A fear of dogs dominated my childhood and hasn't left me – until recently | Anna Sublet

As a child I felt constantly at risk, scared to walk the neighbourhood. Who knew if a free-ranging dog might emerge from a driveway and rip my head off? Fears are not rational. But growing up, in my mind, it made perfect sense that a dog could bite me, and moreover, most likely would if given the chance. My fear was born of repeated backyard encounters with a mauling, snarling dog. We shared the yard with tenants who lived in the other part of our grandfather’s house. This meant our sandpi