Why some people like animals and others don't

[Common]

I would like to note as a guy who loves dogs and generally speaking is not afraid of dogs, I think its prudent to be wary and at times afraid of some dogs. Fear is inate in humans for a reason, its to warn you and keep you safe. There is nothing at all wrong with being afraid at times.

[Helena]

I would like to note as a guy who loves dogs and generally speaking is not afraid of dogs, I think its prudent to be wary and at times afraid of some dogs. Fear is inate in humans for a reason, its to warn you and keep you safe. There is nothing at all wrong with being afraid at times.

A healthy respect. I'm not afraid of dogs either, but if one were barreling toward me, snarling looking to maul.. Yes, I'd be afraid. I wouldn't try to pet it. Derp.

LOL, a good friend of mine has two huge dogs and I just love them to pieces. When I first met them, though, the male let out a deep baritone bark and it was intimidating. He was just saying hi. Big cuddly gentle giant.

[Common]

Sheba was not cuddly, sheba was instinctively a protector and she protected my kids period. She basically did that on her own with some instruction.

Sheba intimidated everyone that met her the first time with good reason. She was big, she had a mean all business face and demeanor but she was NOT vicious.

[jigglepete]

When I was teaching pre-school, we had a "neighborhood" (the school was on 25 acres right outside the city) dog that would hang around the playground. It was old, and kind of mangy, but had the patience of a saint (children can get very enthusiastic at times). One of the students was obviously terrified of dogs, but, the way that the other children reacted and interacted to said doggy, she was very curious. One day while we were having an outdoor circle time, she (the girl) was sitting on my lap and the dog was sitting next to me, as I was petting it, I asked the girl if she would like to pet the pup, she was really nervous, so I told her to put her hand on mine and we pet it together. We started to do this every afternoon while she was waiting for her mom. Eventually, I gently removed my hand from underneath the girls, suddenly she was petting the dog by herself with no fear. Then I heard a screech from behind me as her mom came out onto the playground. I said to myself, self, this is the reason this girl is terrified of dogs, she was taught (or something, I ain't a psychiatrist). After mom got calmed down, her daughter offered to do what I did for her, we began having a session after school so the daughter could help the mom with her fears. Of course if that happened today, I would most likely be looking for another job...after the prison term...ah, the good old days.

[MisterVeritis]

We have three coyotes who regularly walk across our uphill backyard. One is a very undernourished female. The other two are a male-female pair. These are big animals.

I usually feed the raccoons shortly after dark. A few days ago I knew I would not be available so I put the food out around 30 minutes before sunset. I have four large windows that expose an uphill view. As I sat back down at my desk I noticed movement. It was the undernourished female. I watched as this skittish animal moved back and forth along the wall eating every morsel I put out for the raccoons.

I enjoyed watching her. I felt the desire to make her a "pet". I can see how people and wolves domesticated one another. I look for the coyotes every day. But I do not intentionally feed them.

I have known for years the coyotes are out there. Our neighbors report sightings every couple of days. Most of the year I can hear them but not see them.

[Dr. Who]

There could be a variety of reasons why people don't like animals, just like any number of other problems people have. Something from their childhood, a trauma, not being raised around animals and so on.

I don't claim to love all animals. Some people can't understand why I don't prefer cats over dogs. I can't understand why they can't understand that.


No patience for people who are afraid of animals, especially dogs, though. None at all. I lose just about any ounce of respect I would have had for them if they exhibit a fear of dogs. And politeness dictates that I not show it. It's hard.

On the whole, animals are just really cool and fascinating. But I wouldn't want a bunch of monkeys or cats around me.

Most animals are a ton of work to keep as a pet. I looked up Toucans the other day. Nope. Not for me.

I only ever had one wild animal as a pet - it was a little bush rabbit and we kept him for 8 years, which was about 3 years beyond their lifespan in the wild. He was naturally housebroken because wild rabbits only do their business in one spot and that spot was in his cage - so he had full run of the house. He was funny and a bit mischievous but not cuddly - try to cuddle him and he'd bite you. He also wouldn't eat domestic rabbit food, so we had to pick his food out in the field every day and dry large quantities of it for the winter. In that sense, he was a bit more labor intensive than a domestic rabbit.

[Dr. Who]

Heh very similar, I always preferred dogs, never warmed up to cats but I never had one, my girls INSISTED along with my wife they wanted one for christmas, I relented and got a kitten, handed it to my wife and says its your responsibility.

That didnt last long the cat started following me and the dog all around the house. I would sit and she would be right in my lap on the couch right next to me and she wouldnt move, she would just stay there. I wound up loving that cat to no end.

I was and am a German Shepherd lover, I think they are the best family dog to have

When my girls were little I had a shepherd named Sheba she was a big boned female, when they kids were outside in the front playing on the lawn, sheba, would sit bolt upright and just scan the area for threats. She knocked the kid across the street down and had his arm in her mouth but didnt hurt him, he made the mistake of walking across the street with a halloween mask on to scare the girls, he did they screamed and sheba was on him before my wife could stop it. Thankfully he didnt get hurt at all just scared to death, I think if sheba didnt know him, it would have been different

Sheba was a black and tan shepherd she had a very hard face, she made everyone nervous and many afraid. She was big hard looking and wasnt a tail wagger, she was always on duty when my kids were around, she would just stare at you. If you were brave enough to pet her she allowed it, but dont expect excitement or to get licked.

She was one of my two favorite dogs, rip

I had a white Shepherd named Pax for about 13 years. Out of all of the dogs I've ever had, I think I was most attached to Pax. She was really loving and very protective. Her only fault was the fact that she expected all other dogs to be submissive to her majesty. She was a very alpha female, however, if she was told to leave another dog alone, she would obey. I recall this one occasion when a friend brought over his hyperactive chihuahua and she just wouldn't leave Pax alone but we told Pax not to hurt her. The chihuahua was even nipping and biting Pax's ears hard enough to hurt but Pax didn't even growl or bar her teeth, she just whined a little. I knew she was distressed and it was taking all of her willpower not to annihilate that chihuahua, but she was good girl.

[Dr. Who]

A healthy respect. I'm not afraid of dogs either, but if one were barreling toward me, snarling looking to maul.. Yes, I'd be afraid. I wouldn't try to pet it. Derp.

LOL, a good friend of mine has two huge dogs and I just love them to pieces. When I first met them, though, the male let out a deep baritone bark and it was intimidating. He was just saying hi. Big cuddly gentle giant.

My hubby's sister and her husband had a next door neighbor with what appeared to be a fairly rowdy Malamute or mostly Malamute. They were afraid of the dog because he always barked at them when they went in their backyard and there was only a chainlink fence between the properties. (They aren't animal people). We were visiting one time when the dog was outside, running back and forth along the fence and barking. I can't resist dogs so I went up to the fence and started speaking softly to the dog. He stopped barking and was sniffing my hand through the fence. I could tell by his body language that he wasn't aggressive so I started petting him. Then he ran and got me a ball to throw. All that noise was just him trying to get someone to pay attention to him. I got my BIL and SIL to pet him so they wouldn't be afraid of the dog and the dog would get to know them. They were pretty shocked that the dog was actually very friendly.

[The Xl]

The same people who disregard animals completely are the same set of sociopaths and psychopaths devoid of empty who also do the same to their fellow humans, just under a different set of rules and circumstances. And if they were able to, they'd treat them the exact same way.

[Dr. Who]

We have three coyotes who regularly walk across our uphill backyard. One is a very undernourished female. The other two are a male-female pair. These are big animals.

I usually feed the raccoons shortly after dark. A few days ago I knew I would not be available so I put the food out around 30 minutes before sunset. I have four large windows that expose an uphill view. As I sat back down at my desk I noticed movement. It was the undernourished female. I watched as this skittish animal moved back and forth along the wall eating every morsel I put out for the raccoons.

I enjoyed watching her. I felt the desire to make her a "pet". I can see how people and wolves domesticated one another. I look for the coyotes every day. But I do not intentionally feed them.

I have known for years the coyotes are out there. Our neighbors report sightings every couple of days. Most of the year I can hear them but not see them.

Normally I would not feed raccoons because in the city they can be problematic, trying to get into the garbage etc. However one year we had a garbage strike that went on for a couple of months. That summer the raccoons ate very well because most of the food waste that would have gone into the garbage went into a basin that I put on a gardening table at the end of the yard. No stinky garbage attracting flies around my house. Just happy raccoons.