iwantadog

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Would it be silly of me to get a small dog if I am a little afraid of bigger ones? in c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
[–] iwantadog@lemmy.zip 4 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Thanks. This is precisely the sort of stuff I wanted to hear in asking this question

Would it be silly of me to get a small dog if I am a little afraid of bigger ones? in c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
[–] iwantadog@lemmy.zip 6 points 18 hours ago

Companionship mostly and wanting to take something in that doesn't have a home. Walking around the neighborhood by myself is my main form of exercise and I have a flexible wfh gig so I feel like I have the space in my day for a pet. Dog over cat here so it can join me on walks and to the farmer's market and parks and such. Also I get a little jealous of a friend and his small dog when I go to his place. Same reason anyone has an animal I suppose.

Would it be silly of me to get a small dog if I am a little afraid of bigger ones? in c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
[–] iwantadog@lemmy.zip 12 points 18 hours ago

Thanks. That's been on my mind a little, I just haven't gotten in touch with them yet. I've done pet sitting for a friend who travels a lot before so I've cared for dogs I was already familiar with but I did get to hand them back over at the end and there wasn't any walking or interacting with other dogs involved.

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Would it be silly of me to get a small dog if I am a little afraid of bigger ones? (lemmy.zip)
 

So I've been wanting a little walking buddy lately. Probably a shih tsu mix or something. Something small that has a good personality and is available at the shelter. I've never had a dog myself before though and I had a couple of bad experiences with large off leash dogs when I was a small kid (I don't think I was hurt but I very much do remember being chased and being very afraid) so I find myself still a little nervous around larger dogs I don't know, especially if that dog is feeling excited or jumpy. A couple of gentler breeds are excepted in my head (golden and labs) and once I get used to a particular dog, I'm perfectly fine. I can leave other situations just fine by myself but I'm here asking for opinions from more experienced dog people. I suppose I'm afraid that having a dog myself would be like a magnet for other dogs while on walks that I might be uncomfortable with or that my being nervous could make a normal meet and greet go poorly. I just don't want to adopt a dog and wind up putting it in a bad situation by accident. It's also super common that I see escaped dogs when I'm out for walks by myself and others who walk their dogs without a leash.

Also, to say out loud, I am addressing my dog fears in therapy. It's just not an instant cure, you know? It's also possible I am way over thinking this.