And now I am scared of dogs...

[Jay 2K Winger]

I was scared of dogs as a child, mostly because one of my neighbors had a big dog. Now, this dog was friendly, and liked to bark in greeting and run at you to say hi. Me, being a kid, didn't know any better and always freaked out. The dog never attacked anyone as far as I know, but it scared me.

As I got older and then bigger than the dog in question, the fear remained toward all dogs. Until we adopted a miniature poodle we re-named Pepsi, and my attitude changed.

I can still get nervous around dogs that are snappy or not on a leash or otherwise controlled. Like with my friend Tom's new dachshund Dixie, who apparently doesn't like anybody. The first time I was over at Tom's, Dixie never stopped barking or growling at me, even after I plied her with some bacon treats. Dixie even made a couple of moves for my ankle.

[Little Retail Rabbit]

Sorry to bump, wanted to reply to everyone's advice.

I am from the UK, and so its only the RSPCA and as far as I know, they only deal with animal cruelty/neglect and rescue, not actually control of dangerous animals (heck they don't even accept strays anymore), so going to them over it is pointless. We cannot carry any weapons here in the UK with which to defend ourselves either (Bear says he's buying me a taser when I move over there ^^;; ).

But I'm trying to not get too scared of strange dogs. I'm not avoiding them as it was advised to me that would make the anxiety worse. Have seen the guy once more, and I have also spoken to a locak bobby. He offered to call it in, but admitted little would come of it with nothing more than a description, but he noted the area and said he would have other PCs check it out on their beats and look out for an older man with a black lab. He said I was totally right to feel intimidated and should I actually be attacked, not to hesitate reporting.

[Sapphire Silk]

Sounds like you're having the right reaction to the situation: you're not avoiding dogs, which would make the problem worse, and you talked to a local authority who can hopefully help set a safer tone in the area in regards to local dogs. Very proactive; good for you! :congratulations:

I've only been attacked by a dog once, when I was around 14 or so. My BFF and I were cutting through her uncles back yard to get to her house; he had a vicious dog (some kind of bull dog mix IIRC) that he kept chained in the back yard. I'd never been there before, and accidentally wandered into the dog's reach via his chain. Dog charged me; I realized it when I heard my friends screaming at me to look out.

At first I froze, not sure what to do. When the dog jumped up, snapping, I grabbed his forelegs firmly and held them away from me for a moment. I didn't say a word, just looked the dog in the eyes for a moment. Then I calmly pushed the dog away from me and stepped backwards until I was out of his reach.

I think the dog was as surprised as I was. He didn't try to attack again, and he stopped barking and growling, though he followed us until we left the uncles yard.