Not sure when I had developed the fear of dogs. I never had any incident of a dog attack in the past that I recall. But with time, the fear escalated to a level where I used to wake up sweating and panting even when I dreamt of a dog.

The fear hit me hard when we encountered a “bhotiya” dog on the trail, and I had to let go of my wish to visit a beautiful fort in the Himalayan region a few meters from the destination. I regret that forever.

At home, we had a labrador in our family. I saw him growing up in front of me, but I could never motivate myself to go close to him in 10years of his life.

Being a person with a psychology background, I understood it was getting difficult to live with this fear as Indian streets are home to many dogs. And I can’t be confined to the four walls of the house.

I took a step forward and started to recall all my past reactions whenever I had encountered a dog. I realized that I don’t find them scary. But it’s when they show their teeth my defense mechanism takes over my actions and reactions.

The support

My dog lover friend once suggested me to start spending time with puppies or small size dogs. It is when I realized it’s not cynophobia but dentophobia. Yes, I fear long teeth.

I wouldn’t say that I have no fear of dogs. When I slowly started watching changes in me emotionally, I realized that I connect with dogs well. I don’t intend to harm them in any way, but at the same time, I was nowhere going close to them. My family labrador (Rocky) used to be chained when I was at home. But after some time, I felt guilty, and I used to lock myself in a room so that he can roam freely for a while. Somehow we came to an unsaid agreement that we take turns to stroll freely.

When he used to get scared of lighting and storms, I would go and sit outside (at a safe distance) so that he can sit without fear. I saw him getting weak after he was injured, and that’s something that moved me. He was my father’s love. That was the first time he and I sat together in the car when we took him to the hospital. Unfortunately, after a week, he died. I don’t know why I cried like a kid that day. I felt the guilt.

A year later

After a year, I met a black labrador ‘Facebook’ in Mussoorie. He was of the same age as Rocky. And I instantly knew that I should not behave the same any longer. I asked my husband to help me get closer to him. With his help, I touched him and fell in love.

A few days later, I met a couple, parents to 3 full-grown german shepherds (Harry, Teddy, Shelly) and a mixed labrador. That was the toughest face-off I had faced in this life. I was shivering, sweating, and scratching the wall when all four came barking at me to introduce themselves. With my husband close to me and my friends’ help, it took me 5 minutes to calm down my senses and stay still. Oh! Yes – Teddy eats bananas for breakfast and he loves them. He likes it squashed.

Update: Harry is no more, he breathed his last recently after roaming the Himalayas for 16 years. He exceeded all expectations.

I took the up challenge to visit the couple, knowing this would happen for sure, and today I am happy I did it. Within few minutes of interaction, I was friends with them. They ignored me big time, and I followed them full time.

Conclusion – fear of dogs

I understood I love dogs, but my defense mechanism gets activated and shows up in my reflexes. Ever since I realized it’s not the dogs but the teeth I’m scared of, I carefully changed my overcoming pattern by getting used to bigger dogs first instead of small puppies as they are less mischievous. And honestly, that worked wonderfully. Small puppies are usually exploring and playful most of the time. In the process, they bark more and show their teeth more often, while full-grown dogs will introduce themselves and sit close to you without seeking much attention.

I feel I have partially overcome my cynophobia, and my next target would be fighting the fear of being barked on or facing the teeth.

I shall keep you posted as I progress. For now, I shall enjoy some time with these furry friends.

PS – I am currently spending time with a 4-month-old bhotiya dog, Simba. It has taken me 24 days to get him to stop showing his teeth to me, and to my surprise, he follows my instructions beautifully.