Does it annoy you when people are scared of dogs?

Admittedly in this day of 'killer' dogs its not so surprising, but i always find it a little sad when people are so afraid and scream when they see you walking with your friendly fluffy mutt! Shouldn't we educate our kids at an early age how to treat dogs with respect. I never had pets when growing up but spent a bit of time with neighbours dogs. I grew up without a fear of dogs because i knew how to treat them. I'll admit i'd be scared if a massive dog threw itself at me baring its teeth, but i'm not going to cower in the corner everytime i see a dog. I think its sad that people miss out on how great being around dogs is.

are you telling me that you dont scream when you see the things that most frighten you??

Yes it does. It also annoys me to no end when people turn and run when a dog starts barking. Don't they know the dog will chase them? Or, people who asssume the dog is friendly and walk right up to it and try to pet it. Can't they read the not so subtle body language of the animal? Gah!

I can relate to that.I own a female boxer dog and sometimes people cross the street when they see me coming with her on the lead. Incidentally, she is a real softie and wouldn't harm anyone. However she is a big powerful muscular beast, so I suppose she looks threatening to some people who dont know better.

depends on the person really.My daughters friend who is 6 was bitten when he was 3 by two cockerspaniels.Now hes terrified of dogs. So when he comes to play i put my dog up.(I have an Alaskan husky).what makes me mad is when you hear about these killer dogs and everyone generlizes about a certain breed .But its nothing new a few years ago it was the rottie then the german sheppard now the press likes the pitt.i really think a dogs behavoir goes by his bloodline and how you train them. If you train them to bite strangers guess what they will bite.some people are affraid of big dogs in general because they can be intimidating by their size.what those people dont realize is dogs can sense fear. but everyone is affraid of something i guess. I just get mad when because a certain breed gets sterotyped.Take mine for example. Ever since we got him everybody says "your not suppose to have small children around that type or cats. I have both ." Its how you raise your dog. Yet there is a lady i know who is 34 and never has been bitten but she is terrified of dogs even a little rat terrier. I do agree with you how people are missing out on the companionship with the doggie.

I visited my Aunt many years ago. She had two large Alsatians. "Don't worry", she said, "They're perfectly all right", a few seconds later they went for me and one bit me.I've suffered an unprovoked attack since by an unleashed dog when just walking along a footpath at dusk. The owners seemed quite surprised at my anger. They didn't offer to pay for my torn denims either.The real problem is stupid blinkered owners. You can't trust them.

i live in the south of Spain and when i moved here 2 years ago i couldn,t believe the reaction people had to my dog a medium sized softie, they cross the road to avoid us, scream if i let him off the lead, and if we,re looking in a shop window, sometimes will not come out of the shop til we,re gone, unbelievable , i feel like slapping them across the face, and telling them ,,my dog is a gentle soul leave him alone

No, it doesn't "annoy" me when people have a fear of dogs or any other fear. We can't all be brave and get over our fears.I think it more sad that people don't try to be more understanding....... Now THAT is what annoys me the most.

yes it does but lots of dogs now days dont get trained and are left to roam its them that make it bad for us dod loves that look after our dogs

Yes, if their fear is irrational. A fear of so-called killer dogs is highly irrational because those stories are hyped up by the media. I love dogs, they're my favourite people, but I know there are some bad ones around so I do understand why people have fears, but you're right that they are missing out when they're are afraid for no real reason and apply that fear to every dog.

Ok i cant blame people who are afraid of dogs since we see things about dogs killing or mauling people everyday on the tv or in papers.But for those of us that own dogs we think its silly that other people dont love them or trust them the way we do... but isnt it better than people running over to you to see your dog and for one reason or another your dog biting them??All dogs can be nasty i guese, no matter how friendly the dog is around the home.I dont think someone who doesnt have a dog can fully realise the special bond we can share with them.My family has had around about 10 dogs during my lifetime and i can see how people would be afraid of them coz non of them were exactly small lol.

i agree, i dont own a dog but a relative does and he is lovely, he wouldent hurt anything(in fact when the dog came around my house my cat bit it!!) but if we go into the park and walk him children actualy run away or hide behind their parents. i renember once i was at the park and a man asked us to move away from his daughter, i think he should have moved if it was a problem. parents should bring their children up to love animals. and dogs are 'a mans best friend' admitedley dogs like jack russels, and staffy bulls scare the s*** out of me because they are quite vicious, my whole famly has been bitten at some point by the neighbours dog, its a yorkshire terrior. i call them 'yappy' dogs, all they do is bark at you. my relatives dog is a cross breed of a labrador and a poodle, a 'labradoodle' i suppose,!

what annoys me most is kids who stroke dogs without asking do they bite i always say to my kids ask be4 u touch and always put ur hand out first so the dogs knows you wont hurt italso ppl who have the little dogs and say it wont hurt you as its running round your ankles barking would they be ok if i done the same with my dogs which are german shepherds. i dont think soppl need to respect dogs and other ppl

no it doesn't annoy me. a lot of people are scared of dogs and i admit to being scared of pigeons. my friend is terrified of dogs but she was quite badly bitten when she was small by a German shepherd and when she used to come to my house i had to put my dog in the kitchen otherwise she would have a bad panic attack , but then again i did have a rottweiler, but i put up a safety gate at the kitchen door and she gradually got used to seeing her there. it took a long time for her to actually pluck up the courage to stand near her let alone stroke her, but i think you should be more tolerant for peoples fears. my dog died a couple of months ago and my friend was upset as she was a gentle giant and my friend was surprised that she got upset over her passing away.

I know, but when I was younger I was terrified of dogs for some reason, despite my dad, uncle, grand mother and friends loving them. I was actualy still scared of them untill about Novemember 2006, now I have my own. It is annoying seeing adults trying to avoid my cute fluffy 1 ft high german spitz walking perfectly at heel on a LEAD! You have to be understanding though, maybe they've never been around dogs or their religion says dogs are evil. I think it's kind of cute when little kids wave at my dog but are too wary to aproach, I would encourage children to do that because not every dog wishes to lick their face off.

There is no day of "killer dogs" it the day of the stupid owners. People dont take the time or effort to properly train their dogs. It doesn't annoy me if people are afraid of my dogs. They are huge and their mere size is very intimidating to not just them but, even some experienced dog owners of smaller breeds. I like to be polite while walking my dogs. If someone is afraid, I stay far from them. If they come to my home, I put them out. People should teach their children to respect a dog. But, part of respecting a dog is also realizing it has teeth and there is the potential of danger. When a child is afraid of my dogs. I will make the dog sit or do some stupid trick. You'd be surprised how many will eventually come up and just touch them. It may be only one finger but, at least its a start. Oh, I own Saints.

It doesn't annoy me I just think it is such a shame and people are missing out on a wonderful relationship. I can understand peoples fear if they don't know dogs after all some are very large and some are very noisy, they all have teeth, some very big, it is hard to see that most are big, or small, cuddly balls of fur. I don't think the current media frenzy about vicious dogs is entirely to blame but it has certainly made things much much worse. I don't have many people who appear to be afraid of my large Italian Spinone, ocasionaly a mother will steer her small child away but that is understandable, I'd do the same with an unknown dog and small child. I have been told many times that I should be paid to take Harry into the town centre as he makes people, almost without exception, smile. Perhaps it's living in a country area that makes the difference but we are also a tourist area and I have yet to meet a tourist who has avoided Harry. It's hard to see from the pic but Harry is 6 and a half Stone, that's around 90lbs or 43kgs, and is 15 months old so still a bouncy teenager although he is quite well trained but the public love him!I'm terrified of Daddy Longlegs, go figure!! lolHi Chris, I have yet to meet a vicious Jack Russel or Staffy! In fact I've yet to meet a vicious dog! We used to keep 7 Jack Russels in a Riding School and they all mixed with the kids and adults on a daily basis. As for Staffies, they can be aggressive to other dogs but I've yet to meet one who doesn't like people especialy children.

Ive noticed whenever i pass a jew and theres loads of them here the whole family run like hell even thiugh mine are placit dogs, not just one jewish family but everyone of them, ive yet to meet a well mannered orthadox jew that would stroke a dog i wonder why this is if anyone has an answer let us into it please, and iam NOT raciast iam white with a kenyan wife

Ask me if it annoys me when dog owners let their animals approach me without leashing it. Your dog doesn't have the right to go up to people--you don't know their history with dogs and they don't know your dog. You sound irresponsible.

I feel it is a mater of personal preference. It is annoying though if they run and scream I would imagine. I have taught my kids however to never go near a dog they do not know, so it may seem as though they do not like them. My kids actually love dogs. It's just safety. What is more annoying is when people rush over and won't leave the dog alone and let their kids crawl all over my dogs. My dogs are very well mannered, but it's not fair to them.