DOGS

As a child I was terrified of dogs. A big German Shepherd lived next door and I had nightmares all the time about that dog. I didn't like to go to houses where there were dogs. I was even afraid of my friend's Chihuahua. I remember running around her backyard trying to get away from it.
When I was around 10 to 14ish, some people paid me to feed their dog when they were out of town. I had to go outside to get the dish, then bring it in to make the food, then put it back out. I would get a little snack and crack the door open, throw the snack, grab the bowl and close the door before the dog came back. I was petrified. I was always afraid of being bitten by a dog. As I got older, the fear diminished. I'm still a little paranoid if I'm out for a walk and a dog is loose and barking at me. But, I don't live in fear anymore. There are even some dogs I really like. And it turns out, getting bitten by a dog isn't so bad. I always imagined skin ripped off and hanging, blood pouring, etc. I guess that could happen, but luckily, it didn't happen to me. My bite looks like two bruises with a red spot in the middle of each one. There was no blood, and I can still walk. It only hurts when it gets touched. It's a little anticlimactic.