I have some comments to make in response to the letter ‘Now wild about animal behaviour’ published in the Sidmouth Herald on March 28.

If dogs are such a danger to human health, it is surprising that they are used as guide dogs for the blind, hearing dogs for the deaf, assistance dogs for the disabled and, not to mention, the use by the police, RAF and army and are even accepted in hospitals and nursing homes under the PAT dogs scheme.

Not surprising, either, that people form attachments to a species that will work for them, care for them and protect them and their families. Dog owners are not the social misfits that ‘a concerned citizen’ implies – they are by their very nature sociable since they exercise their dogs every day and meet other people while they do it.

As for the ‘filth and faeces’ all over the town – where? I walked round the town on Saturday and again after the weekend; I saw no dog faeces. I did see debris from flooded guttering, and I did smell flood water in the drains but that was it. And all the dogs I saw were on leads and perfectly well behaved.

Interesting that the concerned citizen’s letter was published in the same issue of the Sidmouth Herald that carried the account of gates being fitted at Ebdon Court to stop Saturday night revellers urinating and defecating there – perhaps that’s what the concerned citizen smelt.

I wonder if the name of the concerned citizen’s vet friend should be revealed if he or she is local; if that practice holds such a poor opinion of its clients, I am sure they would rather go to a practice where their custom would be appreciated.

As to the seagull problem: if the council found a solution, they could make a fortune patenting it and selling their ideas to other councils facing the same difficulties. The lady suing Edinburgh council is just symptomatic of the modern day litigation society – not taking responsibility for your own problem, however unfortunate, but finding someone else to blame and then suing them.

‘Concerned citizen’ obviously dislikes pets and wildlife and is fully entitled to his or her own opinions but should not try to discredit people who don’t share them. Concerned citizen: if your opinions matter so much to you, why the secrecy? Sign your letter.

Rachel Callon

Sidmouth