I WOULD like to comment on two of your articles regarding dogs.

The first, regarding the breeding of dogs. In my opinion, the reasons people breed dogs are numerous, ie some actually do it for money, some breed because they strive for the perfect specimen of a particular breed in the show ring, but demand is always going to be there for just as many reasons.

I chose to buy my dogs (this time) from a ‘breeder’ because I knew the history of the breeds, knew what the likely characteristics would be of those breeds and bought puppies as I had young children and could ‘mould’ both growing up together.

That is my choice.

There are responsible breeders out there (I am not a breeder by the way) who will vet the homes they are going to and insist they go back to the breeder should they no longer be able to look after them or have any problems with them for whatever reason, just as there are those who don’t care as long as they sell their puppies.

The same comparison could be made about the rescue charities too.

Just because someone gains charity status does not make them an expert on dog behaviour, training or re-homing.

I have taken my dogs to training, neutered them and always try to respect other people’s dogs when I exercise them. They are not angels, but I try to anticipate any problems and rectify their behaviour as necessary and learn from it. They have been attacked several times in the past (unprovoked), but I have also learnt from that.

Over the past 18 months or so, my dogs have been socially ‘mugged' by what can only be described as a posse of dogs, let loose in various locations in Weymouth, and expected to tolerate the intrusion by these dogs with no manners. Luckily my dogs are well socialised, but I know of numerous dog walkers who have ‘difficult’ dogs (through no fault of their own or their current owners) who do not like nor want the brash attention imposed on them. This is an accident waiting to happen.

The article about the collie attacking the yorkie won’t be the last you will write about while people don’t accept the faults of their own dogs and make excuses for their dogs’ behaviour or keep them under control.

NAME AND ADDRESS, SUPPLIED, Weymouth