I have three dogs and I do get it. People who have no experience with them see loud hard to predict creatures with very sharp teeth. Others have been bitten and learn a fear.
I looove dogs but people can come by their aversions honestly.
When I was growing up, I had a fear of dogs because every dog I knew (only about 4 dogs at the time), was mistreated and seemed angry or hyperactive constantly , they were loud, smelled like rotting garbage ,would jump at people and knock them over, would run to every person and sniff people's crotches, were too aggressive and not interested in any forms of play with anyone, they did not cuddle, and would bite anybody who touched them or walked up to them. The dogs set the boundaries. Sometimes if the dog sniffed your hand, he's rub his head against you, and you could pet him. But he would just as likely growl and bite at you.
The owners would laugh and just say that the dogs were being dogs. It was unpleasant. Most of the time the dogs were chained up outside, or locked in a room inside that was his own so he wouldn't "destroy the house", and people were warned not to go near the dog. They made little no effort to teach the dog to adapt to living among people.
And yet as soon as people came over for a BBQ. They they would let the dog loose and let it do whatever and shrug off the inevitable dog bites to crying children who were guilty of nothing more then hiding behind an adult, or pushing the dog away for being too aggressive, or holding out there hand to pet it, or gutsy enough to take a bite for their brother. 🙄
It was weird.
So even the sociable sweet dogs who didn't do any of those things were scary to me for awhile. Until I realized not all dogs were like those.
After having experiences with dog owners who train their dogs to be indoor dogs and to get along with other dogs and humans... and take care of them and work on their dogs to be obedient, social, and sweet. Then I started to like dogs. My cousin has a dog who I fell in love with. I used to dogsit when he'd travel around.
@Scribbles That has been my experience too and even if they are playful, "He just wants to play" is no excuse for a dog smearing a stranger's clothes because it jumped on him or her. It's just rude and every owner should have a good control over their pet.
@CrazyMusicLover Exactly. If my dog tries to jump on someone, I'm right there telling her, "Off!" Then it's up to the person to tell me whether or not it's cool that the dog wants a hug.
@LordShadowfire I'm glad I gave them a chance too. When I was a teenager, some cousins moved near enough to the area to see each other on holidays. They had a small maltapoo. My cousin has fond memories of me attempting to be brave over and over and interacting with their dog, only to see me run away or freeze up and then come back again and again... etc. And he had like the sweetest most sociable dog ever. Only took three years of holidays to fall in love with that dog. Thankfully he never teased me for my fear. 🤣 He taught me bits about doggy behavior and training. it was a good experience.
I was very reluctant at first to get a dog when my partner expressed a desire for a dog. It's important to me that it is a serious responsibility, and that a pet is treated well. I was worried we both worked too much...etc.
Marley-our dog is a small but very sweet animal companion. :) He adds alot of joy to our lives. He's part of the family.
I don't dislike any living creature. I do however have distrust of people who place a higher value on their right to own a pet than they do on other peoples' safety (by not cleaning up after them, for example, or apparently not knowing how to use a short leash when walking them on a pavement).
@SunshineGirl I agree with that. I figure that dog owners in public who won’t consider the possibility that not everyone is comfortable around dogs are probably inconsiderate about other things, too.
I don't like them as pets for myself BCS they smell and are maybe too affectionate. But I enjoy them if they're others pets /strays. I would love a cat though
@SW-User It is interesting. He shows dog owners how to work with their dogs. Milan has said there are no "bad" dogs and believes most of the ones with problems can be retrained.
This is a typical dog lover statement.Theres more to a dog than the "love" it gives YOU. Your dog might be yappy all day long,or might bark at passers by all day thus annoyng the neighbours. The filth and urine everywhere,The way they might yap at you in parks as you are walking. Dogs can be annoying and aggressive.
@Muthafukajones That’s not totally fair. Anyone who would harm a dog is indeed a bad person. But someone who doesn’t like dogs because perhaps they’re afraid of them is just unfortunate.
I don't understand people who don't like certain animal species en bloc. I usually don't feel anyhow about an animal until it starts bothering me or threatening me in some way.
SW-User
Personally I love dogs. But I have met people who have had bad experiences with dogs and it sets a fear in them.
I wasn’t raised with dogs. I finally got a puppy when was 16, and it was a Chihuahua. So I just wasn’t comfortable initially around big dogs that jump on you, slobber and smell.
Dogs are not necessarily loving and affectionate when they’re not your dog; it’s why some people who have had bad experiences are afraid of them.
I’m lucky in that I loved my little Chihuahua , and I’ve gotten to know dogs of friends and family as individuals. They’re really great, they know me and I’ve even dog-sit them.
@Zeuro No but there are many stray cats, especially in Southern Europe and I have never had any problem with any cat. People pet them and if they don't like it they rather run away than attack.
I thought that about dogs a few years back because they would always leave me alone but since the beginning of the pandemic, one dog bit me (I had to have anti-rabies shots) and at least three threatened me, barked and charged at me, one just a few days back and it absolutely ignored its owner. I didn't do anything except existing and being in the woods. They are mental.
@Zeuro There's like 5-6 stay cats per road here and I never heard of absolutely anyone in my 200k+ people city being attacked by one, unless at most some kid who was actively bothering them and learned a life lesson (quite moderate, i.e. mere scratches).
Dogs going batshit and disfiguring, mauling or even killing random people (or sometimes their own others), on the other hand, isn't exactly an unheard-of thing.
Ehh I love my dog, but I get that he’s not for everyone 😆😅 He’s.. a lot. In fact, my partner having patience with my bumbling oaf a GSD was part of the filtration process. haha
My friend’s roommate doesn’t like any animals/pets. She doesn’t hate them, but she has no interest, doesn’t want to touch them. Doesn’t think they’re cute or anything. It feels very odd
Most people like dogs, they just don't like the dog owners who have dogs that bark all day and night, crap on the pavement for you to step into it, and useless Poodles.
When I'm over a friend's house, I usually have a good time with their dog. I grew up with cats, who are very different, but eventually had to have no pets due to my allergies.
I can very much enjoy the company of animals; I just don't want to live with one, and there's nothing wrong with that.
@Zeuro I got bit by a boxer when I was 14. This husky used to corner me when I was a young kid cause it ran loose in the neighbourhood. I was so scared of it. I almost got knocked over by a Rottweiler that jumped up on me after I had a hip replacement. They scare the crap out of me lol.
All of the dogs I've lived with have been sweethearts. But when I was a kid, our neighbors had this neglected, probably abused dog that they kept in their front yard all the time. This animal was a psychopath. It would bark at anybody who dared walk down the street, and it got out numerous times. Once, it got Duchess, our collie/shepherd mix, just sank its teeth into her ear, and she had to go to the vet. My parents called animal control then, and they took the dog away.
If that vicious brute had been my only exposure to dogs, I'd probably hate them myself.
@LordShadowfire This is a good description of 50% of guard dogs here. They are more likely to bark at people passing by on the street than not. They also throw themselves on the front gate and fence and follow you and bark at you until you vanish from their sight.
I have had this scar on my left hand since I was three months old, a dog bit me on an Oregon beach, because according to my Dad I was fussing too much and it irritated the dog. It has faded quite a bit since July 1970, but it's in the shape of a dog's canine tooth, the dog did not survive after my Dad took care of it.
