With regards to the article Ruff ride in NoDoggia , the chemical industry has this policy they call 'Responsible Care'. It's a good policy because responsibility for people working in chemical plants is put in their own hands.

It is up to them to ensure their own safety and that of their colleagues, the people living and working outside the parameters of the plant and also of the environment when it comes to discharges of effluent.

Maybe the dog-owning public should practise a similar form of Responsible Care - be responsible for the dog, be responsible towards the neighbours and passers-by and also for the environment (make sure the pet doesn't poo all over the place or rummage in trash cans).

I love dogs. And I believe that everyone (irregardless of race, religion, creed) has the right to keep dogs as pets or as guards. I've had dogs since I was seven years old. The only time I didn't have a dog was the time I spent in the UK.

I would love to have a dog now (a Doberman would be nice), but my wife, when she was very young, was chased by a dog and fell into a monsoon drain. So she has this phobia.