Becoming a dog owner was once the last thing Alice imagined for herself.
For much of her childhood and early adult life, dogs were not comforting companions but a source of genuine fear.
Today, however, she describes herself as a devoted dog mum to Lucy, a mixed-breed rescue who has become her first and only child.
The transformation is striking because Alice once struggled even to remain in the same room as a dog.
A Fear That Followed Her for Years
As a child, Alice would panic whenever a dog appeared nearby.
She would cross the street to avoid approaching animals, stay away from parks and become especially anxious around dogs that were allowed off their leads.
Her childhood friend Danielle had a German shepherd named Moss, a large dog that seemed particularly interested in approaching Alice.
To Alice, however, his attention was terrifying. She remembers freezing and desperately wanting him taken away.
There had never been a bite or other obvious incident that explained the fear.
The anxiety simply existed, becoming such a familiar part of her life that she came to regard it as part of who she was.
Even her younger sister’s dream of having a family dog became a source of conflict. While her sister begged their parents for one, Alice warned that she would leave home if they agreed.
Her Future Husband Forced Her to Rethink Everything
Moving to London in her 20s did little to change her attitude.
Her fear had become deeply ingrained.
Then, about 15 years ago, she went on her first date with the man who would eventually become her husband.
During their conversation, he mentioned that he wanted a dog someday.
Alice’s response was immediate: she told him she would never have one.
At the time, she even wondered whether their opposing views meant they were fundamentally incompatible.
Yet that conversation planted an idea that would eventually change her life.
Over the years, the couple continued discussing what they wanted their future to look like.
Alice began to realise that refusing to ever have a dog simply because of her fear did not fit the person she wanted to become.
Hypnotherapy Became Her First Major Breakthrough
Determined to confront the phobia, Alice eventually sought professional help from a hypnotherapist on London’s Harley Street.
During the session, she followed a moving light and entered a deeply relaxed, dream-like state.
She revisited memories in which her fear had overwhelmed her ability to think rationally.
One of those memories involved Moss, the German shepherd she had once viewed as a terrifying threat.
Under hypnosis, Alice challenged the beliefs that had shaped her fear.
She recognised that Moss had not been a dangerous monster but a gentle dog attempting to interact with her.
The experience gave her a new perspective, but she knew simply reducing the fear would not be enough.
Learning to Actually Like Dogs
Alice realised that if she and her husband were eventually going to own a dog, she needed to do more than tolerate their presence.
She wanted to understand them and genuinely enjoy being around them.
That meant exposure.
Soon after her hypnotherapy session, she visited a friend with a French bulldog called Alvin.
The same dog had once terrified her when he was a lively puppy.
This time, however, the experience was completely different.
Over the course of the weekend, Alice fed Alvin pieces of cheese, stroked him and eventually became comfortable enough to hold him like a baby.
When her husband received a photograph of the moment, he reportedly called to check whether she was all right.
Borrowing Dogs Helped Change Her Perspective
Back home, Alice continued challenging her instincts.
Instead of automatically crossing the road whenever she saw a dog, she began allowing friendly animals to approach her.
She even altered her running route so she could encounter more dogs in the park.
Something unexpected happened.
Rather than fearing the people walking dogs, she began envying them.
The couple then started using BorrowMyDoggy, a service that connects dog owners with people who want to spend time with dogs without necessarily owning one themselves.
They met several dogs, including Simba, a Labrador who could stubbornly refuse to move, Ray, a lovable Labradoodle, and Juno, a gentle black Labrador.
Each experience chipped away at Alice’s old assumptions.
Her Fear Slowly Turned Into Empathy
The more time Alice spent around dogs, the more she realised they were not simply sources of danger.
They were individual animals with distinct personalities, emotions and ways of showing affection.
Even an unpleasant incident involving Simba bringing a dead bird into the garden no longer sent Alice into panic.
To her own surprise, she was able to deal with it.
The change extended beyond dogs.
As her fear diminished, Alice found herself developing a much broader empathy for animals, even becoming more sympathetic towards creatures such as pigeons.
Lucy Entered Her Life During Lockdown
Then, in 2020, Alice discovered a rescue dog who would transform her relationship with dogs forever.
Lucy was a shaggy, blonde mixed-breed stray with a wary expression and little reason to trust humans.
Alice immediately felt drawn to her.
She told her husband they needed to meet Lucy, and the couple visited her foster home three times before deciding to bring her into their lives.
Lucy eventually moved into their garden flat in south London.
The beginning was far from effortless.
The rescue organisation Give A Dog A Home warned them to be particularly careful when taking Lucy from the car because she was likely to run away.
In an unexpected twist, the dog who was now entering Alice’s home was carrying many of the same fears Alice herself had spent years trying to overcome.
Lucy’s Fear Triggered Alice’s Old Anxiety
Although Alice had worked hard to overcome her phobia, Lucy’s early behaviour occasionally brought those feelings back.
Being alone with the frightened rescue dog could make her uncomfortable.
She remained alert whenever Lucy moved unexpectedly, and there were moments when she privately wondered whether adopting her had been a mistake.
Lucy could snap or retreat in fear.
But patience gradually changed the relationship.
Lucy began to understand that her new family was not going to hurt her, and Alice began to see beyond the dog’s defensive behaviour.
Six Years Later, Their Bond Is Unbreakable
What began with uncertainty has developed into a relationship Alice describes as almost impossible to explain.
Six years after Lucy entered her life, the dog has become far more than a pet.
Alice says Lucy asks for very little, yet she feels she would give her everything.
The simple moments have become the most meaningful: burying her face in Lucy’s fur, breathing in her familiar scent and feeling the dog lean against her legs.
For Alice, those moments carry the same overwhelming tenderness she imagines a parent feels for a child.
The Dog Lover Was There All Along
Her husband had apparently predicted this transformation long before Alice could imagine it herself.
He always believed that somewhere beneath the fear was someone who would eventually love dogs.
He even believes Lucy is his favourite.
Alice and Lucy, however, are happy to let him maintain that belief.
Because after overcoming a phobia that once shaped so much of her life, Alice has reached a very different conclusion.
Lucy is not simply the dog she learned to tolerate.
She is, in Alice’s words, her “soul dog”.
What’s Next?
Alice’s story illustrates how deeply rooted fears can sometimes change through patience, professional support and gradual exposure.
Her journey did not end when she stopped being afraid of dogs.
It continued through countless small experiences that helped her replace fear with curiosity, understanding and eventually affection.
Lucy also had to overcome her own fear, making their relationship a story of two beings learning that they could trust each other.
Summary
Alice spent years avoiding dogs and believing that a fear of them was simply part of her personality.
A combination of hypnotherapy, gradual exposure and time spent caring for different dogs eventually changed that.
When she adopted Lucy, a frightened rescue dog, the experience initially tested everything she had learned.
But patience transformed both of them.
Today, Alice is not merely comfortable around dogs.
She is completely devoted to Lucy, the rescue who helped turn one of her deepest fears into one of the strongest bonds of her life.
