ARTICLES and letters have appeared in the South China Morning Post on various aspects of animal welfare. Yet nothing is said or printed on the subject of quarantine in the United Kingdom - a law which is thought by many to be out-dated and cruel.

As a dog owner, Mr Patten could use some of his negotiating skills to help change the British way of perceiving things.

All dogs and cats returning to the UK have to be quarantined for six months. One year, our time, equals seven to a dog. This means that dogs and cats are caged for the equivalent of 31/2 years. Not only do owners of pets entering the UK have to come up with the GBP1,000 or so to pay for this antiquated expensive exercise, but they have to abide by the often ridiculous visiting rules of quarantine kennels. I imagine that the above has a very direct bearing on the numbers of animals the RSPCA has to put down each year.

Our dog has the intelligence of a deaf and dumb three-year-old child and is used to constant human company. Should I leave one of our children in a cage, without any explanation for a few days only, I would be stupid not to expect major long-term problems.