cynophobia

  Large stranger and his large off leash dog that runs up roaming at will. Of course he's on his smartphone. 

 "I'm scared of dogs" she exclaimed. Who's to decide what's rational fear, or concern, or alarm, or trepidation. 

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'The fear of dogs is called cynophobia, which comes from the Greek word cyno meaning "dog". It's a type of anxiety disorder and a specific phobia that's characterized by an  

intense,  

irrational,  

and persistent fear of dogs and canines in general.  

People with cynophobia may go to great lengths to avoid dogs, and may experience severe anxiety or panic attacks when they hear a dog bark, see a dog movie, or go somewhere dogs might be"  

"Exposure therapy is often considered the best way to treat cynophobia, but it can be controversial. The therapy involves gradually exposing people to dogs, but some say it can be distressing for people who are already unwilling to participate. " 

'Virtual reality (VR) exposure to dogs can be a good starting point for people with severe cynophobia. A therapist can also help guide people through their fear and anxiety. A health care provider can recommend a therapist who specializes in phobias. 

(This is for informational purposes only. For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional. Generative AI is experimental.) "

I'm scared of Virtual Reality, and Generative AI, professionals, and therapists. There isn't always a table to climb atop, or a large group also afraid to stand by ones side.   

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"animal phobias are among the most common of the specific phobias and 36% of patients who seek treatment report being afraid of dogs or afraid of cats. 

Although ophidiophobia or arachnophobia are more common animal phobias, cynophobia is especially debilitating because of the high prevalence of dogs (for example, there are an estimated 25 million stray dogs in India, and an estimated 62 million pet dogs in the United States) and the general ignorance of dog owners to the phobia. " 

 

"In a January 2007 meeting with Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin brought in his labrador in front of the German Chancellor, who has a phobia of dogs." 

"A current theory for fear acquisition presented by S. Rachman in 1977 maintains that there are three conditions by which fear is developed. 

 These include direct personal experience, observational experience, and informational or instructional experience.  

For example, direct personal experience consists of having a personal negative encounter with a dog such as being bitten.  

In contrast, seeing a friend attacked by a dog and thus developing a fear of dogs would be observational experience.  

Whereas both of these types of experiences involves a live dog, informational or instructional experience simply includes being told directly or indirectly (i.e., information read in a book, film, parental cues such as avoidance or dislike, etc.) that dogs are to be feared." 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynophobia

 

"I grew up in a small town, [so] I’d put my shotgun in my car, or at school or in the football locker, to go pheasant hunting afterwards,” he told Pod Save America last month. “But we weren’t getting shot in school.” 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/09/tim-walz-gun-control-stance 

Things Change.