My wife has an irrational fear for animals, and that include dogs of any size. Many times, on the streets, a dog would approach to sneeze or play, but my wife gets really scared. We have to force the dog away with the feet, and all the time the owners would say "don't worry, he just want to play".
So what? Do I have to play with your dog just because he wants? Don't you understand not everybody like dogs? Don't you understand I don't like dogs leaving dog hair in my trousers? Don't you understand I don't like dogs staining my trousers with their feet? Don't you understand I don't like dog's saliva on my trousers? Don't you understand that my little kid don't see a playing dog, but a beast approaching and he has been scared to death?
I like dogs, all animals in general, but I don't have any at home. I don't have fear for domestic pets, but it doesn't mean I have to like them. One of my neighbours -I live in an appartment- used to have a cat. Many times the cat would sneak out of his home and remain in the doorway. When we got in and the elevator door opened, we would find a cat arching his back, ready for attack, for having been caught with no way out. We had to move slooooowly to leave him an escape and got to our door. One day, when we got out home, the cat was in the doorway, but instead of getting away, he got into our home! My wife was frantic! And I was irate. The cat started to jump from sofas to chairs, and climbed up the curtains! I shouted my neighbour: Come get your cat or I'll kill him! She came running, really humbled and asking for apologies, got the car, continued the apologetic, and left. Next day she came back to offer more apologies, and in a few days she got rid of the cat.
The neighbour who lives above me has got every kind of pet for the daughter. From parakeets to hamsters, turtles, cat, you name it. Every summer, when they go out for vacation, I have been asked to feed the pets, which I have done with no qualms. Then happened one thing: the cat bite me! He was scared and I used to move slowly, not to scare him. It was summer, I was wearing shorts, and the cat bit me and flew! I called my neighbour asking when was she coming back. I didn't want to tell her anything, not to make her feel bad, but she asked me what was wrong and I had to tell what happened. She apologized, but it was still six days and it was way too much time for not coming back and checking food and water.
So we agreed I would get upstairs once more in three days, and that would be enough until she came back. That day, I put on jeans, jersey, a thick coat, a wool hat -trying not to leave any skin exposed- and an umbrella that would help me to keep the cat at a safe distance. So I came out of the door -remember it was summertime- and another neighbour gets out of his appartment, with his bathing robes, going down to the swimming pool.
His face when he watched me was priceless..... :-)
