When Cynophobia met Cynophilia

 

Cynophobia v/s Cynophilia

If you are hearing these terms for the very first time, then let me tell what this is about. ‘Cyno’ in Greek means ‘dogs’. You might know what phobia is already. It means fear. So Cynophobia is a persistent fear of dogs. I have been experiencing this condition for quite a long time from now and people who have been with me for some time would know how worse it can go. I do love watching videos of dogs, barking doesn’t make me uncomfortable, but when I am surrounded or if I know that there is a dog somewhere near, I fret to an extent that I experience severe heart palpitations for the next two hours. I feel weak and vulnerable. Mind you, all I am talking here is about the ‘presence’ of a dog. I don’t hate them, but I ‘fear’ them. I have been trying to overcome it, slowly, but I failed, miserably.

I realised the seriousness almost a year ago. I was out for an interview. Most of you might know that I was working as a journalist and I had a meeting that evening. I was talking to that person outside a park when a stray dog came that way. That person moved forward but my legs froze. He didn’t notice me, instead, he was in his own world believing that I was beside him. The chills moved down my spine and I couldn’t utter a word. After two minutes, he realised that he was talking alone all this while and came back to check if I was okay and we moved to a ‘safer’ place inside the park. I continued the interview only after 15 minutes because I could hardly speak.

Being a ‘cynophobic’ person, I have always had ‘cynophilic’ friends. This was a blessing in disguise I would say. If we come across any dogs while we are out for a walk, they would take care of the dog, while I take care of my heart. This helped me in believing that these dogs wouldn’t harm me.

I have come across several people who adopt dogs or have many pet dogs at home. To them, these pawed friends are an ‘extended’ family and I respect them, completely. Their decisions matter to them so much that their dog must like their son’s partner and only then they would agree for their marriage!

Sounds interesting right? That’s why I started writing this blog as well. My aunt is a cynophile. She simply loves dogs. Years back she had a pet dog named Tony. I hardly remember his breed because this incident happened almost a decade ago while I heard this story yesterday. My aunt’s son was in a relationship and he wanted to marry her. Everyone except my aunt agreed to the marriage. The woman (at present my aunt’s daughter-in-law) came forward to convince her, but in vain. My aunt never agreed. Finally, she gave a challenge. An interesting challenge I would say.

“If Tony likes her, I would accept the marriage.”

Her explanation for this was, “Dogs are faithful and they understand people better than we do.”

After a few days, the girl came home. As soon as Tony saw her, he started wagging his tail. He was beyond happy to see her. This melted my aunt’s heart. Now that she has cleared the challenge, my aunt agreed for the marriage.

But the mystery still remains. How did Tony play with a complete ‘stranger’? we wondered. That’s when my aunt explained. “When I put forth this challenge, my son took Tony outside often. Tony and the girl met and played meanwhile. She built a bond with Tony well in advance before coming home. This trick worked!” and my aunt burst out laughing.

This may sound funny when we hear it at the first instance, but when you observe the larger angle of their story, look how important Tony was in their life? He was responsible for deciding her son’s life partner! So many people tried convincing her, but Tony won the game. Though I am cynophobic, hearing such cute stories make my day. And sharing it with others makes it ‘the best’.