MY master has just told me about the draconian proposals of Bolton Council with regard to dog fouling, as reported in BEN, January 5. It seems to me as though dogs are joining motorists and another persecuted minority.

I always do my business in my own garden before I am taken for a walk and, if I am taken short, I always go somewhere out of the way where decomposition can happen naturally and without nuisance.

On my walks, I frequently encounter mountainous deposits left by horses, extensive splattering from cows, and I am occasionally targeted by large birds. Why pick on dogs alone?

However, I think humans are much worse than animals as far as unwanted deposits are concerned. I have to be careful not to cut my paws on broken bottles, and the discarded needles left by drug addicts are even more dangerous. Although the litter left in the vicinity of take-aways is unsightly, I have to admit that sometimes it yields a tasty snack. Humans are supposed to be more intelligent - why do they behave so badly?

Part of my job is to guard my master's house, but I know that, if I protect him and his family by attacking a burglar, I will probably be sentenced to death under the ill-considered provisions of the Dangerous Dogs Act. Why favour the criminal?

It really is a dog's life, having to put up with the distorted priorities of modern day society. Are we really man's best friend? What do other dogs think?

Rover

Heaton, Bolton

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.