John dickson was walking down the street with his friend len when a cute friendly little dog ren over to them. Len knelt down and petted the dog but john froze and backed away in terror. Although the dog was clearly not a threat john felt so terrified that his heart begen pounding. He broke out in a cold sweat and he felt like he was about to faint. Why did john have such an extreme reaction to such a harmless animal? John has a phobia of dogs.