Cynophobia

Cynophobia, from the Greek words for dog and fear, is the fear of dogs, wolves, and canines in general. It is classified as a specific phobia under the animal phobia subtype. According to Timothy O. Rentz of the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders at the University of Texas, animal phobias are among the most common specific phobias, and around 36 percent of patients who seek treatment for a phobia report being afraid of dogs or cats. Although phobias of snakes or spiders are more common animal phobias overall, cynophobia is considered especially debilitating because dogs are so widespread and because dog owners are often unaware of how serious the phobia can be for others. The condition is particularly difficult for people who live in or visit countries with large populations of free-ranging dogs; for example, an estimated 62 million pet dogs live in the United States and an estimated 62 million free-ranging dogs live in India. Under the DSM-IV-TR, only 12 to 30 percent of people with any specific phobia are estimated to seek treatment for it.