Cynophobia

Cynophobia is the fear of dogs, wolves and canines in general, classified as a specific phobia under the animal phobia subtype. Animal phobias are among the most common specific phobias, and according to a researcher at the University of Texas's Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders, 36 percent of patients who seek treatment for a specific phobia report being afraid of dogs or cats; cynophobia is considered especially debilitating given the high prevalence of dogs, including an estimated 62 million pet dogs in the United States and a similar number of free-ranging dogs in India.