Scare Us!

Eliot's uploading this episode, so he's going to outline very clearly how a fear of dogs is a legitimate fear with an actual name: Cynophobia Pronunciation /ˌsaɪnəˈfoʊbiə/ SY-nə-FOH-bee-ə Cynophobia (from the Greek: κύων kýōn "dog" and φόβος phóbos "fear") is the fear of dogs. Cynophobia is classified as a specific phobia, under the subtype "animal phobias".[1] According to Dr. Timothy O. Rentz of the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders at the University of Texas, animal phobias are among the most common of the specific phobias and 36% of patients who seek treatment report being afraid of dogs or cats.[2] Although snakes and spiders are more common animal phobias, cynophobia is especially debilitating because of the high prevalence of dogs (for example, there are an estimated 25 million stray dogs in India,[3] and an estimated 62 million pet dogs in the United States)[2] and the general ignorance of dog owners to the phobia. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) rep