A dog's life - on the streets

SUMMERTIME brings out the street people of Falmouth, many of them accompanied by aggressive looking dogs.

A few days ago, I spotted two inebriated dossers sleeping on a bench in the middle of the day protected by a vicious bull terrier, which snarled and barked loudly at anyone who strayed within 20 feet of them.

The next day I saw this chap, a beggar with a bulldog, and began to wonder why dogs - and especially fierce-looking dogs - are so much part of the street people's lives.

Are they primarily for protection - a reassuring presence in the dead of night? Or are they canine extensions of their own personality?

Something to ponder...