First off, I should say that I’ve had dogs all my life. I love dogs, and dogs usually like me. In fact, a lot of the time I tend to like and trust dogs more than some of the humans I meet.

Many dogs, I’ve found, are far better behaved than some human adults, and at least some human children, and my own dogs were no exception.

If you look at the shenanigans of some of the more feral specimens of mankind at large in urban public spaces these days, you’d honestly far prefer to be in the company of a dog.

All the same, I never brought my dogs into a shop, a café, a pub or on a bus, train or tram. I never allowed my dog to sit on a seat that is meant for a human being, as, it seems, has started to happen.

I personally don’t feel that animals - other than guide and assistance dogs of course - belong in such places.

Now, though, people seem to have forgotten that it’s quite normal to go places without bringing the family dog. There seems to be a belief that it’s unfair to all concerned to leave the mutt at home.

I was having dinner in a busy, friendly pub one Sunday evening recently. Large plates of food were being served as a middle-aged couple strolled in with their two large hounds, walking past our table and down to the end of........

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