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Well, the debate over whether dogs should be allowed in pubs and shops continues.
On this central argument, readers remain divided. Over the past week, however, the streams have included riddles such as whether children should also be banned from ads, should dog licenses be reintroduced and which are better, cats or dogs? dogs ?
Today readers have moved on to dogs in garden centres, babies in pubs and who is more unsanitary in the subway, dogs or people?
Read on to hear readers’ thoughts – and don’t forget to share yours!
■ I am not against dogs or children in pubs (MetroTalk, Fri) as long as they are calm and well-behaved. I think the most worrying issue is the number of prams and prams in pubs. Surely a pub isn’t the best place to take a newborn? And is he also setting a bad example? Paul, London
■ I remember when bus passengers had to pay for a ride for their dogs. Can anyone else? This no longer seems to be the case. I love dogs (and cats) but disagree that they should be allowed inside restaurants, cafes or shops.
As for the garden centers, I saw a dog peeing inside. Staff have enough to do without having to clean up dog pee. Elaine, Wallasey
■ I avoid pubs and cafes that claim to be ‘dog friendly’ as it doesn’t seem very hygienic to me to have dogs where food is served. Roger Smith, Witham
■ Dog licenses aren’t necessary – and who can afford to pay £500 for one, as Alan Moore (MetroTalk, Thu) suggests? I wouldn’t mind going to a pub where there are dogs – they are better behaved than some children. I can live without children but not my dog, who is my constant companion. Without my dog, I would be lost. Isabel Dean, Manchester
■ It’s obviously anti-dog month for some Metro readers. My brother died two weeks ago and I no longer have a family so don’t dare blame me for having my beautiful dog. Maybe those who complain about them would be a lot nicer if you had a dog in your life? John Lewis, Liverpool
■ Alan Moore says dogs poop everywhere and carry disgusting germs. Humans also carry dirty germs – just listen to the amount of coughing and sneezing during a ride.
Then there is the amount of waste and fly dumps that humans produce. Mollie (dog and lover of all animals)
■ Stefan Badham (MetroTalk, Wed) thinks it’s okay for cats to poop in other people’s gardens. I’m 70 and my garden is my pride and joy but I’m being persecuted by cats that poop and stink.
Why should I pick it up or bury it in the ground as “free fertilizer” as Stefan suggests? Maureen, via email
No case for cheap royal entertainment
■ We have strikes, a cost of living crisis with energy bills, high inflation and interest rate hikes. My boiler is broken and I don’t know when I can get it fixed and I have no heating or hot water. I’m cold writing this. And we have Harry and Meghan (Metro, Fri), two incredibly privileged people, moaning. They make themselves very unpopular. Is anyone else just sick of it? Tony Howarth, London
■ Do any of us need that public washing of a family’s (apparently dirty) laundry? If there’s a case for the monarchy, it’s not that it’s there to provide cheap entertainment. Andrew McLuskey, Middlesex
We clapped for the nurses: don’t blame them now for the strikes
■ Don’t blame the nurses for going on strike (Metro, Fri). Blame the government for forcing them to do so with the constant attacks on the NHS and wage freezes. Phil Brand, London
■ During the pandemic, the whole nation applauded NHS workers putting their lives on the line to save others. Give them their well-deserved pay raise and a nice Christmas bonus in return. What would we do without the National Heroes Service? Lee, Sunderland
■ In light of the current shortages of antibiotics and PPE during the pandemic, it must be beneficial for the NHS to start producing its own generic drugs and PPE. This would definitely stop the profits. John Nightingale, Redbridge
Rail users are pawns in the political power game of the RMT union
■ Like some of your correspondents, I firmly believe that the main objective of the RMT leader, Mick Lynch, is not to obtain a pay rise and better working conditions for his members, but to regain power from the unions at a time when government and opposition are seen to be divided, weak and without effective leadership. It does so at the expense of the traveling public and has timed it to ruin many people’s Christmas plans. Denny, Romford
■ I don’t know Mick Lynch’s age, but he obviously doesn’t remember how a similar strike by Arthur Scargill contributed to the disaster in the mining industry. Stephen Tong, Pudsey
It’s coarse snow
■ The recent heavy snowfall reminded my wife and I of 2010, the last time I believe we had snow settling like this in London.
Our daughter and son were young and went out, had the ritual snowball fight and made a snowman/woman. Coming back inside, we were amazed to see two adults, along with their pre-teen child, smash it.
Having seen so many great examples of snow people on the way to work recently, I still wonder why people want to destroy people’s attempt at humorous art. BSE, Shoreditch
Trust the Movies: Strangers Can Really Be Your Friends
■ About your review of the film This Is Christmas (Metro, Wed), in which an advertiser chats every morning with passengers on the train, then invites them all to a Christmas party.
The hero Adam (Alfred Enoch) is quoted as saying “a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet”. There is a well-known quote in the south of Ireland which is “There are no strangers – only friends you haven’t met yet”.
I was born in Dublin and have lived by this quote all my life. This is why the Irish are known to be so friendly. C Carmel, London
And something else…
■ Last year you kindly printed my ironic offer to buy everyone who came to Wetherspoons in Bromley a drink if England won the FIFA World Cup. I saved myself a wad, then, thanks to the heaviness and the poor defense of the team. Thank you, Gareth Southgate – I’ll buy you a drink instead if you make yourself known. And how about a new back-four featuring Kieran Trippier, Declan Rice, Conor Coady and Ben Chilwell? Then we might have a defensive chance. I think I’ll stick with our excellent cricketers. Happy New Year everyone. Peter Meyers, Bromley
■ S of Olympia (MetroTalk, Thu) was “surprised” to see that because of the UK government subsidy, there was nothing to pay on S’s quarterly electricity bill – and that EDF owed him £10. How about donating the expected cost of the bill to the struggling families living around S who were mentioned in the email? Spirit of Christmas! Bob, Hayes
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