If you are not aware of this term, fret not :). It means “fear of dogs.” I actually looked up this term myself. Of late in our community, I see an abundance of this. Yes, we did have a very unfortunate event recently where a girl was bitten by a pet cocker spaniel. Of course, it is a very unfortunate incident that can be really very scary for the child. My sympathies to the child and her family. But, this must be looked upon as an individual case, really. Just because one pet dog bit, it does not mean that all other pet dogs must be condemned to skepticism or harsh measures. Definitely, action must and will be initiated against this dog owner and his pet but spare me the rhetoric.
Meanwhile, what is happening is that some people who are scared of dogs or hate dogs are spreading malicious stuff over our common mailing list. I mean dogs are the most lovable, gentle and sweetest of creatures around. One of the cynophobes, an old gentleman, is extremely cynical and even more frustrated because others are not buying into his Nazi suggestions like sending all pet dogs to foster homes is one of his bright ideas. Some other people suggested muzzling all pet dogs or de-nailing them! These people are delusional. It might be even hilarious to read the stupid ideas if they were not so pathetic. What is the perfect way to react? Not to react because such people are begging for reaction. The amusing part is that people with all kinds of personal agenda are jumping into the thread with their own hidden motives. “Apna ulloo sidha karna” is what I’d say. And the lady, who is the mother of the girl who was bitten, is the most balanced of the lot and very rational in her approach. So, I wonder why many others are making themselves look like idiots.
You have to see our mailing list. At times, it is a great source of entertainment :). There are a bunch of folks you can call “regular” who are always writing something or the other of no value solely because they have nothing else to do. I had to set individual filters to weed out this kind of content from my mailbox. Do you guys face something similar from your mailing groups?
Ah well, what can one say. We Indians are absolutely great when it comes to doing politics over anything or everything even when it comes to seemingly innocuous subjects like dogs.
Addon: I forgot to add that there are a lot of unhealthy, not vaccinated stray dogs in our layout. No one can do anything about them, but they want to go after healthy and vaccinated pet dogs. Good thinking :)!
Image courtesy: digitalart/freedigitalphotos.net
Hello Rachna! Good morning! You are up early it looks like. Wishing you a great day.
That was a new word – cynophobia! Thank you!
About what people say, what can I say?!
I did not know what cynophobia means and while I reserve reading to the later part of the day, I did it early morning just to know the meaning 🙂
I rarely read such mails nowadays, got fed up really, some I have told on the face that pls remove me from ur mailing list (and they have stopped talking to me he he)
Its not just Indians who politicize, here everything and anything is politicized.
I hope there is no ‘hate’ towards Coco
Even i am scared of dogs, but i felt very sad when I knew that some 25 dogs were killed here by someone,its so brutal.
I get some mails about cows and milk:)
@NRIGirl Good morning, NRIGirl. You are quick :). Yeah, it is so difficult to figure out people.
@bbsearchingself I am happy that it is a new word that we learnt. Well, we can’t unsubscribe because this is our community’s mailing list and really is a way of getting information. Well, nothing specifically aimed towards Coco. But, you must be getting the drift. These insane people try to promote crazy measures towards all dogs.
@Renu I understand the fear of dogs, but their right of peaceful co-existence cannot be taken away. It is funny reading about the mails you receive :).
I accept,this is the first time I have heard of this.
I am a dog lover and would hate to see any one..well
That is definitely an unfortunate incident but really people will get all worked about anything given the chance won’t they?:)
Have a great day Rachna!:)
I cannot believe that people can dislike or hate dogs. They are such adorable creatures. So loving – even street dogs. All they want is to make friends most of the time!
@BKChowla And, I am a dog lover and owner myself. My dog is so loving and wonderful, and it hurts me to hear so much of nonsense about dogs. Just reflects on the people who speak.
Got bitten by a dog once. To be honest, I’m still scared of them. Especially when I go jogging, I seem to be radiating an aura of fear, because I got a snapping jaw at my ankles two weeks ago.
When you’re scared of them, and don’t want to confront the fear, it’s best to just avoid them, and walk some 10 meters around the dog. Good enough for me, no need to create more silly rules.
You should always teach children to be wary, but not afraid of dogs.
I don’t know the story you are talking about, and I sympathise with the little girl – but of course people always over react when they hear about this sort of thing happening.
Having had large dogs as pets I was always aware that other people may have been afraid of them, it is the responsibility of the pet owner to ensure that their pet does not intimidates others – easier said than done! A dog senses fear and responds by defending itself against it in the only way it knows how to.
I read once that if you are afraid of the dog you are passing by they ‘mirror’ your fear and become aggressive – a way to overcome their own fear. So I simply ignore them – barking or not 🙂
But I had my share of scare when I was 6 y.o. – the neighbor dog’s paws on my shoulders as a sign of happiness was kind of hard to grasp 🙂 Luckily I didn’t pee my pants !
I am not Cynophobic. In fact I love them. But if you travel on a bike through Kerala routes, you should really be worried about the stray dogs those used to appear now and again..
@Colleen You are actually right! There will always be something that one will get worked up about :).
@Deepa I am not so sure about stray dogs. Most of them attack or growl without provocation, and even I am a bit wary of them , dog lover and all.
@Bart Absolutely! Those who are afraid of dogs and most of them are those who had a prior experience of being bitten, are actually so fearful that the dog senses the fear. That causes it to react in a certain way. Well, the onus is on the pet owner to train the dog not to snipe at or go after another person or animal scared of them. Avoiding a dog and maintaining distance without eye contact is a good way too. I tell my children too to be wary of any other dog — pet or stray and not to pounce on it to play. It is after all an animal, and one can never say how it will react. Yet, why punish another dog because one is scared especially a dog that is trained and friendly. Like you rightly pointed out, silly rules don’t achieve anything especially the draconian ones.
nope no such thing here 🙂
maybe you shud put a couple of mailing emails here for us to have a laugh too 🙂
and isn’t it typical no one want to do anything about dirty infected dogs but want to do something of perfectly safe dogs ..
same as indian govt they have time to go after FB – orkut and stuff like that but no time to do genuine things which are helpful to the people of the nation 🙂
Bikram’s
@jane Exactly Jane, I agree. We are also responsible to teach our kids appropriate behavior with strange animals just like we teach them how to behave with strangers. There is no need to be over friendly with someone else’s dog. Also, I agree that pet owners have the responsibility of handling their dog in a way that is safe for all. For example, we keep Coco on very less leash when we pass by people on our walk. We understand that his size might scare someone. It would be presumptuous on our part to expect everyone to be a dog lover. I do understand the real fear that some people have of animals. We also avoid crowds especially for the walk. I guess these simple precautions ought to suffice. But asking for measures like muzzling or denailing is cruel.
@IGBG It must be frightening for you at that age. I was myself scared of large dogs till I got Coco :). Best thing for those scared is to maintain distance and just walk past. A well-mannered dog will never pounce on you without any reason, and the pet owner is responsible if he does.
@Tomz I am seriously scared of strays. I don’t know how they will react and am really wary when I pass one by. So, I understand what you are saying.
boss….the way v used to be chased by stray dogss on the roads of mumbai…one correspondent of ours was surrounded by 10 dogs near Vashi, he started singing loudly..and then screamed..arre..koi hi..mujhe bachaaoooooooooo..no wonder i am also cynophobic…rachna…super post
Well, first I learn a new word 🙂
Next, people hate dogs? They have no right to hate them. In fact dogs should hate people.
Nice read…my wife is cynophobic 🙂
You really can’t just put muzzles on them. It was fun looking over shoulder to read or eavedropping about mails
I know that people are scared of dogs, and each one to their own, but thats no business of anyone to suggest how someone else deals with their pets. Dogs usually do not go about biting people, there must be a story behind it. Kids usually have a tendency to excite dogs and that at times cause issues unless you read the dogs reactions.
About the mailing groups, I have converted all the residents association mails to a digest format which comes in once a day and there is a synopsis at the top with subjects so unless there is something of worth… I am not venturing anywhere into the mails.
I am afraid of street dogs, for they are unpredictable, and one of my friend who is very friendly with street dogs got bitten by one of them.
We used to get chain letters many years ago, when letters came through postman, they were chain letters of Sai baba devotees, which i used just tear and throw in the dustbin.
Some people are really jobless, and equal number of people get panicky seeing such letters and fall into the chain letter writing trap.
first of all Nice word introduced…”cynophobia”
I am a dog lover ..and anything against dogs are insane,, if bitten by a dog(pet)..it can be done by a stray dog too ..God forbid anything can go wrong outside…at-least you know your pet …why not use obedience school for dogs.. get him trained like our little kid and make him learn..
killing or being brutal..Remember one thing GUYS..”this can come back to you same way…”
wht goes around comes around very fast..in similar way…
I do get lot of junk in mail… I got it filtered now I get shopping Coupons only:))
i love dogs & to think of sending them to foster homes – how stupid!
@bikram Exactly my point! Just concentrate on the trouble spots including the strays leave the good ones alone. hehe Funny the analogy about indian government’s gagging initiative.
@Ramesh Yeah, stray dogs can cause a real fear of dogs in people. I myself am very scared of them. Funny description of your colleague’s incident :).
@Insignia I guffawed loudly when I read your line. The best line “dogs should hate people :).”
@ashok I know many are :).
@Sid Aha, you are getting very naughty son :).
@Aathira Yes there is. The kids actually crowded to play with the cute dog who was in a bad mood. He bit one of them. That said, the pet owner still should be careful with the dog who already had one biting incident. Such dogs are unpredictable and must not be brought out to crowded places especially among kids. A pet owner is eventually responsible for its dog’s behavior.
Yes, getting them as a digest is a good idea. Filtering some offensive ones also help.
@rama I guess the fear of stray dogs is quite common. I agree about people jumping in and reacting and making tamasha. Though, this person was very rude with his mails, since no one bothered to respond, it died down. I guess that is the way of dealing with obnoxious people.
@Harman Yes, training the dog is so essential. Many pet owners I see keep their dogs shoddily and expect others to understand which is ridiculous.
@Sujatha I agree, pretty stupid :).
Oh my!! Well, I am not cynophobic… but I dont want them in my home!! 😀
LOL @ crazy ideas rather Nazi suggestions, as you say!! Gosh, dont they have better things to do in life?? 😐
Why indulge in such malicious mails> Clearly they are the ones who have nothing to do and so indulge in this kind of hate mail. I love dogs too. We had a stray for some time with us. I had written about being a surrogate mother to him — Joey, his name was. They are indeed most adorable.
Never heard of cynophobia before…learnt a new word! lol I agree with you tho… just because there was one unfortunate accident with one Dog… does not mean all dogs should be condemned.
I am damn scared of dogs. I have been chased down like mad TWICE 😀
And the owner’s dog used to chase me everytime the house-door was open.
I don’t have anything against it. But, I will never own one 😀
And mails.. Tell me about it.. I do use filters.
I am very scared of dogs but almost non Indian household in the USA has a dog. So we are used it. I know dogs are not meant to scare you but still….
But most people realize if others are scared so they take care of their dogs.
@Shilpa some people apparently are really khali.
@Cybernag I also wonder sometimes. Why do people behave in such an atrocious manner?
@Emmy Exactly! That should seem logical.
@Sahana You should have chased that dog owner with a stick :). Oftentimes, the dog owner gives a really bad name to the dog.
@A Right. I always tie up my dog when someone comes home. Only if they ask for the dog to be let loose, I do it. Pet owners must be respectful of others’ choice of not liking their pet.
i have been to bangalore…and the stray dogs there are kind f huge and fearsome… I cant simply love them
@Jon Absolutely Jon agree. Stray dogs are a big menace here, and you must have read many instances of them biting children and even killing toddlers. I am pretty scared of them myself. But you know how the BBMP is. They will not come, if they come they sterilize them and leave them back here. I wonder if the sterilization works because recently a stray had a litter :(.
have respect for other HUMANS spaces. Just because you like to idolize your dog doessn’t mean other like your dog. If I’m not in your house or on your property I have a right to peacefully go my own way without having to deal with your animal. Get a leash have respect for other people.
Perhaps, you did not read the post properly. I am not for taking any pet out without leash. And, I certainly do not take my pet up to other people and to their homes. My pet has the right to co exist too, and he is not coming in anyone else’s way.