Reddit reviews May I Pet Your Dog?: The How-to Guide for Kids Meeting Dogs (and Dogs Meeting Kids)

Recommendation here for Stephanie Calmenson's excellent book May I Pet Your Dog?:The How-to Guide for Kids Meeting Dogs (and Dogs Meeting Kids). It's a great little picture-book style book by an established author that really lays out the protocol in a way kids and dog-naive parents can understand.

Also, you could buy a couple of copies of "May I Pet your Dog?" and give them away in the neighborhood.

http://www.amazon.com/May-Pet-Your-Dog-How/dp/0618510346

The library is a great resource for books to educate young children about animals, especially dogs and cats. I work with dogs and cats and it is really scary to see how some kids who are afraid of animals react when they are afraid (screaming, crying, running) which only excites the animal further, encouraging the behaviors that the child is so afraid of. I like this book to explain how to act around strange dogs, but there are so many that are great!

Maybe consider getting her a stuffed kitty (bonus points if it looks like yours!) and having her 'take care' of it? My daughter is also 4 and she has a robotic kitty that purrs and moves, something like that could help ease her into the idea.

Do you clip your cats nails? That would maybe ease her mind a bit. I also sometimes advise my clients about Soft Paws, they are little nail caps that you can get in fun colors that slide over the nail and either eventually fall off when the adhesive wears down, or you simply clip them off. A lot of groomers will do them for a pretty minimal fee. She may feel more comfortable knowing that there is no possible way for the kitties to scratch her.

Of course a therapist would also be beneficial, to find out what is causing the fear and to help her work through it.

Not Afraid of Dogs might be very relevant, about a boy who overcomes his fear of dogs when he discovers a visiting dog is afraid of thunderstorms.

Little Dog Lost is a sweet book based on a true story of a dog's rescue at sea, with a very happy ending!

Good Dog, Carl is an almost wordless story told in beautiful illustrations about a dog left in charge of the baby while the mom goes out, and all the mischief they get into together. The dog is a big rottweiler, so the depictions of his gentle interaction with the baby might be especially helpful. There are also a bunch of sequels (Carl Goes Shopping, Carl's Birthday, etc).

Officer Buckle and Gloria is a hilarious story about a police officer whose safety talks are made entertaining by the silly antics of his police dog (not portrayed as scary at all).

Martha Speaks is a classic, about a talking dog who saves the day (if rather unrealistically!). I believe there have been a few sequels written as well.

Excellent Ed is another very silly story about a dog trying to figure out what he does best.

In terms of early readers, the Biscuit series features the adventures of a cute puppy, and there are TONS of them. Henry and Mudge also features a dog, at a slightly higher reading level.

If you're looking for true stories told in photos, Tuesday Tucks Me In is told from the perspective of a service dog to an Iraq veteran, and Tarra and Bella is a true story about a dog who befriends a lonely elephant.

May I Pet Your Dog is a great book that teaches kids how to safely meet a new dog (holding out your hand to sniff, etc). Probably not the best to start with, since it does mention unfriendly dogs and what to do if you encounter them, but once you work up to meeting some dogs this might be helpful.

Lastly, though it's not about dogs specifically, Fraidy Zoo is a fun book about a girl who is afraid of the animals at the zoo and how her family creatively helps her overcome her fears!

Wait, you let an unknown dog this size with no known history of illness and behavioral issues just climb up into your car and sit with your daughter? Dude, you need to read this book: link. ಠ_ಠ