LEAD THE WAY: I wholeheartedly agree with the letter regarding owners who fail to give their dogs the exercise and stimulation they need (Take Your Dog Out For A Walk, News Shopper, August 23). As the owner of a rescued stray, I get great pleasure from our daily walks together and in giving her the care she deserves and which is her right. I know of several dogs which languish miserably in gardens every day of their lives without ever a change of scenery. If their owners had to live this way I am sure they would be insane before too long. Owning a dog is a big commitment. It relies totally on you for its quality of life for maybe 14 years or more. So think long and hard before taking on a dog and make its life a pleasure, not a prison sentence.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

DISTASTEFUL: Readers with long memories may understand my surprise and dismay on noticing the Edward Alderton Theatre has seen fit to revive "Brimstone and Treacle" as part of its autumn programme. This distasteful exercise in 1970's sensationalism, concerning satanism and sexual abuse, has been kept off television screens on grounds of public decency, as it comes horribly close to justifying rape. Whatever do our amateur thespians think they are doing, dredging it up 30 years on in Bexley? I would have expected a reputable theatre to be more sensitive and responsible. Leave this "shabby little shocker" to the oblivion it deserves.

MIKE TRAVERS

Welling

GREAT CARE: I went to my doctor on July 21 with a problem called Dupuytren's Contracture, where the tendons in the hand contract, making difficult if not impossible to straighten. I had my operation less than seven weeks after diagnoses, which I think is brilliant. Like many people I only seem to read and hear bad things about the NHS but my experience could not have been better. I would like to thank all the staff at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, who were all great.

IAN FERGUSON

Abbey Wood

I'LL BE DARNED: I went into Woolworths for some darning wool. The assistant explained they no longer sold it and said this was a sign of the "throw-away" society. I felt a certain sense of defiance about having a sock with a hole the size of a 20p piece when the pair had a lot of mileage left. The assistant said the nearest place which sold the wool was in Swanley. Can I directly or indirectly blame this pathetic state of affairs on Tony Blair, John Prescott or Morrisons?

J BARNES

Sidcup