Fear of Dogs
By Karyn Sykes


Photo by Flickr
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Who Let the Dogs Out? By Baha Men [lyrics]	It all began when I was about six. I grew up in a small neighborhood with my parents and three siblings. We lived in a small one-level brick house. We had about an acre of land  with tall oak trees scattered throughout. In the large, white house next door to us, lived an old lady and her large black dog named Tashi. Tashi was a black Boxer and was very mean. Every day, the old lady would place her metal trash can on a dolly and roll it to the front of her driveway. Tashi would follow her and ferociously attack the wheels of the dolly. She would place the trash can by her mailbox and wheel the dolly back inside the fence. As soon as the wheels of the dolly stopped, Tashi would jump and latch on to the old lady's arm. He would be hanging from her arm, and she would laugh and say with a German accent,"Oh, Tashi, stop. haha, Tashi, stop." The dog would eventually let go of her arm  leaving bite marks on her arm. I was always scared that he would get out of his fence and attack me.      One day, my older brother, sister, and I were outside playing in the front yard. We were having a lot of fun until all of a sudden we heard Tashi bark. We all looked over and saw that Tashi was no longer inside the fence. He began running toward us. We dropped everything and sprinted as fast as we could to the house. Since I was the youngest and smallest, I was left behind. I ran as fast as I could, but Tashi was right on my heels. My heart was pounding and I began to panic. I looked behind me and almost started screaming. The Baha Men state it perfectly in their song "Who Let the Dogs Out"                           Get back off me, beast off me                           Get back you flea infested monger I didn't want him to catch me. I wanted him to "back off" and leave me alone.I ran as fast as I could and just barely made it through the front door. I slammed the door shut, and looked out the window
Hound Dog By Elvis Presley [lyrics]	to see Tashi growling and barking angrily at the door. I let out a deep breath as tears rolled down my cheeks.My brother and sister tried to console me, but nothing would work. My mom walked into the room and placed her arms around me. She said, "Karyn, he is just a dog. There is nothing to be scared of. He is probably more scared of you then you are of him. He's just sad that no one will play with him." Its like Elvis Presley's song "Hound Dog,"           You ain't nothin' but a hound dog cryin' all the time.           You ain't nothin' but a hound dog cryin' all the time.           Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine. He might be a sad dog, but he definitely was not my friend.
September By Earth, Wind and Fire [Lyrics]	A year later, I was walking with my father to Sunday school. Our church was on a retreat in Pennsylvania, and the parents had to drop off the kids at Sunday school while they went to church. It was a beautiful autumn day. The leaves had changed and the trees were covered in a beautiful array of colors. A slight breeze began to blow, and some leaves tumbled to the ground. Earth, Wind and Fire describe the tone perfectly in their song "September,"                          Ba-de-ya, say, do you remember                          Ba-de-ya, dancing in September                          Ba-de-ya, never was a cloudy day.
Safe and Sound By Mercy Me [Lyrics]	My father and I continued to walk and enjoy the beautiful weather until we reached the brick building where my Sunday school was held. There were many parents there with their children waiting to enter the building. I stood there next to my father and looked around me. Thats when I saw it. There was a lady on the sidewalk with her dog, and the dog did not have a leash. My heart started racing as the dog began to walk toward me. The dog was feet away from me when I turned around and began running in the opposite direction. The dog was right on my heels. I jumped over bushes and flowers trying to get away. I started to scream as the dog began nibbling at my ankles. I ran in a big circle, and as I ran past my father, he caught me around the waist and lifted me onto his shoulders. I took a deep breathe and tried to calm my racing heart.I was safe in my fathers arms. Mercy Me describes my relief in their song "Safe and Sound,"                        No more trying to run away from                        Tired of being afraid of                        What I can't control                        The hardest part I'm always told                        Is letting go                        Safe and sound knowing that You're                        Big enough to wrap around my heart completely
Magic By Pilot [Lyrics]	I was safe, and there was nothing to be scared of anymore.      A few years later, my family and I went to a friends house. They had a small white dog named Pebbles. We walked into the house where we were greeted by Pebbles. She continuously barked at us and jumped around us. My heart began racing as she came toward me. I stood still and refused to run away. She came up to me and jumped on me. As she jumped, she bit my hand. Pain shot through my arm, but I refused to move.We walked into the kitchen, and Pebbles followed barking and jumping the whole way there. I tried to move away from the dog, but she continued to jump on me and bite my fingers. I wanted to tell her to stop, but I didn't know how. Finally, my friend, Becca, came in and said firmly, "Pebbles, get down!" Pebbles immediately stopped jumping and sat down. I thought to myself, "Wow she really has the magic touch. I need to learn to do that." Its like the song by Pilot,                      Ho, ho, ho it's magic you know                      Never believe it's not so                      Ho, ho, ho it's magic you know                      Never believe it's not so
Happy Together By The Turtles [Lyrics]	Today, I am only scared of some dogs. Whenever I am around loud, jumpy dogs, my heart will race. I will stand still and wait for the dog to calm down. Sometimes, I will even tell the dog to stop like my friend, Becca, did. My friends continually try to help me get over my fear, but nothing has worked.They have taken me to pet stores to try and get me to play with the dogs, but I refused to go near them. I looked at them through the cages and commented on how cute some of them were, but I refused to go inside the cage. I am hoping that I will eventually overcome my fear of dogs, and one day, I will be able to live at peace with them like the song by the Turtles "Happy Together,"                    Me and you and you and me                    No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be                    The only one for me is you, and you for me                    So happy together I hope that dogs and I can live "happy together," and I will no longer fear them.