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Phobias don’t care how much you love your family or how much your family loves their dog. They just show up uninvited at the worst possible moment.

A woman with a serious dog phobia had a full panic attack at a family Christmas gathering after a relative’s dog jumped at her.

She spent the rest of the night shaking, alone on a freezing porch, just to escape the barking.

Soon, she contemplated banning herself from any future family event where there was even the possibility of a dog showing up.

She wasn’t sure if she was taking things too far, or just finally putting herself first.

Read on for the full story.

WIBTA for refusing to attend an indoor family event where my relatives’ dogs are present?

I have a serious case of cynophobia. Full panic attacks when dogs come at me barking.

I also have a large family, some of whom have dogs who they very much consider family.

She describes an extremely negative experience she had with one of the dogs, and it really stuck with her.

I can respect that, but last Christmas, one of them jumped at me, leading to a full panic attack.

They were restrained for the rest of the night, but I couldn’t stop shaking, couldn’t enjoy anything, literally spent the whole night breaking down in the corner, some of it spent on the porch in the cold because it was the only place I could go where I couldn’t hear the dogs.

She’s starting to feel like it’s impacting the way she interacts with her family.

If it’s an indoor event, and the dogs are there, I’m not, ever again.

I can make concessions for outdoor events, but WIBTA if I put that ultimatum on my family?

You can’t always control your fears, at least not without professional help.

What did Reddit have to say?

It never hurts to be accommodating to the people you love.

It’s worth choosing the wording of her request very carefully.

This commenter wonders about her treatment journey so far.

Maybe it’s time to adjust how she’s thinking about this.

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If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a disabled man who is considering cutting off his friends because they take advantage of him.

There’s a difference between disliking dogs and having your nervous system short-circuit the second one barks.

This woman already knows that difference intimately, but it’s time she start educating her family about it too.

She’s not asking anyone to re-home a dog or skip every gathering, she’s asking for one specific, reasonable carve-out: keep the dogs out of the indoor events she’s attending.

And if her family can’t honor that, she’ll just have to find another place to celebrate the next holiday.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.