Dogs will not bite if we don’t annoy them

I am astounded, nay saddened, that once again dogs are being pilloried as perhaps “man’s worst friend”.

There were 206 grievances about dogs in Dundee during the last year, resulting in 43 written warnings and 23 control notices.

It might be worth noting that there are just under 800,000 “domestic” dogs in the United Kingdom, so let us get this into perspective.

There are also thousands of guide dogs around the UK. Why are they not a problem? I’ve never heard of a guide dog biting anyone or snarling at anyone.

Indeed, I am not too macho to say that I cried when I saw the photos of the man who was reunited with his dog at Ninewells Hospital on his last day on this Earth.

The bond between a man/woman and their dog can be quite difficult for some people to understand. They are animals but so are we.

We have just about the same component parts but we can never have the same acute senses of hearing and smell. They are special animals — God’s little people.

I have a dog, now nearly seven years old. She was abused for the first year of her life. Lesson to parents: Do not give a cute puppy to toddlers. When they are in a room together, you do not know what they are doing to the pup.

They look like they have come straight from a toy shop but they are not stuffed, or moulded — they are alive and they feel pain. Anyone who does not understand that should be barred from owning a dog.

It is not the fault of the dog. A dog will not bite you if you do not annoy it — unless it has a history of abuse.

If a hand or foot was coming towards you, you would react. When a dog sees it coming, it thinks it will be harmed. So, it defends itself.

In some ways, dogs are far smarter than those who think they are “the masters”.

West End Spy.