BE A GOOD OWNER

What a stroke of luck. I have just subscribed to BBC Countryfile Magazine, which coincided with our family adopting a lovely black labrador from a rescue home and my first issue (March) happened to be dog-themed.

Henry, our labrador, is middle-aged. He has a few health issues, some treatable, some sadly not. Although he has only known us for a short while, he is totally loyal and loving. He adores his walks and the article by Gwen Bailey was most useful as were the other doggie articles.

Many years ago Barbara Woodhouse (dog trainer) famously stated “there are no bad dogs, only bad owners”. How true that is. One of your readers, Jan Bateman, mentions “deer-chasing dogs and bags of dog excrement” in the countryside. Since exercising Henry, I have discovered some lovely walks locally and met many responsible dog owners who all pick up after their dog.

However, I do see evidence of dog owners being irresponsible which angers me as it gives all of us a bad name. John Gordon Williams, Blackpool

Editor Fergus Collins replies: I’m glad the March issue was so timely. Good luck with Henry. You’ll find more dog-related articles on countryfile.com