Our dogs are loose on our property. I’m comfortable with that, if they’re not I’m comfortable with that as well.
About 25 years ago, a traumatic event triggered a claustrophobic variant of agoraphobia in me—an avoidance of both open and closed spaces without an easy escape. Initially, it was debilitating to the point where I didn’t want to leave my home, but thankfully that phase was short-lived. Even now, however, I won’t fly in planes (which I used to love) or cross long bridges in heavy traffic. I’m not a fan of elevators either; getting stuck in one with a crazy lady and her yappy poodle during a hurricane-induced power outage was not fun. I accommodate by taking trains for long distances (though long stretches between stations make me anxious) and by checking real-time traffic before crossing bridges.
I consider it a personal issue—a “me” problem—and don’t discuss it with friends, acquaintances, or family because I find it embarrassing. I just make excuses when necessary.
Otherwise, I’m pretty fearless. Blood and guts don’t bother me, and I have no problem with snakes or other forms of wildlife that others are squinked out by. I mean, I might get a bit anxious if a polar bear crashed through my bedroom window in the middle of the night, but I suppose everyone would.
This experience has made me sensitive to other people’s irrational fears, and I act accordingly, without questioning them.
Recently, my oldest daughter was mauled by a large Mastiff in her neighborhood. The dog jumped the fence while she was out for a stroll and tore her legs down to the bone, necessitating a trip to the emergency room and subsequent follow-up visits for wound care. Despite the severity of the attack, she refused to confront the dog’s owner or involve the authorities—not because she’s non-confrontational (she is quite the opposite)—but because she’s an animal-loving vegan and was afraid they might put the dog down.
Moderating:
This is drifting off-topic. If you wish to continue please start a new thread. You could always Reply as a linked Topic
If you are responding to something in a thread that is basically off-topic or likely to lead to a hijack, try this:
Click Reply, in the upper left corner of the reply window is the reply type button, looks like a curving arrow point to the right.
Choose Reply as linked topic and it starts a new thread. As an example, you can choose GD, IMHO or The Pit for it.
That is actually the best method.
Moderating:
Let’s stick to irrational fears in this thread, please. No more about allergies, chemical sensitivities, women who fear assault, etc.
okay.
Good call on your daughter’s part.
Sure, no problem.
It’s the same thing though- nobody else knows what’s going on in someone else’s head or what their experiences have been, so as long as they act in a normal, polite, and reasonable way, it’s that other person’s problem to accommodate it. Doesn’t matter if it’s an irrational fear, a phobia, trauma, PTSD, or anything else. As long as people are acting within the bounds of normal, and don’t already know about whatever the issue is, then it’s the other person’s problem.
Of course, if they know about it, then there’s a measure of accommodation that conscientious and good people ought to do, once they know about it.
I was a summer temp, so I did a different route every day - and didn’t know the dogs.