JONATHAN Chiu appears to represent the opinion of a large sector of the Hongkong community (''Dogs being fed in restaurant'', South China Morning Post, June 29). It seems that he equates our furry friends to bubonic plague-ridden rats or worse. What is wrong with a dog being fed in a restaurant (perhaps not while seated at a table), or is it the feeding he feels strongly against? Should the dogs be feeding us (in the form of dog stew, perhaps, as is still available here)? The subject of dogs in restaurants and other food outlets is debatable, but what about the general territory-wide discrimination against canines? They are not allowed on buses, trams, trains or the MTR. The only public transport they can be taken on are ferries (if muzzled) and in taxis (provided the driver stops once he has spotted the filthy, lowly creature). They are also excluded from parks (aren't parks supposed to be for exercising your kids and pets?), public beaches and most restaurants, shops andmajor buildings. What is wrong with a well-behaved, leashed dog sitting under the table while his owner is eating in a restaurant, a leashed (and muzzled, if necessary) dog on a train or bus or a dog in a park, where it could fertilise the grass, which people are not allowed to venture on to here anyway? Provided one cleans up the pavement after one's dog (a necessity because natural vegetation and/or dog toilets are few and far between), surely these rules could be relaxed a little? Dog owners in Hongkong should not be too optimistic however - one only has to look at the average urban dweller's reaction to even a medium-sized, leashed dog, trotting along and minding its own business - loud shrieks of horror and huge leaps to the other side of the road are not uncommon. ANNE DETHLEFSEN Mid-Levels