Writer's Block: Scaredy cat

[packbat]

What animal frightens you most, and why? View other answers

Not-quite-copout answer: human beings.
Backup answer: dogs.

Why human beings? In general, most animals which are dangerous to me personally I can avoid simply by (a) living in town and (b) using a bear bag in the woods. (Sure, there's a little complexity in (a) with respect to mice et al., but that's only a little complexity.) However, there are human beings everywhere, and if there aren't, they can get there. Worse, human beings have all sorts of death-machines running all over the place (cf. cars), plus when they decide to hurt you they have tools and can get mad creative.

Why dogs? Because (1) they run up to you, (2) they're usually either large, crazy, or both, and (3) they're "friendly" in this really weird way - it puts pressure on you. A cat can chill out on its own - sure, it might enjoy being petting, it might rub against your legs if you happen to be convenient, but there's a real sense that if you simply left it could do its own thing and be fine. Dogs don't give that impression. Plus, there's the whole thing with the humans, where they will play with the dogs, throw stuff, talk at them, as if normal people would all do the same. Dogs aren't people - how are you supposed to talk to them?

Anyway, wrapup: humans are most dangerous to me personally, dogs are most creepy to me personally, and the other creatures which might qualify are safely far away.

Comments

[kirabug.livejournal.com]

Wow. Um. I grew up with dogs -- in fact, we had a Saint Bernard until I was 3.

I know I can't talk you out of being afraid of dogs, it's something you have to experience. But if you think of a dog as the equivalent of a furry two-year-old... wait, you're frightened by humans too. Hrm.

Dogs generally will want to check you out because they have the same fears about you that you have about them. Humans are HUGE and LOUD. No matter how big a dog you are, humans are taller unless you jump up, and then humans get louder. And many of them run up to you and start petting without even asking. And most of them (to a dog) are just freaking crazy. They have no idea that running right at you face-to-face is rude, you might not want to be pet, or hey, you're trying to watch this squirrel over here, do you mind? I mean come on, dude.

When dogs do check you out first, they usually want to know: 1) Are you friendly to the pack or a danger? 2) If you're friendly, are you a risk to their standing in the pack? (note: that only applies for dogs who aren't happy with their standing in the pack) 3) Assuming you're friendly and harmless, do you have anything good to eat? 4) I'm lonely and want attention - will you pet my head or rub my tummy?

I have friends who foster(ed) greyhounds, and they had up to five dogs in the house at one time. When I went into their house it was always pandemonium. The five furry two-year-olds were excited. I sat down on the floor and let all of them sniff me all over. After a minute or two they'd pretty much all clear out. And then - usually in dog-rank order, each one of them would come up to me separately after I'd gotten off the floor and settled into a chair, to say "Hi, just checking in", at which point they'd get an ear scratching and they'd wander off again. Many times I was interrupting them when I came over, and what they really wanted was to go back to playing with the stuffed monkey or looking for dropped food in the kitchen (especially if the human two-year-old was eating).

And the biggest difference between that herd of greyhounds and most dogs I know is that my friends insist that all their dogs (even when it's not their dog) will learn to be polite. Just like human two-year-olds, dogs like to be talked to, they like to play with toys, and they like to be rewarded for good behavior. Just like human two-year-olds, if they figure out that bad behavior is more rewarding (more attention, etc.) they'll do that instead.

Anyway, wrapup: dogs probably feel the same way about you, so if you're quiet and friendly and they were raised right, they'll check in with you when you first meet, and then they'll (generally) leave you alone unless you're the most interesting thing around. And they're mentally very close to furry two-year-olds, which is why humans treat them that way. And cats? Cats are freakin' creepy.

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Mmm, okay - I'll try to think about it that way. To some extent I was exaggerating my feelings (I don't freak out or anything), but a little operational understanding helps. (That said, I'm none too good with human two-year-olds either - no experience. :P )

As for cats: I may have simply had good luck with respect to the cats I meet. Although I can see how people might be creeped out by them - I remember the time my piano teacher's cat walked right over me stepping on ... areas. Definitely not dogs, are cats.

[kirabug.livejournal.com]

Having grown up speaking fluent dog (we were raised together) cats confuse the heck out of me. Cats wag their tails when they're *upset* - what's up with that? I've been bitten by more cats than dogs in my life because I speak lousy cat.

On the other hand, I'm about to litter train two dogs, so they do have some things in common.

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Ah. Closest I was to growing up with an animal was the guinea pig we used to have. And I've been fortunate enough not to be bit by anything much smarter than a mosquito.

[explodingbat.livejournal.com]

I grew up with a border collie, and so probably *do* think of dogs as being people, albeit very stupid ones that can smell fear. Thing to remember about dogs is that our ancestors bred them to think of humans as a kind of Super Dog, so if you just act like you outrank them things'll be fine. Talking to them may seem strange given that they can't speak English, but they (at least seem to) comprehend quite a lot. I'm not even sure that cats understand the concept of *names*. Oh and if a dog rolls on it's back it's a sign of submission: it's not saying it wants a belly rub, it's saying that it trusts you not to try and bite it's throat out.

Cats disturb me slightly because of the way people interact with them. Most domestic cats seem to live in a state of enforced kittenhood, and as the commenter above said the body language is weird (took me ages to work out what was up with the squinting gesture). Also of course there's the toxoplasma gondii and obvious psychopathy.

The creatures that scare me the most would have to be birds (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfvEgWINUFc), because (a) some of them are tool users and (b) they look like tiny dinosaurs. Then again I'm probably suffering from island tameness: we wiped out anything remotely dangerous centuries ago.
Creepy crawlies also freak me out (my theory is that people are hard-wired to dislike small scuttling bitey things, because bites may get infected), though spiders are cool.

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Exposing the neck - got it. I'll try to keep these strategies in mind.

(Hmm ... somehow, the idea of a sociopathic animal doesn't bother me that much. Unless I'm, like, paralyzed and it walks up and eats my face. That's a little scary.)

Be sure that you do!

[explodingbat.livejournal.com]

And never trust terriers. Big dogs are usually friendly, but the ratters are psychotic.

Re: Be sure that you do!

[packbat.livejournal.com]

The rule I heard was: the further it gets from the basic wolf, the greater the likelihood of ... undesirable characteristics. Which pretty well correlates with what you just said. Thanks for the tip!

[hallan.livejournal.com]

I grew up with both dogs and cats, and enjoy the company of both. I've also studied the body language of wolves so I could write more believable canine characters, and then did the same for felines for the same reason. That's my advice to you: Investigate and learn, rather than fear in ignorance.

You have been given some -bad- advice by Explodingbat:
-If you meet an aggressive dog (not a scared one- make sure you can tell the difference!), acting like you're the top dog may get you bit.

-ANY dog can be psychotic if it isn't trained properly, or if it was bred by a careless breeder focusing on appearance rather than temperament. ANY DOG. On the flip side of the coin, a well-trained, well-mannered dog can easily come in -any- size.

Hallan

[explodingbat.livejournal.com]

I thought he meant he was irrationally afraid of friendly dogs.
Thanks for the correction!

[packbat.livejournal.com]

I am, actually, but part of the problem is that I have no confidence in my ability to tell how safe a dog is.

Very rough rules of thumb

[hallan.livejournal.com]

Watch the tail and the ears. Tail wagging, ears forward: happy. Tail under, ears back: scared. Tail straight, ears down to the side, direct confronting stare: be careful.

Hallan

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Oh. Right - I'll go back to "be cautious", then, and interpret explodingbat's comments as relating to well-mannered, well-trained dogs specifically.

-ANY dog can be psychotic if it isn't trained properly, or if it was bred by a careless breeder focusing on appearance rather than temperament. ANY DOG. On the flip side of the coin, a well-trained, well-mannered dog can easily come in -any- size.

I'll believe it - I've met nice dogs of several different breeds. It's best to judge on a case-by-case basis anyway.

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Right, and "investigate and learn" - I know there are plenty of friendly dogs, cats, etc. out there, so I'll try to be aware.

[hallan.livejournal.com]

Allow me to clarify: The library has many, many books on animal behavior, dogs and cats especially. That is where I would investigate first, were I in your position.

Hallan