One woman's journey that started with a lifelong fear of dogs, a surprise puppy, and a real-life lesson in how to move past anxiety and experience growth

Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager

Aug 31, 2026 6:45 AM EDT

Everyone is afraid of something, but what do you do when a lifelong fear gets in the way of your relationship?

I can understand people who are afraid of dogs. Dogs, if untrained, can be unpredictable and scary. They can't communicate the same way we do, and they have very few tools to communicate when they are upset. Doggos communicate mainly with body language - the height and activity of their tails, their body posture and ear direction are the main ways to understand how your dog is feeling. Tail tucked, ears back, and a lowered posture mean they're very anxious (very clear), but not every sign a dog gives is so understandable. For example, not every time a dog wags its tail does it mean it's happy - it can be a sign of uncertainty and hesitancy.

Now, people usually have a fear of dogs for a reason. Perhaps they were attacked as a kid, or made a doggo uncomfortable and the pup lashed out in response. But 95% of those interactions happened because of a lack of proper communication between human and doggo. Once you learn how to communicate with a dog, they become much easier to understand and way less scary. And it's usually much easier to get over that fear when you start with the easiest and cutest form of doggo - a puppy.

Young and in love, our woman below was so happy with her boyfriend… until he brought home a dog without telling her. She grew up with a lifelong fear of dogs, and he knew that, yet he brought home a puppy anyway. Unsure of what to do, she asked the internet for help, but in the process, she looked deeper inside herself and found the answer no one offered her.

"Break up with him."

"It's a red flag."

The problem with these answers is that they are letting her fear run her life, and that wasn't what she wanted. She knew that some things in life were stronger than fear and more important. Read through her whole story below!

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Woman hugging dachshund in a moment of love
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Brown and white dog bearing teeth in aggression
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Not every fear is meant to be conquered, but at the same time, you can't live your life running away from everything. I'm not the biggest fan of heights, but for my dad's 50th birthday, he wanted to go skydiving. I went with him, even though my legs wouldn't stop shaking involuntarily the whole way up. A fear of dogs can be very scary, but there's almost nothing to be scared of with a puppy. A puppy is a great way to build new associations with dogs, because the only thing you should be afraid of with a puppy is falling too in love with them and never wanting to let go.
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Woman training new puppy outside
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Nobody's parents are perfect - that's one of the hard truths you learn as you get older. Your parents are human, just like you, and they were just doing the best they could at the time. As a parent, you'll also make mistakes with your children, so don't be too harsh on them for their own past mistakes.
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