How could he tell the age of the Akita just by looking at it?

Secondly, I'm sure the owner/handler of the dogs wouldn't have put the dog on the bus if they thought any harm would come to the dogs or passengers.

It is people like you that are giving some breeds of dogs a bad name, and yes, Mr Weatherill, I do own an Akita.

When he is out on the lead, people young and old ask if he is friendly and could they stroke him.

I, as a responsible owner, would never take him where people are if he couldn't cope with them.

When I don't have him out with me people stop me and ask me where he is.

My Akita is quite big and still only six months old. When people ask how old he is they expect me to say a couple of years old.

You must tell people your secret on how to tell the age of an Akita.

So Mr Weatherill, you asked for readers' opinions and this is mine.

Maybe next week or even next year, someone like you will be condemning dogs, whatever the breed.

Just think about this. In many situations it is not the dog, but the owners' fault, and maybe it's luck on the Akita and Staffy that you were not the driver at the time.

Give the owners an ASBO, not the dogs when things go wrong.

Mrs Allen,
Minch Road,
Hartlepool.