By Christopher Browne

When I told some friends that I'd let a flat to a couple with a small whippet they said: "You'll get letters you know. People who live in blocks of flats are terrible about other people's pets. They'll say the dog keeps them awake at night and upsets the children."

I should have listened.

Two weeks later I had a phone call from my new tenants saying the neighbours were giving them funny looks and they'd even had a note through the door warning them of the perils of dog-fouling.

Then came Dog Day Afternoon. A woman in a nearby flat told the couple her cat was so frightened of the whippet that it was refusing to go out or eat its meals while an angry group of parents said they daren't let their children play outside for fear of being bitten.

The same day I had a letter from the secretary of the local Residents' Association.