I was bitten/attacked by dogs, big or samll, several times in China and US, in the countryside and in New York. Since I was bitten by a dog which come to my house without its owner in my childhood(which attack is still a nightmare after 20 years), I tried my best to keep several yards from any dogs. Even though, some dogs, even in the New York city Manhattan, just run to me/ jump to me and bite.
To me, dogs are always animals.