Do keep in mind, though, that even the smallest dogs have serious fangs, designed to catch fleeing prey, and an instinct to chase and grab whatever runs away. Having your ankle ripped open doesn't sound like much fun....you probably outweigh a hornet by a few hundred THOUSAND times, but I bet you don't like being stung.

I think I once read that a German Shepherd can exert something like 1200 pounds per square inch of pressure with its jaws. Big dogs can crack decent-sized bones with one chomp, and I don't blame people too badly for being afraid a pooch has set its sights on theirs. And dogs killing people isn't unheard of, either.

I'm lucky, I've known enough dogs to be nearly fearless and understand which ones are dangerous, and what to do in most situations. Some people don't have that advantage.