It's been a long time since I've loved dogs. Maybe fifty years. We had a sleek boxer called Ella, who would curl up on the end of my bed. And then a little sniffly pug Kym.

Adored them both but then I wasn't responsible for their behaviour. That was my mum, an absolute martinet in the animal behaviour department.

Prana, my Burmese cat in my early 20s, was a purring beauty. Then we had Bongo (mainly for the kids) who dragged in a bird, squawking, crying. Poor unsaveable maggie.

Some dog owners I know are incredibly responsible, the vast majority are not. Some cat owners I know are responsible. The majority are not.

Cats, dogs, the whole damn pet species, they cause irreparable damage to the environment and their owners do not care less. According to Peter Alexander, an academic at the U

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