Is anyone as afraid of animals as much as they love them?

[iPappy]

I am fascinated by spiders, i love the big wolf spiders in my garden. I had a tarantula when i was a kid. I have been so lucky to raise about every animal, i had bats, spiders, lizards, mice, pigeons, turtles., racoons,skunks, (to name a few) AND the 'normal' cats, fish, rabbits, and dogs!

OK I don't know where you're at but the next time I find a big hairy spider in my house, I'll be calling you for live-trapping services!

 

[iPappy]

I liked a little jumping spider that lived on the deck rail of my house in Queensland. Colourful little beastie and didn’t come into the house. That’s the only spider I’ve ever liked; I spent most of my life terrified of huntsman spiders (harmless, but big and fast) and I still find white-tail spiders scary, though I know their reputation for their bites causing necrosis is urban myth. I’ll try to remove little garden spiders from my house if I can, but white-tails get sprayed.

I like the garden spiders we have around here because they never come inside, and like all of them, are beneficial. They still freak me out, though. I think a lot of it is the element of surprise, you're working along in your garden then bam they're 2 cm. from your hand and scuttling along on those freaky little legs!

 

[catloverfromwayback]

I like the garden spiders we have around here because they never come inside, and like all of them, are beneficial. They still freak me out, though. I think a lot of it is the element of surprise, you're working along in your garden then bam they're 2 cm. from your hand and scuttling along on those freaky little legs!

Yes, it’s the thought of spiders touching me that scares me, not the thought that they’ll bite.

I had a laugh recently, a leaf-curling spider (or a pair, I didn’t know they live in pairs) had set up a web stretching between my car and another in the car park - not a good choice! I put the leaf into some nearby bushes.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

But it is so hot out there I never see any except when gardening..I almost drove my car into the Charles River a few years ago when one walked across my dashboard!

It’s thought a lot of unexplained car crashes are caused by big spiders dropping down from the visor.

 

[iPappy]

It’s thought a lot of unexplained car crashes are caused by big spiders dropping down from the visor.

I was driving along one day, and this tiny little grayish weird looking spider dropped down from the ceiling onto the passengers side dash and began cruising towards me. I remember telling myself "Don't freak out unless you want a Thelma and Louise style end" and started singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider to keep myself calm!
For someone who dislikes spiders as much as I do, there was this tiny spider who made their web on my rearview mirror in 2021, when I was taking Tag to vet appointments non-stop. I keep my mirrors angled in a bit, so when I'd start driving, the spider would crawl behind the mirror and into the casing. Several times I figured he got blown off somewhere on the highway but the next day he was there in that web. That darned spider went all over the state of Ohio with us!

 

[muffy]

OK I don't know where you're at but the next time I find a big hairy spider in my house, I'll be calling you for live-trapping services!

I always put bugs outside instead of killing them. I left the spiders alone because they didn't bother me. The only bug I would kill is a cockroach and only then if I could not catch them to put outside. My nephew is a drill sergent in the army and he is scared of spiders.

 

[GranolaLouise]

OK.. I am getting freaked out reading this thread now. Gotta unwatch or I will need a crate of Raid for security with my phobia. Seriously.

 

[Julesbiscuits]

Weirdly bugs don't bother me past the initial "yuck" kneejerk response. Wild animals either since I know they're just going to run away 9/10 times.

The domestic ones scare me because they have more reason to bite scratch or kick me!

Horses scare me the most even though I rode them for 10 years, they get treated the worst by far of any domestic animal and constantly get forced to do things that scare them so I'm always scared that I'm going to be in wrong place wrong time wrong horse when they finally freak out from all the stress!

With cats I think it's a similar thing just because of the predator/prey at the same time thing. Basically I'm scared of any animal that's as much of a fraidy cat (pardon the pun) as me!

 

[denice]

The only animal that I am afraid of is snakes. My mother was and that is probably why. I was bitten by two dogs as a child, neither serious but it did scare me at the time. I didn't pick up a fear of them though. I grew up on a farm and have a healthy respect for large livestock but not a fear. I am the same way with wildlife other than snakes, a healthy respect. Of course, if I ever was attacked by something like a cougar or bear, I am sure I would be scared and it would take everything I had to not do the worst possible thing and that is try to run. I do have that that unreasonable fear of snakes, thank you Mom.

 

[lorie d.]

I'm not afraid of cats and dogs, but I always approach new animals carefully because I don't know how they'll react. I prefer small dogs to larger ones because I don't want to get knocked down if they jump. Years ago, I was walking to work in the dark one morning when I saw a large dog running toward me and barking aggressively. I could see from the shape of the dog it was a St. Bernard, I got really nervous so I turned around and started walking way thinking I was going to be knocked down and mauled. Fortunately there was another person out walking and they called to the dog before it got to me.