Too many dogs?
Sir: Although not wishing detrimentally to influence the sales of Mr Farson's book-tobe, I feel that he has, in his article 'In defence of dogs', omitted to deal with the most important fact in the anti-dog file: I mean the indisputable fact, which is increasingly apparent, that there are simply far too many dogs.
Mr Farson asked: 'Ah, but what about stray dogs?' but then proceeded to consider these dogs as though they are an unnatural group, and their appearance on the 'scene' an unearthly vagary. Whenever and wherever a profusion of anything is built up, then there must also be an overflow; and when this profusion is a living, breeding mass which is inevitably of secondary service to its habitat, but which is also able to comprehend its surroundings and, consequently, able to change them in some way, then the beings which comprise the majority in that ambient place must regulate the overflow of the secondary miss to maintain order: this is only nature's criterion.
It is man's duty to (he future and to the dog, to ensure that the dog population is
kept at an acceptable level compared to humanity: if we do not recognise this need, chaos will ensue. Man must use his consciousness to _circumvent the problems propagated by relatively unconscious animals; if he does not, men and dogs will each become too numerous to avoid one another when it may be imperative to do so.
I do not, however, think it necessary to advocate a destruction programme, at the moment; but I do think that breeders, especially, must become aware of the dog's rate of growth over the countries of the world, and that a general consciousness, extending to the non-dog-owner, must be attained, so that man's world, and thus, the dog's world, continues to exist relatively tranquilly.
C. Speed 8 Forest Grove, Stockton Lane, York
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