28 ms·

You seem to have a fear of dogs. Want to talk about it?

by glitchc 5y ago

jjoonathan 5y ago
I'm allergic. Want to talk about it?
- Jtsummers 5y ago
  If you read the article and not just the title, the majority of the discussion is using dogs for diagnostics of collected samples. They (for that use) would not be around patients like you so wouldn’t trigger your allergies.
  - patall 5y ago
    But for those applications, you would probably prefer giant pouched rats that are much cheaper to train and keep.
    - Jtsummers 5y ago
      If they work as well or better for the purpose, then sure.
- glitchc 5y ago
  Sure, I get the allergies argument, especially if the reaction is a deadly one. It’s a good reason to avoid dogs. I have an allergy too, although not to dogs. It’s not EpiPen level, but I do keep a bottle of Benadryl handy at all times. I totally get the life or death vibe. But calling dogs killers because one is allergic to them is a bit disingenuous no? People are allergic to many things. It’s not the thing that’s the problem, rather the individual body’s overreaction in the presence of the thing. The problem is with the body, not the allergen, wouldn’t you agree?
dheera 5y ago
Well yes, I've been in far more life-or-death situations with dogs than humans, and they give me panic attacks. On multiple occasions I had a group of dogs chasing me on a mountain road while I was on my bike with trucks on one side and a cliff on another. Don't fault me, I had every right to be there in peace, and enjoy my bike ride. No wild animal bothered me, just the goddamn dogs. I don't want dogs anywhere near me. And yes, statistically they are far more dangerous than bears, mountain lions, and wolves combined, in terms of both injuries and deaths, even if you exclude rabies cases. Dogs were bred to fearlessly attack anything unknown and that's exactly what they do. Wild animals, on the other hand, generally fear the unknown and stay away from it.
- glitchc 5y ago
  Dogs chase people and things for many reasons. Almost always it’s for play. If a dog has its ears and tail up, it’s looking to play with you, not tear you to pieces. Dogs have clear signals and behaviours that need to be understood. > Dogs were bred to fearlessly attack anything unknown and that's exactly what they do. This is completely untrue and the complete opposite of how dogs evolved. Dogs were domesticated to live among humans in harmony. If you experience a poorly behaved dog, it’s the owner at fault. Some owners mistreat their dogs and/or raise them with poor social habits, causing the dog to behave aggressively towards humans. It’s learned distrust, for which you have people to blame. Good owners will treat their dogs well. Such dogs will not attack another person unless their owner is being physically harmed. I don’t know if you’re living in America, most dogs in North American society come from well-adjusted homes where people treat them as members of the family. You can learn how to make friends with any dog. It can be taught. The fear you experience is learnt and can be unlearnt.
  - dheera 5y ago
    > Almost always it’s for play. No, fuck that. Being chased on a mountain road is life-threatening and it's the dog's fault, not mine. Literally no other animal does this, they are nuisances. > If a dog has its ears and tail up, it’s looking to play with you, not tear you to pieces. Dogs have clear signals and behaviours that need to be understood. No, fuck that. In MY language: mellow purring = friendly barking = threat Period. If it barks, I will bark back and assert my dominance, followed by pepper spray and rocks if it continues to approach and threaten. If I move away or yell at an animal, that means NO and do NOT follow me. Almost all other animals including cats usually understand CONSENT and what "NO" means very well. > If you experience a poorly behaved dog, it’s the owner at fault. Well, 90% of dogs I've encountered don't have owners and many of them threatened me. Often in packs. The few dogs I've met that have owners, at least half of them were very badly behaved. 100% of bears and coyotes I've encountered don't have owners either, and to this date every single one I encountered has left me alone. > You can learn how to make friends with any dog. I really just do not want to. Like most cats and porcupines, I really just want to be left alone by dogs. That's my choice, and I want to be respected and dogs to respect that I do not wish to be approached, sniffed, barked at, or chased. I'm more than happy making friends with other animals, and do not need dogs in my life at all.
jjcon 5y ago
I’m afraid of most of the things on this list (including plenty of humans) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deadliest_animals_to_humans#List https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deadliest_animals_to...

You seem to have a fear of dogs. Want to talk about it?

jjoonathan 5y ago

I'm allergic. Want to talk about it?

Jtsummers 5y ago
If you read the article and not just the title, the majority of the discussion is using dogs for diagnostics of collected samples. They (for that use) would not be around patients like you so wouldn’t trigger your allergies.
- patall 5y ago
  But for those applications, you would probably prefer giant pouched rats that are much cheaper to train and keep.
  - Jtsummers 5y ago
    If they work as well or better for the purpose, then sure.
glitchc 5y ago
Sure, I get the allergies argument, especially if the reaction is a deadly one. It’s a good reason to avoid dogs. I have an allergy too, although not to dogs. It’s not EpiPen level, but I do keep a bottle of Benadryl handy at all times. I totally get the life or death vibe. But calling dogs killers because one is allergic to them is a bit disingenuous no? People are allergic to many things. It’s not the thing that’s the problem, rather the individual body’s overreaction in the presence of the thing. The problem is with the body, not the allergen, wouldn’t you agree?

dheera 5y ago

Well yes, I've been in far more life-or-death situations with dogs than humans, and they give me panic attacks. On multiple occasions I had a group of dogs chasing me on a mountain road while I was on my bike with trucks on one side and a cliff on another. Don't fault me, I had every right to be there in peace, and enjoy my bike ride. No wild animal bothered me, just the goddamn dogs. I don't want dogs anywhere near me. And yes, statistically they are far more dangerous than bears, mountain lions, and wolves combined, in terms of both injuries and deaths, even if you exclude rabies cases. Dogs were bred to fearlessly attack anything unknown and that's exactly what they do. Wild animals, on the other hand, generally fear the unknown and stay away from it.

glitchc 5y ago
Dogs chase people and things for many reasons. Almost always it’s for play. If a dog has its ears and tail up, it’s looking to play with you, not tear you to pieces. Dogs have clear signals and behaviours that need to be understood. > Dogs were bred to fearlessly attack anything unknown and that's exactly what they do. This is completely untrue and the complete opposite of how dogs evolved. Dogs were domesticated to live among humans in harmony. If you experience a poorly behaved dog, it’s the owner at fault. Some owners mistreat their dogs and/or raise them with poor social habits, causing the dog to behave aggressively towards humans. It’s learned distrust, for which you have people to blame. Good owners will treat their dogs well. Such dogs will not attack another person unless their owner is being physically harmed. I don’t know if you’re living in America, most dogs in North American society come from well-adjusted homes where people treat them as members of the family. You can learn how to make friends with any dog. It can be taught. The fear you experience is learnt and can be unlearnt.
- dheera 5y ago
  > Almost always it’s for play. No, fuck that. Being chased on a mountain road is life-threatening and it's the dog's fault, not mine. Literally no other animal does this, they are nuisances. > If a dog has its ears and tail up, it’s looking to play with you, not tear you to pieces. Dogs have clear signals and behaviours that need to be understood. No, fuck that. In MY language: mellow purring = friendly barking = threat Period. If it barks, I will bark back and assert my dominance, followed by pepper spray and rocks if it continues to approach and threaten. If I move away or yell at an animal, that means NO and do NOT follow me. Almost all other animals including cats usually understand CONSENT and what "NO" means very well. > If you experience a poorly behaved dog, it’s the owner at fault. Well, 90% of dogs I've encountered don't have owners and many of them threatened me. Often in packs. The few dogs I've met that have owners, at least half of them were very badly behaved. 100% of bears and coyotes I've encountered don't have owners either, and to this date every single one I encountered has left me alone. > You can learn how to make friends with any dog. I really just do not want to. Like most cats and porcupines, I really just want to be left alone by dogs. That's my choice, and I want to be respected and dogs to respect that I do not wish to be approached, sniffed, barked at, or chased. I'm more than happy making friends with other animals, and do not need dogs in my life at all.

jjcon 5y ago

I’m afraid of most of the things on this list (including plenty of humans) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deadliest_animals_to_humans#List https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deadliest_animals_to...