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If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. Mark Twain





Monday, February 13, 2012

Overcoming Fear with Canine Angels - Part 3



I Conquered My Fear
by Ng Yen Wen

This is my first encounter with huge dogs. I never dared get close to any huge dogs, for fear that part of me will be bitten off. My first twenty minutes upon arriving at the shelter was spent behind the gate, fearful of the number of dogs and some of them are of reasonable size. I was not ready to get into contact with any of them, not even with my friends telling me that they will not bite. But after much persuading from my peers, i slowly stepped out of the “gate” and walked towards them. I tried patting them while trying to remain calm, but I just couldn’t stop my hands from trembling. I know I will have to overcome this fear soon or later, so I believe, the moment is now. However, it failed terribly as I started calling out for mommy and ran back into my “safety spot”, behind the gate.

It was a while later that I decided to come out of the safety spot upon seeing how happy my friends were playing with the dogs. I began by trying to pat the dogs again. I tried not to scream and run away as they approach me. With the accompaniment of some friends, I went into the area where the golden retrievers were and started building up more confidence as I approached them. I started beaming as I stroked them with my firm hands, thinking of how cute they were. At the same time, i felt good that I succeeded in overcoming my fear for huge dogs.

I started roaming around the space amidst the dogs, trying to build up more confidence. As I walked around stroking & playing with the rest of the dogs, I too discovered that they are indeed gentle and they don’t bite!

At the same time, i was trying to relate dogs with humans. They are actually very similar in character! I noticed that when one dog started barking a whole symphony of barking will start. Just like humans, when someone starts something, the rest will follow suit.
We spent the whole afternoon interacting with them, I left the place knowing some of the individual characters of the dogs from my friends and observing some of their actions (Like Blossom, she is really jumpy!). I also felt satisfied as my first encounter was not as bad as i thought! My next visit, I will take a step further by overcoming my fear!



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"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."- Unknown