Are dogs offensive?

We recently reported that Tayside Police withdrew a crime prevention poster that had a picture of a puppy on it. Apparently they had been tod it was offensive to members of the Muslim community, even though a Muslim community leader suggested the poster was not offensive.

Then there was a new story that police dogs would have to wear special bootees when searching Muslim homes.

The Kennel Club has now got involved criticising the recent attempt to ban an image of a dog, on the basis of religious sensibilities and insists that dogs are an integral part of British society that cannot simply be swept under the carpet.
 
Caroline Kisko, spokesperson for the Kennel Club, said:  "Dogs are an integral part of British society and we do not support any actions which seek to apologise for their existence.
 
“We are surprised that Tayside Police took the decision to withdraw a poster that showed a picture of a puppy when dogs are so important to effective policing.
 
"There is nothing offensive about using an image of a dog on promotional material, which many advertisers and organisations choose to do because of the positive and affectionate feelings that they evoke.
 
"Dog owners are urged to keep their dogs under control as a matter of course, in order to respect individual sensibilities, but we also believe that as many public places as possible should be Open for Dogs and we are running a campaign to this effect.

Regarding the bootees they say:- “We have also heard that the Association of Chief Police Officers is considering the introduction of footwear for sniffer dogs when they are searching Muslims’ homes. We would not condone any attempt to make search dogs wear special clothing, which could cause them distress, while they are providing a valuable and worthy service to the community.”

I wonder what set this whole business off - i think it might have been an over-sensitive and politically correct Muslim councillor in Dundee, Mohammed Asif, a member of the Tayside Joint Police Board.