Britain... "A Nation of Very Forgiving Pet Lovers?"

SHARING a home with 'man's best friend' presents a fulfilling and congenial way of life for most of Britain's 6.9m dog owners but, as a new survey reveals, there are the odd occasions when Fido's animal instincts can test the tolerance levels of even the most thick-skinned pet lovers. 

There is a saying 'to err is human, to forgive is canine' however, a new survey would suggest the art of forgiveness may not be exclusive to dogs as 1,000 British owners reveal how they have been shocked, embarrassed, disgusted or humiliated at one time or another by their much loved, four legged friends.

Incredibly, of the 1000 owners questioned, 100% admitted that their dog had done something at least once, which had shocked, embarrassed or disgusted them.

According to the survey, carried out on behalf of Drontal, who are sponsoring the competition to discover The UK's Coolest Canine, more than 30% of couples claim to have been interrupted during 'intimate' moments with their partner or had a romantic mood destroyed by their dog. 

In one such instance, Liz Hartley from Nottingham told us about an incident in her pet friendly offices when a Cocker Spaniel was being introduced around, everything was going great until about 10 minutes later a smell started wafting around the offices and Liz realised her beloved Prada bag had been peed upon!

Over 96% of those surveyed admitted to being quicker to forgive their dogs for causing them embarrassment than if it was a friend or family member responsible.

Even the most talented dogs it would appear have the capacity to cause untold humiliation for their owners. 

Caprice, said of her beloved Chihuahua, Stinker: "She cannot live without her sexy bear (because she is in heat at the moment and has a horrible habit of humping it every five seconds) and her pee pee pads."

Heading the list of the most shocking canine capers is Sam, a German Shepherd x Collie who sent a fireball through the family home when he brought in a piece of smouldering wood from an outside fire to chew on. The playful pooch tired of the toy and left it in his bed before the flames took hold and left most of the downstairs of owners, Jill and Robin Ashworth's home in ruins.

As for the most disgusting doggy habit reported, Dandy, an Irish Terrier whose owner requested not to be named, consumed an entire pair of worn underpants which had been left on the bedroom floor before promptly regurgitating them in a particularly noisy and noticeable fashion in front of a houseful of guests during his owner's engagement party.

In both instances, the dogs were forgiven quickly by their understanding human companions however 89% of people surveyed insisted that their dog having worms or 'wormy breath' (a side effect of canine worm infestation) would be too much to tolerate and worm infestation was overwhelmingly declared that the most disgusting doggy trait that could possibly befall their four-legged best friends.

Alive with the sound of music!

LIVERPOOL will be the first authority in the UK to petition Parliament to outlaw smoking in every work place in the city. Today the city council will lodge a private Bill to pass a smoke-free law for Liverpool.

The Bill will ban smoking in restaurants, pubs, shops, offices and all other workplaces to protect employees from being exposed to cigarette smoke. The legislation is being put forward on health and safety grounds and is similar to laws already in force in Ireland and New York.

A top team from the city council and Smokefree Liverpool will take to the smoke free air tomorrow when they board the City of Liverpool plane to deliver the Bill to the Palace of Westminster.

Liverpool City Council is concerned that the proposals announced last week by Health Secretary John Reid, to tackle the dangers of smoking and passive smoking, were a welcome step forward, but do not go far enough. 

Leader of Liverpool City Council, Mike Storey said:- "Last week the Government released plans to control smoking, and although we welcome their smoking restrictions, they do not go far enough.

We need to protect all employees who are exposed to smoking in their workplace, and a partial ban just wouldn't work.

In Liverpool, over 100 people die each year from cancer caused by passive smoking. We take this issue extremely seriously. As a city council we have a duty to protect employees and customers, and this bill will do exactly that.

We have received overwhelming support from smokers and non-smokers in the city, and I'm sure that now we've taken the initiative, other cities will follow our lead."

The legislation is being supported by Smokefree Liverpool, a partnership which includes health groups, the city council, Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, the North West TUC and the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

Andy Hull, chair of Smokefree Liverpool and the city council's Environmental Health Manager, said:- "Friday is a major step forward in Liverpool's bid to become a smoke-free, healthy city.

The city council and Smokefree Liverpool feel strongly that this bill is the right one for Liverpool. Research has proven that working alongside smokers increases the risk of lung cancer by up to 30 per cent. It has to be banned from every workplace."

Under the Liverpool City Council (Prohibition of Smoking in Places of Work) Bill any individual or business in breach the new law will face fines of up to £5,000.

The Bill is being lodged this week in time for the new legislative session. It will be presented to the House of Lords and depending on the number of parliamentary hurdles it has to overcome; city council bosses are hoping the Bill will become law in 18 months time.

Sponsor of the Bill, Louise Ellman, MP for Liverpool Riverside said:- "This is a groundbreaking move. It is paving the way to taking strong action to protect people at work from the effects of second hand smoke.

"There has been a major transformation in public understanding of the need for action and it's wonderful that a local authority on an all-party basis is now paving the way."