January 9th, 2007

An observation by a spokesman from one of the animal charities is that regulation and implementing legislation, principally the Dangerous Dogs Act, needs more robust action.

Also, the Act seems able to deal with breeds deemed to be dangerous but is vague and ineffective in addressing dogs that are cross-breeds.

Obviously, there will be an investigation into the tragic loss of a young life, including who has responsibility. Not withstanding the individual circumstances, there have to be questions in a wider context.

There is a need for greater controls and, where appropriate, charges against reckless individuals who quite often have personalities that encourage macho-aggressive behaviour from their dogs.

There are many individuals who breed and own dogs who are responsible and credible people.

Dogs can be a positive influence on children and adults. Having a pet, and looking after it, can be a source of enjoyment.

Those who use and abuse dogs, knowing fully their potential to harm, or having crass disregard for the consequences, need to be held to account. - Bernie Walsh, Coxhoe, Durham.

YET again, a child is killed by a vicious dog (Echo, Jan 3). Part of my reaction to this terrible event must be that we've been here before and all too often.

Just when is something effective going to be done about it? The Dangerous Dogs Act clearly isn't working.

Why? Because it doesn't tackle the real problem, which is not rogue dogs, but rogue owners. Owners who never exercise their dogs, who show them not the least trace of affection, who don't even feed them properly.

Given such treatment, dogs, being the kind of animals they are, actually become psychologically disturbed. Then it's inevitable that they behave unnaturally (dogs are, of course, naturally affectionate, especially to children).

In such cases, we need to be less severe on the dog and much tougher on the owner.

Where there's an actual tragedy, and the owner is clearly to blame, the punishment should be commensurate: imprisonment. - Tony Kelly, Crook, Co Durham.

HUNTING BAN

I SEE the hunt fraternity are at it again, spouting their propaganda, aided and abetted by the Countryside Alliance.

Has your anonymous writer (HAS, Jan 2) had nothing better to do but follow hunts all over England for 70 years?

Get off your high horse and face it, hunting is a dinosaur and should have been banned years ago. It is about killing for fun.

We should send in a couple of public servants (mounted police) to make sure they obey the law. Then, after a few convictions, they might have second thoughts.

After all, there was no shortage of police in 1984 to force the miners to obey the law on picketing.

Has The Northern Echo got nothing more relevant to report than a full page on hunting yet again (Echo, Dec 29)?

I still say we should put it to a national vote and let us see how democracy has really been served.

I say hurrah to the ban and long may it last. - Name and address supplied.

TONY BLAIR

IT would seem that anything Tony Blair does is heavily criticised without foundation.

While accepting that it is a little late in the day, the use of rank and file ordinary workers and citizens in public life has been practised for years on works committees and other public organisations and, while having no mandate or powers, their ideas were invaluable to many industrialists.

Forward-thinking management also involved workers in time study courses to prove that 'time and motion' had no hidden agendas.

The use of a friend's property for holidays is also nothing new, as long as all disclosures are in order.

Being Prime Minister of any country is a high-profile and pressurised job and the need to wind down on family holidays is paramount.

In 1955, at the height of the Suez crisis, Conservative Prime Minister Anthony Eden used author Ian Fleming's home Golden Eye, in Jamaica, to get away from American pressure to withdraw troops from the canal - Bernard McCormick, Newton Aycliffe, Co Durham.

PRAISING THE NHS

PETER Mullen stated: "Let's stop kidding ourselves that the NHS is anything but a failure" in an article headed "Let's stop living the lie" (Echo, Jan 2).

On Wednesday, January 3, I attended the audiology department of the University Hospital of North Durham. I cannot praise the staff too highly for every aspect of their work.

I would, therefore, respectfully ask Peter Mullen, who is an Anglican priest, who is lying? Perhaps he should apply his yardstick to his own national institution, the Church of England. - Ian Andrew, Lanchester, Co Durham.

PS. For the first time in seven Christmases, our son, an NHS employee at Yorkhill Hospital, Glasgow, was able to have his Christmas dinner with us, rather than at work.

DRUG TREATMENT

I FIND it incredible that certain members of the medical profession could criticise the parents of nine-year-old US girl Ashley in their decision to use drugs and surgery to stop her growing up (Echo, Jan 5).

Experts have predicted that, if anything, this treatment can only benefit Ashley's welfare.

To accuse Ashley's parents of selfish intentions and taking the easy option beggars belief. Surely, the easiest option would have been to walk away nine years ago.

I have nothing but admiration for parents who devote their lives to the care of children with whatever handicap. - Kev McStravick, Darlington.

FOG DISPERSAL

RE letters about wartime fog dispersal (FIDO - Fog Intensive Dispersal Of), Eric Woodley (HAS, Jan 3) says he has no knowledge of the overall success of the system.

Well, I can tell him that FIDO was one of the most remarkable inventions of the Second World War, responsible for saving the lives of thousands of Allied aircrew.

RAF bomber crews normally returned from operations in the early hours of the morning, the worst time in winter for fog.

Many crews who had endured German night fighters and flak returned home with badly damaged aircraft only to find their airfields fogbound.

Often short of fuel, many crash-landed and this took a heavy toll in valuable aircraft and crews.

The blind-landing aids of today were not available then. Prompted by Churchill, the Government's petroleum warfare department came up with FIDO.

Lines of burners fuelled by thousands of gallons of petrol were installed each side of the runways to burn the fog off airfields, allowing aircraft to take off and land in relative safety.

FIDO was installed at 15 RAF airfields and many are the crews who have reason to be grateful to the "backroom boys" for getting them down safely. - Ken Walton, Spennymoor, Co Durham.