As I walk around my neighbourhood with my dogs, it did occur to me that many people didn’t grow up with dogs and all they know is from the media, personal experiences, and from those they know and meet.
What gets filtered into their world is often skewed, misinterpreted and misinformed, giving them a less than truthful portrayal of a dog. The sad thing is that their fear is transmitted (sometimes forced) onto their children. I often see curious and happy children wanting to meet the dogs being yanked away by their guardians. I’m not saying that we should let our children meet every Spot, Rufus, or Lassie that comes their way. Interactions between children and animals, especially initial ones, need to be positive and supervised. But to project your fear onto a child who’s merely but proudly naming “dog” instills unnecessary fear which grows into bigger fears.
So here are a couple of observations from people’s initial interactions with my two dogs.
Dogs in Singapore 