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the "need" to pet dogs, and where it comes from.
ok, i've been thinking a lot about this (surprise). and i think that part
of the reason i have such trouble resisting a cute dog (while everyone else can just walk by without even being tempted), is that i'm new to all of this. when i was a kid, we weren't allowed to have pets. in addition to that, i was terrified of dogs. in kindergarten, my dad's girlfriend had a boxer. i was so afraid of the way he looked that i insisted he be locked in the laundry room before i would come to visit. that dog scared the **** out of me. in elementary school, our neighbors had two dobes. they had run of the back yard, and the kids were not allowed to have friends over because of the dogs. if we even stepped into the front yard, the dogs went apeshit, barking, hitting the fence, generally being scary. if that wasn't scary enough, the youngest girl (i think she was 4) was attacked by the two dog and had her ear and cheek ripped off, as well as chunks taken out of arms and legs. let's just say the poor girl will never look "normal" again. in jr. high, it was the german shepherd down the street, who would chase anyone who rode by, and try to take them off their bike. luckily i was fast enough to get by her (her name was "annie"), but i knew a few kids who were pulled from their bikes by this dog. luckily she left them alone once they were on the ground. then there was the guy down the street who had a pit bull. the dog was contained behind an 8 foot fence, and no one ever heard it bark, but nonetheless, the neighborhood parents got together and requested that he only be walked after dark. so i knew that dog *had* to be dangerous. in high school, another german shepherd took to chasing me on my bicycle (by this time i was training for long distance rides, so was riding farther from home). this one got my shoe, and tried to take me off the bike. luckily i had one of those tube type bicycle pumps, which i used to smash him over the head. he didn't bother me after that. then, i think i've mentioned, that i was bit by a cocker spaniel, for no apparent reason. so basically i was terrified of the beasts. i wouldn't visit friends who had dogs. i would cross the street to avoid them. i don't know when it changed, but even then, i was never comfortable around them (with the exception of my grandmother's three legged golden retriever). even as recently as two years ago, if i was at a friend's house and they had a dog, i didn't know how to act, didn't want them jumping on me, didn't want to pet them, and certainly didn't want their slobber all over me. so what happened? i'm not sure. my SO decided he wanted a dog, and i began to do research. we started visiting shelters, dog shows, and dog parks, and i realized that these dogs were pretty darn fun. and the slobber wasn't so bad after all. somehow in my research i fell in love with pit bulls (go figure), and the rest was history. so yeah, i guess i feel like i'm making up for a lifetime of missing out on these wonderful creatures. i know, this is no excuse for self control. but let's just say the pull is a little stronger with me. though i'm still terrified of german shepherds and cocker spaniels. -kelly |
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