re: Dog petting day provokes Muslims

This is generally true regarding Muslims and dogs. Since I've had acquaintances in the past who were Muslim, I viewed it as a chance to give them the opportunity to get to know my hound dog and conquer their phobia. It took some work. They're generally 'cat people'.

I was, however, able to convert some of them and it messed up their whole view. They eventually were able to accept my dog as being a 'nice person' and one day, one of them let me know that he was going to get a dog. When I suggested a small breed for companionship, he quickly stated, "no, I'm getting a big one...just like yours so I can hug on 'him', like I hug a person I love using both arms". But this situation is rare.

I learned that some of their fear (besides their religious beliefs) comes from the many wild dogs living in their native countries. These feral dogs (they're accustomed to) will often times viciously attack people in packs.