any animal lovers also have some fear of dogs?

I will state up front that I LOVE dogs. I really do - especially big dogs. If DH and I were home more, we would have great danes or German Shepherds. I grew up with a white shepherd we got from a shelter. I don't hate or dislike dogs at all. I also don't really have any breed prejudice either - I happen to love dobes and pits, too. I guess this is just a little vent over the fact that I am STILL dealing with this fear... and also just me wondering if anyone else has been through something similar. (Please be gentle, lol.)

However, about 10 years ago, I was BADLY attacked by a big dog that was chained to a tree in its back yard. I was walking past the side of the property on the side walk. The yard was partially, but not totally fenced. The dog pulled so hard that it broke its chain and then it ran through a stockade fence. You read that correctly - the dog ran THROUGH, not over, the fence to get to me.

It was pretty brutal - the dog basically shredded one of my legs and also got some good bites elsewhere. My legs were both bandaged for weeks afterwards, and I still have some pretty bad scars from it (literally).

This experience did not make me hate dogs, but it has made me a little apprehensive of big dogs I don't know... I have near panic attacks when I walk past barking dogs in fenced-in yards (convinced they can get out and will bite me -- even the ADORABLE Golden I walk by every day - ). I nearly lose it when I see big dogs chained in yards. It's really bad and irrational to a point. Yet, at the same time, big dogs that I know - like my neighbor's dogs and my brother's dog - are wonderful. I was afraid of my neighbor's big dogs at first, but I've since met them, pet them, etc., and I am comfortable around them now.

I was just wondering if anyone else has gone through something similar -- love dogs, but still have some fear of big dogs you don't know... or if anyone else has been very badly bitten or attacked by a dog and dealt with fear after that.

I think this is on my mind lately b/c there is a large dog I pass twice a day on my walk to the train station that is chained up in his un-fenced yard. It's a huge dog that gets very excited when people walk by - barks, jumps, and pulls on his chain. First of all, I feel terrible that this poor dog is tied up in the yard so much. (This house is a good 1/2 mile from mine, so I have no idea if the dog is out all the time or only AM and PM when I'm walking to/from the train... I don't think I've ever seen the dog out when it's raining or anything. The dog looks healthy, well-fed, shiny coat, etc.) Walking past him every day, however, is also causing me to have near panic attacks.

I don't know what I'm really looking for in this post. I guess I just want to see if I'm alone in feeling this way or ridiculous for feeling this way. I don't have any reason to believe THIS dog will hurt me - and in fairness, I get nervous from other dogs in the neighborhood who bark from behind their fenced-in yards. So I'm not taking it out on this dog or its owners. I'm also not really looking for a solution. I wouldn't dream of asking the owners to keep the dog in b/c I'm afraid -- that would be silly and completely unreasonable. I only pass this house 2x a day and never necessarily at the same time. I can't walk a different way to the train station - the house is THAT close to the train station. I do walk on the other side of the block...

Part of me wishes I lived closer and knew the neighbors. I never see them outside when I walk by. If I could meet the dog, pet it, and know that it's friendly, I wouldn't have the panic attacks when I walk by... but that's apparently not an option, LOL.

So... bottom line - I guess this is just a little rant about how much it bothers me that I cannot get past my fear.

Re: any animal lovers also have some fear of dogs?

Maybe you could leave a note for them and say you pass their house everyday and you were wondering if it was possible for you to meet their dog someday either on the way there or back. They might be happy to show off their dog and it would give you peace of mind.

Re: any animal lovers also have some fear of dogs?

Re: any animal lovers also have some fear of dogs?

I don't think your fear is irrational...you were attacked which makes your fear totally rational.
I have never actually been attacked, but I used to run outside regularly and had a few incidents where a dog charged at me from a yard...it's a truly frightening experience. One night, I had a dog practically holding me hostage -growling and advancing every time I moved - until a driver noticed and got out of his car to knock on the door of the house I had seen the dog run from. It was a very scary experience.
Now, I have had dogs all my life - I grew up with them, had a dobe for 12 years and now Misty. I love dogs in general, but unattended or vicious dogs still worry me to say the least.

Re: any animal lovers also have some fear of dogs?

Re: any animal lovers also have some fear of dogs?

I do have some fear, but not because I was ever attacked or anything like that.

We did not have any pets while I was young. My mother didn't like dogs, and she kept us away from them in the neighborhood and at friends and relatives houses. I grew up feeling very uncomfortable and nervous around dogs (and I can't speak for them, but I believe my siblings did too, since at least one of them is STILL actively afraid of dogs to this day). I now believe she did all of us a disservice, but it wasn't intentional on her part.

I slowly warmed up to the idea of dogs in general as I got older and actually met some, but I was still scared of big dogs. When DH and I eventually decided to get a dog - and I took a LOT of convincing - that's one reason why I insisted on getting a puppy. I know there are so many older dogs that need homes too, but I needed to have a small, baby dog so I could be sure I would love it and then wouldn't be afraid of it as it grew.

It worked, and I love love LOVE my dogs now with all my heart, and truly believe that getting them is one of the best decisions DH and I have made together. It's also made me a LOT more comfortable around dogs in general because I know how to interact with dogs safely now, plus we go to the dog park, see others on walks, etc. so I have more experience with other dogs.

That said, I'm still afraid of big dogs. Especially hyper big dogs that jump up, but I'm nervous around all big dogs to some extent, even ones that I know. I don't really know why, and I don't know how to fix it.