Dogs that ride

Every city has its quirk. London, it seems, remains committed to its long abandoned agrarian roots; sheepdogs and cattle in pastures green. Only this could explain their penchant for encouraging dogs on public transport. What I had first thought the act of a slightly loopy minority, turns out to be wholly acceptable behaviour.On my bus this morning were two dogs, both fresh from a good mudroll on hampstead heath, sweat-matted coats glistening with stinky droplets, a mere shimmy away from being sprayed across my lower half. Last week, at the peak of the morning rush hour, a man took his alsacian for a ride on the tube. Poor thing was buried beneath the crush of entangled humanity, panting for air. While it can be argued that there is no difference between the mangy armpit of a elderly male tube-rider, and the mangy coat of his dog, I'd argue that there is no difference between a dog and a rooster, or for that matter a cow. I'm a self-professed dog-sceptic, and am often branded strange for failing to enjoy a dog's lick, but this is a case of dogs-as-pseudo-humans gone haywire. Am I alone?