I've done wrong?

    ReplyDelete
  27. This is a ridiculous thread. So everyone should keep their dogs on a leash at all times? How dare people even suggest. My dogs have excellent recall and I don't let them run over to strangers, but there's no way I would keep them on a leash because some weirdo is scared of the sight of a loose dog....youre the ones with the problem so I suggest if you can't sort it out then don't go to places where dogs are likely to be off leash

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No offense at all but basically with the 80% of households in the US owning a dog or more- where the hell are we supposed to "NOT go to places where dogs are likely to be off leash"? I get that this post might be biased towards cynophobics or suggesting a resolution that is irrational for dog owners/ dogs themselves- it just needs couple adjustments. Ultimately there will not be a one-size-fits-all resolution, opinions and circumstances may differ.

      Delete
  28. Completely agree of this article. If people knew better and kept their dogs on leash especially walking in public places- the world will definitely be a better place. Less amount of anxiety cause for cynophobics, safer environment for everybody and eventually world peace will fluorish. Please do so and God bless all of us. And yes, I'm not high.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I've always kept my dog on a leash for my dog's sake. What if he sees a squirrel and darts into the road? Once , two unleashed dogs ran right in front of my car, and I was lucky enough that I wasn't driving too fast, and could stop in time. Had it been dark, I might not have seen them as quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I never thought that i will ever have a normal life again thinking I'll never get out of this situation in my whole life but i was wrong. My story goes thus:
    I found this contact: oseweagbonifo@gmail.com in a post i followed on facebook, I contacted him because i read about how he cure a woman of ALS and that he have herbal remedy for HIV, cancer, yeast infection e.t.c. I told him all he needed to know about my herpes status and he told me not to worry that he will help me and he did.
    I received my healing after 14 days of using his herbal remedy. my lost joy came back alive as there is no more outbreak, no symptoms, no fear of transmitting the virus to my love ones. Now I'm in a relationship and my sex life is awesome.
    All these happened a year ago and I decided to keep silent because I wanted to be sure of the healing. Now I break the silence as I have undergo series of medical check up and all results came out negative.
    This doctor never asked me to advertise him but I see it as my little way of showing appreciation to him for his wonderful did in my life

    ReplyDelete
  31. I recently won $25,000 in a lawsuit from someone whose dog was off a leash and bit me just after the owner said"he never bites." Why do dog owners insist on saying such an insulting phrase?
    As a plastic surgeon I have treated hundreds of patients who suffered severe dog bites. In almost every case the last thing they remember hearing before they passed out and woke up in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital was a dog owner saying " don't worry he doesn't bite."
    It is extremely offensive for dog owners to say to someone who is clearly concerned or afraid, " don't worry he doesn't bite." Such dog owners are disregarding or minimizing the person's concerns due to their selfish blind denial of justifying their beloved dog. "Love me, love my dog" attitude.
    - all dogs are animals and unpredictable
    -all dogs have teeth and bite
    -every dog who bites someone was at one time a dog who didn't yet bite anyone.
    If you are a dog owner please refrain from using the insulting stupid selfish phrase don't worry my dog doesn't bite

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hope you are good.
      dogs owner always tell me these thing since i was little. When I was a kid, i remember a dog chased behind me when i ran, the dog owner just stood there and watching me and his dog "running", and he was like "my dog is playing with you, it is cute".

      Delete
  32. I was bitten by a "friendly" dog on a leash when i was a child. I was not trying to engage with the animal, it came up to sniff me and when I turned away, it bit my arm. I was always an avid animal lover, and wanted to be a vet when I was younger. After this attack, I changed my career path and was always a bit wary around dogs. I love to go to the beach in California, but find it very disconcerting when people's dogs come running up to my blanket to "meet" me. I don't want to meet your dog. I want to enjoy the ocean and sunset, and not worry about a painful bite from what you tell me is a friendly dog. Why are an animal's rights above my own as a human being? I have a cat and do not bring it into public. If there was a publicly advertised dog park, I wouldn't go, but just going to the beach means I have to put up with this?

    ReplyDelete
  33. I had posted in May 2014 and what Rosie said was so terrible after everything that Rachel,I and many others explained about the horrible bad experiences with dogs chasing and or biting them,and if Rosie gets bitten by a dog off of a leash or someone she loves does,she would feel totally differently and it's illegal for dogs to off of leashes in most states. A police officer once told me that even if the dog is on the owner's property it has to be behind a fence.


    Since I posted my posts in May 2014,I met a social worker who has a dog herself,but told me that when she was 11 she was bitten by a big dog on a sidewalk as she rode her bike past it. And I just met a cashier in a Dollar General who told me that she's terrified of dogs too because she was bitten by a customer's Chiwawa that the customer was holding in their hands.


    Just a few evenings ago I was walking past a house when I saw a medium to somewhat big dog that looked like a pitbull but I don't know what type of dog it was,off of a leash on the owner's lawn which included a few kids. I was petrified immediately that it was going to come over to me,and it did,it ran over towards me like it was charging me. I had to run out in a busy highway and almost got hit by cars,I looked at where I was in the street and I knew that I couldn't go out in it any further because I'd be hit and killed by the cars,but I was so petrified of this dog running towards me off of a leash,the owner ran over and said to the dog to stop it and pulled it in the house. I recently have gotten high blood pressure and this only made it worse!

    ReplyDelete
  34. 58 Year Old Woman Was Mauled To Death In Her Home by Her Mastiff Mixed Dog!



    http://mydeathspace.com/article/2018/11/01/Susan_Sweeney_(58)_was_mauled_to_death_by_her_dog


    ReplyDelete
  35. Just 2005 Alone many Dog Bite fatalities not just pitbulls family dogs also killed babies,children & elderly people including a 6 year old little girl who had visited the friends Rottweiler on several occasions with no problems,but one day she was there again with her mother and the dog came over and smelled her and then attacked and bit the poor little girl to death!





    https://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2005.php





    2005 U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities - DogsBite.org


    In 2005, six fatalities involved dogs from two or more different breeds, thus producing a death count total of 36, rather than 29. Four dog breeds each contributed to two deaths: American bulldog, husky, malamute and mixed-breed.


    www.dogsbite.org

    ReplyDelete
  36. I am really afraid of dogs since little, I afraid of all dogs especially the small ones as they love running and playing for fun. I lived in an apartment with lot of flats in the building, and someone own three dogs, whenever i went back home, walk out from lift, I was too scared if those dogs were standing in front of me when the lift door open. All the dogs owner i met were all like "my dogs are cute, they are just playing with you"when they realized that i was afraid of their dogs. I really wanted to tell them what if you guys see ghosts and someone just watching you without giving any help. I never hurt any dogs, I dont think people who afraid of dogs would hurt dogs, as we never ever want to get close to any dog. Those who hurt dogs are those who hate dogs rather than afraid of them. Now I grown up, I try my best to control my legs not to move not to run, but I still cant act like I dont afraid of them, i still fear of them if we are on a narrow pavement. I actually avoid meeting dogs,so if i see a dog in front of me, i would go to opposite pavement or go to anywhere that make sure i am safe. but there are still many chances that I meet dogs suddenly. I really hope that all dog owners can be friendly, and just hold your dogs for some second let the one who afraid of dogs can pass by, that's everything will be fine, and our community will become better, thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Without trust, it is very difficult to imagine a relationship that can be characterised as strong and healthy. When it comes to the relationship between a man and a woman, trust comes out almost in the first place. However, oddly enough, people have many problems with it. Lying is like acid for relationships and it eats away at them. My ex sabotaged our relationship with cheap lies,he slept with four different girls in the estate and denied it all. Thanks to the Spy-app that's sent to me by a cyber programmer {hackingloop6@gmail . com}.that gained me remote access to his phone activities and exposed his sex escapade,including text messages and nude photos.It was such a disappointing act from a supposed gentle man. 'hackingloop6@gmail .com, is also reachable on WhatsApp +1(484)540 - 0785.

    ReplyDelete