The problem with Britain’s dog obsession | Dogs

Your article on dogs was uncannily timely (‘She compared her dachshund to my newborn baby’: should you be able to take your dog everywhere?, 19 May). I have had a phobia of dogs since childhood and can’t get past an unleashed dog. This causes me a problem every couple of years, but in the last week I’ve twice been inconvenienced by thoughtless owners who don’t see the need for a lead while walking dogs on public highways.

The first time I was trapped in a restaurant until the staff managed to persuade the owner to move (my panic attack alerted them to the problem), and a day or two later it was a market stallholder who was letting a dog run loose. The dog was jumping up at passersby and investigating the occupants of passing pushchairs. A kindly passerby noticed me crying and came to help.

Why do dog owners feel their pets can run loose in public?
Elaine Fraser
London

I suffer from a serious dog allergy, sometimes so severe that my trusty asthma spray simply can’t cope. No matter how friendly, how lovable, how cute, if it’s a dog with a standard dog’s coat, I can’t risk being near it. Yes, there is a prophylactic drug to prevent the worst attack, but that has quite severe side effects.

Surely there must be some dog-free places – and surely they should start with planes?
Judith Cutler
Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Dogs do not belong in any public place where food is sold, prepared or eaten. Bring back the dog licence, priced at a high rate and ringfenced to pay for dog wardens enforce it.
Marlene Godfrey
Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire