Treading with Trepidation

There are very few things of which I am afraid (let's see how well you know me). Although I am not as petrified of dogs as I am of m-i-c-e or  r-a-t-s, hanging around strange dogs will never be how I chose to spend my free time. In fact, I may actually walk in the opposite direction of any said dogs. I have owned a few dogs in my time and this is where my fear stems from. I could stretch out on the couch and tell you all about the struggles of my past dog ownerships, but I won't. Because, let's be real, that won't assuage my fear.

So I bring all this up because in Georgia it is a bit of problem to be afraid of dogs. They sit on every corner, walk the streets at all hours, gather in packs at times, and just plain petrify me! For the most part, they are used to living alongside people and therefore leave us, for the most part, alone. But really, it only takes one time for a hound to chomp down on my leg for me to be convinced that I will never get over my fear of dogs.  

I admit this malnourished pup does not look intimidating. But don't be fooled. What if you were in between it and some food?

  

So, I will continue, upon everyone's suggestion, to quietly hide a rock in my pocket (but really, would I ever use it?  Wouldn't I just piss the dog off more if I hit it with a rock?). I will also continue to cross the street every time I see a stray dog, making sure to avoid all eye contact, exuding a no fear vibe (they can sense fear, you know?) and trying to convince myself that no one else can hear the deafening pounding that is my heart. 

I didn't even touch on the fact that with an abundance of stray dogs comes....you guessed it, poop! Piles of poop sit on the sidewalk waiting for someone's shoe to squish into it.  Gross.