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Wednesday, January 17, 2007

 

Cynophobia:Fear of Dogs

WARNING: Some of my readers own pets and hence to them this might sounds ridiculous.

It’s a funny sight, but only if you’re a safe distance away.
No one runs to help yet another Jew risks being attacked.
It’s the kind of encounter that sends kids and adults alike on a detour only to avoid a potential collision.
It’s menacing and evil.
Don’t Touch! Shrill voiced mothers tell their toddlers.
It’s disgusting and dangerous.

I’m talking about pets, dogs in particular.
Most frum people I know and those that I see but don’t know suffer from a serious case of Cynophobia.
Except small children who have not learned yet, frum children are conditioned at a very young age to avoid dogs and to fear them.
They usually don’t get a chance of being around canines much and encounter them only on public playgrounds and in the street.

In my building there’s a sweet old lady who owns a tiny little dog.
And yet whenever that creepy little thing barks or jumps at me when I get in or out of the elevator I freak out (and I’m a pragmatician!)
The suddenly less sweet grandma remembers to keep repeating that he’s harmless but she never remembers that I still do not want to be touched and barked at by her pet.

Gentile pet owners actually have the nerve to get upset that Jewish children run away from their pets.
Unfortunately some goyim enjoy only too much to scare the frum kids.
Knowing full well that releasing their dog from it’s leash will result in total hysterics among the kids wearing that weird thing on their heads, they let the little creeps run around freely even though it’s technically against the law(enforced about as much as the laws against racism and anti-semtism).


As a kid I was terrified from dogs, but I felt secure that adults would protect me from them.
Now as an adult I neither have skirts nor pants to hide behind anymore.
I manage pretty much to lead a normal life despite my phobia, by crossing the street, walking around and occasionally gathering my courage and pass by.

To prove that not only frum Jews suffer from this phobia I found this aid.


I need it badly, especially since sweet old neighbor never learns.

Ps:No offence to dog lovers

Comments:
I know how you feel. I'm fine if it's on a leesh. but if it's not, I get worried. However, there's this calm dog that sits outside of starbucks on my block while his owner is getting coffee. And he's not tied to anything. I don't mind that dog because he just sits there.
 
oh I so relate to this - I have this terrible fear that it prevents me from going to parks unless the dogs are tied up - I always thought that in my previous life I was in the camps where the dogs amongst the nazi's terrorised the Jews!!
Other pets I am fine with but dogs!!
 
Lvnsm27-Half sleeping dogs are ok, still I'm wary.

Anoymous-It's defintely an explanation for our general disike of dogs.
 
I totally protest. No jews where I'm from are afraid of dogs!
 
I am terrified of dogs and are changing the street side if necessary and possibly. I have some not so fun stories where my fear of dogs freaked out friends. I once locked myself into the bathroom at a friends of a friends house in Israel. They had young but huge dogs running around, jumping up and down their sofas and all the people in the room - I freaked! Well, I have more stories, but prefer not to think about them again!
 
Dogs do not thrill me. Having been attacked by several over the years I don't much care for the ones that are not well trained, and sadly most of them aren't. I'd take a nice cat any day over a dog.
 
Nemo-Well perhaps Lubavitchers are immune:)

Smogas-Don't feel bad here there are many who would have done the same!

Amishav-I'd prefer cats too , although no pets at all is still my favourite.
 
since I am Lubavitch I protest I am not immune:)
 
i had big dogs jump on me doesnt scare me at all
i know goyim that are affraid of dogs fear of dying
 
Anonymous-No offense, it was just a theory
I guess it has more to do with Nemo’s whereabouts.

YY-You’re the man YY!
 
That is me but I hide the fear so my daughter doesn't fear animals.
 
I used to go brisk walking with a friend of mine, and every time she thought she heard a dog, she would continuously chant, "hint, hint, dee bist eysuv's kind, oyb dee vest meech bahsen, veht deech mahn footer Yaakov tzirahsen." She was panicked, and I was in hysterics from laughing at her.
 
Prag, I have never understood why frum Jews have aversions to dogs. I am not frum. But I am Jewish. And I was raised with dogs as pets. Big dogs. I cannot imagine a house without a dog. I cannot imagine a child not growing up with a dog.

Where does this dislike of dogs stem from in the frum community?
 
Stacy, good question, for me nobody made me afraid, I just always was.
 
Social-That’s a good move.
It’s a shame parents instil the fear in their kids.

It’s all good now-oh boy did I use this Yiddish trick a lot.
I think it did help actually.

Stacey-I’ve heard it’s a nice addition to a family with kids.
I don’t know where it originates from, but there’s definitely a dislike among Frum Jews for dogs.

Sharona-I think it’s probably that you always saw everyone run away from them.
 
I can sooo sympathise!
 
Well, I'm FFB raised by dog-haters and I'm ok. I mean, there are lots of dogs I just don't like, like if they're really ugly, but I'm not actually scared. I do go out of my way to avoid mean-looking or hyper dogs, though. If they're jumping all over, I don't want to be the target.

I know at least two frum families who have dogs. I actually spent a weekend with one. He was nice.

Anyway, I know the dog fear is stereotypically Jewish, but I have seen plenty of non-Jewish kids afraid of dogs and people don't get nearly as upset by that as they do when a frum kid does. Definitely not fair. (I live in a place with many dogs and goyim)
 
Kasamba-I knew you would

Kneidel-Thanks for visiting
It’s amazing you didn’t get affected by the dog fear epidemic.
Personally I’ve never met a frum family owning a dog (rats, parrots, cats, yes) although I did hear there are a few out there.
Did they share their motivation for owning one?
Isn’t Shabbes a problem for walking the dog for e.g.?
 
I also hate tiny "run on batteries" dogs, and I don't know why but they always bark at me, and I'm 1'85.
 
If you ever come near a dog that looks like its gonna attack you say, "Lechol yisroel lo yecheratz kelev leshono".

My sister and I were taking a walk one night and all of a sudden this HUGE dog came chasing us down the street barking. We ran and then suddenly my sister stopped, faced the dog and said this hebrew phrase. The dog turned back around and left us alone.

Totally true.
 
What a coincidence- I was thinking of posting something soon about MY aversion to animals- especially dogs!
 
Prag, dogs can sense when you are frightened or afraid. When you encounter a dog, try to act normal. I supposes we all have something we fear in life, I'm glad mine is not dogs....we have two.
 
Perhaps we are afraid of animals because we can't read their body language as quickly as we can read those of humans? It sort of keeps us off balance. Plus, we can't communicate or reason with them as we would with other humans (although some of the humans I've met actually make animals look tame).
 
Well, if it is of any consulation, Jews in general, frum or not, are taught from an early age to fear EVERYTHING (at least this was the case with my parents, and grandparents.) Dogs, planes, going out at night, and the list goes on.

I love dogs, as you know, and to me, they are a great blessing, joy and comfort.

I never owned one as a child, probably because, now, that I think of it, my parents were too afraid to have one, but as with any fear, as an adult, I turn it all over to G-d, and know that I am in good hands, no matter how something turns out.

Have a good week.
 
I love dogs. They are far superior to cats. Loyal, loving and warm creatures. They are well worth getting to know.
 
This is funny. I always say I'm the only one of my friends (who are as you describe) who actually likes dogs. They cross the street to get away from them. When we were kids they would run screaming. I let them come up to me and pet them.
 
Emanuel-How about the non-electronic ones? Do you like them or dislike them?

Rivka-Thanks for visiting certainly believe you; I used the Yiddish equivalent of this many times.

RR-There’s no harm in two bloggers posting about the same subject, in fact it happens all the time.

Lucy-That is one of the problems, I get all tense and they sense it.

It’s all good-Good one, I’ll pick meeting dogs over certain people any day.

Barbara-I guess you make a good point.
It’s great that a dog is able to make you happy.
Perhaps one day it’ll be more common among frum Jews.

Jack-So how many do you own?

Mata-So nice to see you again.
It’s cool fro your friends to have such a fearless:) friend.
How come you don’t fear them?
 
prag - i'm not sure. maybe the fear was never instilled in me by my parents as a child. i loved dogs and cats.
 
The problem is...we've become an urban people ..totally cut off from nature...

I happen to love dogs and so do my kids...

My grandfather who grew up on a farm in Europe handles them so well...
 
Prag-- Actually I just remembered I also know a third frum person who owns a dog. One is a seeing-eye dog. One found an abandoned puppy and the kids felt so bad for it, they ended up loving it and keeping it. The third, I don't know their reason. Anyway, there are definitely allowances made for pet owners for Shabbos, since the animal is dependent upon the human and it would be tzar baalay chayim to ignore them every Shabbos.

Emanuel-- I don't think it's you; tiny dogs (or at least certain breeds) are known to have a temper.

Barbara-- you have such a true point! We are paranoid, and we earned that temperament over centuries of persecution.I have had to work very hard to shake off the fears that my parents and grandparents fed me, just enough to take some worthy chances in life.
 
Why are frum folks afraid of dogs? Here's my theory - there are probably two parts. THe first is that in the middle east in general, dogs are considered to be dirty and disgusting. One may not pray with a dog in the room under halahchah (Jewish law) for example. And in fact, dogs often are disgusting and dirtry in the middle east - dogs are scavengers, and will eat anything (think about the rule about how to tell what qualifies as not a problem for pesach - if a dog turns up its nose at something, it's not to be considered food) - really anything - including their own and other animals' scat and corpses. The original reason for placing stones on Jewish graves was to make sure the cairn wasn't violated by scavenging animals like dogs.
SO: to summarize item number one: Jews don't like dogs from the biblical period on.

#2: Dogs were sued to terrorize Jews in Europe - even before the Nazis, who did this par excellence, cosscks and the like also used their dogs to attack Jews. so, Jews from Europe in particular are not going to like dogs, and it became a cultural thing:
Thus, #3: Dogs are dirty and used by non-Jews to hurt Jews. Thus, dogs are nasty.

My father grew up completely secular ( socialists) and he doens't like dogs. When I was a kid, I wanted a dog more than anything - and we got a small, very well-behaved, gentle Shetland SHeepdog, After several yeasr my father grew fond of the dog, but he would never touch it, as far as I kow,although we used to catch him saying, "here, hunt," and tossing it crackers or other little snacks, when he thought no one was looking.

Side item of interest. Over the last ten years or so in Israel, I've noticed that the number f dog owners there has increased dramatically (among the non-ultra-O). Unfortunately, I also have noticed that the israeli notion of dog care is not what any American would call responsible. In jerusalem, for example, people just leave them to run around loose leaving dog scat everywhere, rooting through trash bins, some of them not very friendly, and very clearly not neutered. THus, IMO, actually creating exactly the kind of society in which our biblical era forebears saw dogs as nasty, dirty urban hazards.
 
P.S. My son, is also afraid of dogs - I"m not. I think it's probably a natural thing for many kids - they're big (often) and loud, and sometimes move very fast.
If he's with a very calm large (but not small, under any circumstances, interestingly) dog in a place he knows, whose owners he knows and trusts, he will sometimes pet the dog a little bit. OTOH, he loves cats of all kinds. Personally I like both dogs and cats, but if we have to divy up our pets, I'm a ferret person.
 
Kol R'a-These are terrific points.
I'v ehtought about the nazis and general persecution as well.
The fact is that many Jews suffered from brutal dogs.
 
It's absolutely ridiculous that any parent, frum or otherwise, would teach their children to have irrational fears. I am constantly surprised at how completely ignorant people are!!!
 

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