It's a national crisis in France. People are up in arms about it. The newspapers are full of stories about it. The President is unavailable for comment.... That's right, it seems that cats are now more popular than dogs among the French. Zut alors!

Now, as I often say, never trust an animal with 20 flick knives. Especially when the owner of said weapons will attack you with them should the mood suit them. I once did a talk in Holland, and when I asked the cat owners in the room to raise their hands, they were all wearing long sleeves (I rest my case).

Apparently, the main reason is that cats are more affectionate. However, I reckon that the other reasons given in the article are more valid - they are cheaper to feed, and more independent.

A cat can disappear for three days and there is not the same panic there would be if a dog went missing for three minutes. Once again, this shows how people will let cats be cats, but dogs are not allowed to be dogs.

Cats take less maintenance - in people's minds - because they believe that dogs need to be walked everyday. Of course, the enlightened ones like those who follow the dog listener methods know this is not true, but it is amazing how strong this belief is.

Then again, we used to believe so strongly that when there was a thunderstorm, it meant that the gods were angry and only a human sacrifice could appease them.

One other item of interest in the newspaper article - the most popular breed in France for so many years has been knocked off the number one spot. The French poodle is now in second place, behind.... you guessed it, the Labrador.

That is of course, because all Labradors are perfect....!!! Tell that to the woman who had her face chewed off by one here a few years ago. Tell that to the New Zealand electric meter readers, who have the Lab at the top of their list of dogs to avoid.

When we stereotype a dog breed - for good or bad reasons - and expect the same dog behaviour from that breed, we deny them their nature and individual personalities. Labradors are dogs, and should be treated with the same respect as you would a German Shepherd (number 4 in the French pup charts).

Trust me, not all French people wear berets... Cheers. Tony Knight

Hi folks, back from a day at the beach (maybe I shouldn't be telling you this - I don't want to get back to the Northern Hemisphere with a bounty on my head!)

Anyway, I couldn't help but notice from the numbers of dog owners walking their pooches along the shore that the Aussies have really fallen for the "oodles" fashion. Poodles crossed with Labradors, retrievers, spaniels (I feel sorry for these poor, exhausted poodles) are sweeping the nation, with people paying up to AU$1500 for what is basically a mongrel. Go figure.

The story of the origin of the species (good title for a book I reckon) is a simple one. A blind man wanted a guide dog but had allergies, so some bright spark decided to cross a Labrador with a poodle to produce a guide dog whose hair wouldn't fall out. Brilliant. However, one question springs to mind. Why not just train a poodle?

When we stereotype dog breeds, we miss the obvious. Not every Labrador is a guide dog, and not every guide dog is a Labrador. Not every Jack Russell spends it's time listening to a record player and St.Bernard's never carried brandy up to stranded mountaineers. Sorry but it's true (I'll be telling you there's no Santa next...). 

Dog breeds were initially created to be more physically able to perform a function, but it doesn't mean that the individual will be naturally good at it. So never forget these wise words - a dog is a dog is a dog.

Interestingly, it turns out the allergy was caused by dog's saliva...

Tony Knight