I had several pets as a child: a parakeet named Lucky, two turtles named Pete and Repeat, and a hamster named Polly who loved to crawl under the bathroom door while I was in there. But, unlike most of my friends, I was never allowed to have a dog of any kind. Eventually, I stopped asking for one. My mother had all sorts of reasons why dogs were not a good idea.

Question

I had several pets as a child: a parakeet named Lucky, two turtles named Pete and Repeat, and a hamster named Polly who loved to crawl under the bathroom door while I was in there. But, unlike most of my friends, I was never allowed to have a dog of any kind. Eventually, I stopped asking for one. My mother had all sorts of reasons why dogs were not a good idea.
     It was not until I was an adult that I learned the real reason for her dislike of dogs. She drove up to Minnesota to visit me during my first year of college, and on her first day in town, I gave her the tour of my new neighborhood. We left my apartment building in the early evening and began walking up and down the nearby residential streets. School children rode their bicycles down the sidewalks, and families sat on their front porches, just like any other afternoon in that area.
     We followed the sidewalk around a corner and started traveling along a home’s back fence. Suddenly, a large dog barked behind the fence, and I could hear its chain rattling as it stood up and continued barking at us, although I was sure it posed no danger. My mother, however, stiffened and grabbed my arm.
     "Let’s go!" she whispered in a panicky tone, as she dragged me across the street. When we were safely away from the dog, I saw that she was shaking and breathing heavily. I could not imagine why she changed so suddenly.
     "Mom, I don’t think that dog could jump the fence," I said.
     She loosened up a bit and took a deep breath, and then she released her grip on my arm. "I know, Sarah. But when I was a little girl, I was bitten by a dog. My uncle lived near us, and he had these big dogs that used to chase kids down the street. I’ve always stayed as far away from dogs as possible."
     My lack of canine pets as a child now made sense, but I was surprised at my mother’s admission. I always thought she was not afraid of anything.
     "Well, I’ve been thinking about adopting a dog from the humane society," I said as we continued down the street. "But I don’t want it to make you uncomfortable."
     She laughed nervously and patted my hand. "I could probably handle it as long as you get something small. Maybe a poodle?"

2

Based on details from the story and graphic organizer, which of the following best states a theme of the passage?

A. 
Being afraid of dogs is an irrational fear.
 B. 
Love can conquer all fears.
 C. 
Overcoming fears takes time and understanding.
 D. 
The bond between a mother and daughter is strong.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The theme that best states the passage is:

C. Overcoming fears takes time and understanding.

This theme is supported by the mother's admission of her fear of dogs due to a past traumatic experience, and her willingness to consider a small dog now that she has shared her fear with her daughter. It illustrates the process of understanding and addressing fears over time.