Where I live it is not so much that people are scared of dogs, but I live on a religious Moshav and too many people just do not like dogs, especially dogs that, shock horror, actually live inside a home - old superstition that if there is a dog in a house the Mashiach [Messiah] will not come.

When Pereg is outside she is on a 12m tether and cannot reach the pavement, but if people go past and do the screamy screamy act she will bark and rush around, and even though they can see perfectly well that she cannot reach them they will throw stones and other objects at her.

Not just at her - when she is outside my door is open so I can see people, and at times when I have gone outside to remonstrate I have had stones thrown at me - and not just by children either.

She would not hurt anyone for the simple reason that she will not go near anyone she does not know - if anyone starts to come near her she will back away and hide behind my chair. Even with people she does know she will back away and hide behind me most of the time - the exceptions being my neighbour, who she adores, Effie, my computer guy, with whom she has long "conversations" when he is here, and Nir who comes to do whatever needs doing inside or outside my bungalow.