A Love Affair With Dogs

I remember the day my love affair with dogs began.

When I was just a little child, I was terrified of dogs. More specifically, I was absolutely wide-eyed with fright with the vicious dog across the street.

No one seemed afraid of him. But he couldn't fool me; I knew what a monster he was. Every time he saw me he'd start barking - straining and lunging at the end of his leash as if he wanted to chew me to bits and then roll happily in my mangled remains.

I'd been fairly lucky up until then; his owner, another kid a few years older than me, would always keep the snarling creature away from me.

Then one day, I was outside zipping around on my bike. Laughing and having a great time, I flew into the schoolyard - only to be confronted with the gaping maw of the crazed neighbor-dog. He was loose!

I was absolutely frenzied in my panic to get away. The blood thundered in my ears, my heart pumped so hard I thought I'd drop dead ... away I raced as fast as I possibly could in my desperate bid to outdistance the snapping beast lunging towards me.

Then my front wheel hit the lip of a sandbox.

I abruptly flew over the handlebars of my bike, landed in a broken heap, and immediately started screaming. I expected to feel the tearing pain of sharp teeth sinking into my vulnerable flesh. I even imagined I could hear it's eager blood-lust panting.

As I lay quivering in abject terror, "Muffy" pounced on me and licked my face, his 10-pound body wriggling in pure joy.

And so began my love affair with dogs. For the next several years, my parents no doubt got tired of hearing, "Can we PLEASE get a dog?". We did eventually get a regal, impossibly stubborn little Pekingese named Tyke. Tyke lived for nearly 15 years as a much-loved member of our family.

While the Muffy-incident seems humorous now, it sure wasn't back then. Those of us with dogs have a responsibility to remember that not everyone loves dogs and some people - especially children - are very frightened of them. When you're out in public with your dog:

• Keep your dog on a leash unless you are in a designated off-leash area.
• Maintain control; do not tolerate lunging, jumping, barking, etc. even if your dog is just being friendly. Some people do not understand this and may feel threatened or uncomfortable.
• Be sure your dog will come on command when walking in an off-leash area.
• Always supervise children with dogs. Kneel down beside your dog when introducing him or her to a child, and have a firm grip so that you can take action if needed. Show children the proper way of approaching a dog and petting it. If you know your dog to be uneasy with children, don't put him in a situation where he must interact with children.
• Be sensitive to adults, too. There are many adults who are afraid of dogs - and not just big dogs, any dog. Respect them and keep your dog away.

Now that I'm "grown-up" (or so I claim), I also have two dogs as well as a gentle little cat. I still remember what it was like to be so unreasonably afraid of dogs. But now my experience with Muffy is a fond memory, rather than a terrifying one. In a weird way, I'm actually glad it happened. If it hadn't, I would never have been privileged enough to be able to share my life with these amazing creatures.