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Depending on how afraid your son is of dogs, you may want to wait awhile before actually letting him interact with dogs.
You might start out by talking about dogs occasionally, how they help people, how some people work with them, how they keep people company, how they visit people in hospitals, etc.
You might want to have him watch a movie or two about dogs (lassie, benji, incredible journey, 101 Dalmations, etc.).
Then, you might have him imagine himself playing with dogs: what would it be like, Teach him about how he should interact with dogs, how you should always ask the owner before approaching a dog, how to present your hands, how to turn away from a friendly dog that jumps up on him, etc. Knowing how to properly interact with dogs might reduce his anxiety.
Then, you might take him to a dog park and let him watch dogs play from a distance.
Then, you should find somebody who has a VERY well-behaved dog, (perhaps to the level of a therapy dog) and teach him how to pet a dog.
At each step, you should encourage him to be calm and in control.
Generally, start out with the most distant interaction with the concept of a dog and gradually move to interacting with the dog itself.
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