⚠️ Notice

This post is a draft translation from the Chinese version which have not yet been thoroughly proofread.

💡 BlogBlog Club!

The content of this post seems quite match the topic “Am I the only one like this?”, which is the topic of February 2026’s BlogBlog Club, but unfortunately I ended up coming too late! I didn’t even get the inspiration to write it until mid-March.

From a very young age, I’ve always found the sight of dogs baring their teeth terrifying, coupled with my parents’ mentions of dogs biting behaviours (though I’ve probably never been bitten), in addition to myself thinking that I can’t control the behaviour of animals (it’s already quite tough for me to face other humans), even now, the mere sight of a dog triggers a strong physical unease (though this fear only occurs when I see a real dog; looking at photos or watching them on a screen is fine). This often leads to difficulties when I go out.

I don’t know when it started, but more and more people are bringing their dogs into indoor shopping malls¹, medias are reporting that there’s an upward trend in the number of people keeping pets, as well as many organizations are actively promoting pet-friendly facilities. It feels like they’re declaring war on someone like me who is not good at interacting with pets. I truly feel that I’m drifting further and further away from being a “normal person”, someone who can be accepted by the society.

Every time I go out, I have to worry about whether I will encounter dogs on the road, whether I will have to take a long detour or take a more dangerous route (such as a bike path or a place close to the road, which are not designed as a pavement), and my fear response is proportional to the size of the dog. On several occasions, when I was in unfamiliar areas, I tried many different routes but encountered large dogs blocking my way, which eventually led to my emotional breakdown on the street.

Is cynophobia an illness? Does it need to be treated?