Why are some people so scared of dogs

i have a 14 week old black lab whos about 40 pounds. some people are already scared of him even though he is still small. i just dont understand how people could be so scared of such a loving creature.
(the people who were scared NEVER had an experience where a dog tried to attack them.)

its sort of the overall concept of dogs being agressive towards people they dont know. heck, ive walked by random dogs and they have been PISSED to see me, barking, growling, and lurching towards me. i would assume its that idea that can have people a little worried. just an assumption people do make towards dogs, especially ones who are getting to be a decent size.
im not a dog owner so i cant say too much, but thats what i would assume.

thats true but usually when a dog starts to bark or growl at someone out of a group of people is because that person was probably to quick with the dog. the dog feels that the person was going to attack him or his master so he starts to bark and growl to tell the person if they get closer he will attack.

ive been attacked by shithead dogs more times fishing/bicyling then i care to recall.

anymore if im in a public area and ur fuckin unleashed dog comes up and starts harassing me i will ask u to get him away from me. if you fucking UNLEASHED dog keeps coming ill tell it NO, stop, etc.

if it is still acting agro ill warn you one more time to get ur fucking dog.

then it gets the bear spray in the face.

im fucking tired of bullshit dog owners who cant have a leash on there disobient pets.

i have no way to tell if ur dog is coming to lick me or bite me, so ill error on the side of keeping myself safe. goes the same for small dogs to, unless its under about 20 lbs. then it might get kicked instead of maced.

and yes, im a dog owner and animal lover. i dont WANT to hurt your dog, but its your responsibility to make sure ur animal isnt any sort of perceived threat to me.

A big dog jumping at you, baring its teeth and barking ferociously is pretty intimidating

A big dog jumping at you, baring its teeth and barking ferociously is pretty intimidating

lol @ avatar

i am not talking about dogs that are not trained well. some people have no clue how to train a dog and should not be allowed to own one. my dog was not running up to people i was holding him and they were still scared to pet him.

they are just pussies then

and yes, im a dog owner and animal lover. i dont WANT to hurt your dog, but its your responsibility to make sure ur animal isnt any sort of perceived threat to me.

I agree with you. I'm a dog owner, have always loved dogs. But too many owners just let their dogs run free, act however they want. In public and in private.

I've been very lucky, I've been around tons and tons of dogs. And never once had one attack me out in public, dogs seem to love me. I've had one dog go after me one time when I was jumping fences and cutting across yards. But I blame that on myself, not the dog. lol But I've seen dogs attack people, and it's a scary sight.

So my initial reaction when I see dogs isn't to want to spray them int he face with mace or kick them lol. But if I see dog running around, or running towards me I'll get a little nervous. not afraid, but a little nervous and wondering what the dogs intetions are. I think that's just natural.

I was attacked by a dog when I was young so I have an automatic fear of big ones. I don't have a problem if I've known it for a long time though. I've known my aunts Cocker Spaniel since it was a tiny pup and I let her jump on me and shit, love that dog.

Dogs are an instinctive animal with an ability to smell fear, they prey on the weak when they travel in packs, much like wolves and EX WIVES !!!!!!!!!!!

The fear of dogs is an instinctive one; I have been a dog owner all my life but still flinch when confronted even when their demeanor is playful (I cant play tug-of-war, it literally shuts me down). It's a paradox I can't understand fully; strangely the same behavior from my cat doesn't elicit the same gut reaction.

I used to be so scared of dogs when I was a young chap, don't know why... but I was, I love dogs now.. Whenever I move to my own place, I'm getting me a dog!

Well why are people scared of spiders like me? Everyone has a fear dogs have killed people or injured them so has spiders not every dog is loving

I agree with the dog being off the lead
They make 50 foot very strong training leads that the owner can safely control their pet and still give them a little free rein to romp around without bothering everyone else in the area. I can not stand when a strange dog off of its lead runs up and starts smelling my dogs ass and then challenging him to a pissing match.
The owner always say "Oh my hes never done that before hes never bite any other dog oh dam Im sorry". I filp out when I see dogs off the leash Its like anything else people feel the rules dont apply to them.
If you are on your on land or there is miles of land with no one else around fine run your dog off the lead, he may even run after a deer and not come back.

you should go to india and see how many people are afraid of dogs.....its crazy

Yes but I believe the dogs there a used mainly as watch dogs for the home, and are trained to attack anything coming in to harm the family

I think people are always naturally cautious or scared of anything big enough to potentially maul or kill them. Then again there are people with extreme phobias also. I was chased by a dog once, still wanna get a cane corso though.

my fear stems from bike riding alone as a young adult and getting chased down by ALOT of dogs. that shit really sucks. had one grab my ankle while trying to get away and cauze a bad crash + dog bite. the dog was put down.