Four-Legged Creeps

Brace yourself for an unpopular opinion: I find most little dogs creepy.

You see a fluffy, little friend. I see a bouncing, yipping fiend who is a menace to your ankles. They're kind of like fuzzy rats. I mean, have you ever really looked at their eyes? They're so googly and unnerving.

I'm not exactly sure when my aversion to small dogs started, but it might have been when I was attacked by an elderly Chihuahua when staying at a friend's place. Hey, I hadn't wanted to touch it either, but I also didn't want it wiping its runny nose on my sleeping bag. As soon as I gently (I was for sure gentle; the thing was ancient) tried to coax it off of my bed, it started gumming my hand like there was no tomorrow. I'm not exactly sure if that was the start of my little dog dislike, but it sure helped. 

And it has only gotten worse since moving here. Hong Kong seems to be the mecca of tiny canines. It probably has something to do with the tiny apartments and no yards. Everywhere you go, the four-legged creeps are popping out at you. 

Get in the lift on your way to work, a little dog is skittering around your toes. Sit down in the park to enjoy your salt and vinegar chips in peace and you're interrupted by the unblinking gaze of a bug-eyed pug. Wait at the light and you find your shins being scratched by tiny claws as a Pomeranian attempts to climb up your leg (you are not a cat, buster). 

I try to feign a smile while my insides shrink away. 

I used to be an animal person. At one time, I had two dogs, two cats, a guinea pig, three pheasants and a tank of fish. In case you're wondering, my dad likes chickens, but our neighborhood didn't allow farm animals, so we got pheasants as a substitute. They are wild birds, though, so I never got too attached to them (which is good since they did end up on the dinner table eventually).

As a youngster, I would catch toads and lizards without blinking an eye. I religiously read the Nature Friend magazine and could spout random animal facts (do you know how to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile just by looking at their snout? Six-year-old me knew). My goal in life was to become a zookeeper. I even designed my own big cat animal preserve. 

So what happened? Living in Hong Kong has made me less and less of an animal person. 

I blame it on the small, crowded spaces. When you have a big house, you have room to stretch out, to breath. You and your four-legged friends can have some much-needed space. In a small apartment, there's no hiding the smell and the fur. Let's not even get started on dog slobber. 

And I still like bigger dogs ok, but I don't really go out of my way to make friends with them. Maybe it's because I just feel bad for them and don't want to think about it. No splashing through rivers and dashing about leash-less for them. 

I do have to say, though, that I tend to warm up to dogs after I get to know them. IF they're nice. Recently I met a dog that seemed like a mix of my old dogs. Black like Pepper, same size and shape as Tess, mild-mannered like Pepper, playful like Tess, and polite and nice like both of them. I could probably be talked into taking that dog for a hike. 

Even little yappers. While I usually cringe inwardly when I see their beady, little eyes and hear the clicking of their tiny nails on the pavement, when we're forced together at the beach or a house party, sometimes I thaw a bit. Did he just yawn? His ears are so fluffy. I guess he's not quite as repulsive as I was thinking. 

Just stay away from my ankles and we'll be ok.