I REFER to Tay Suan Chiang's story (Who will let the dogs in?, LifeStyle, Jan 20) about the few public places that pets have access to.

I'm a dog lover with two lovely toy breeds - a Maltese and a Cavalier King Charles - and I hope very much that Singapore can be a more dog-friendly place.

My dogs are like kids to me and I treat them very well. I even bought a dog stroller just to take them out on weekends.

The trouble is, there aren't a lot of places that welcome pets. I feel that as long as the dog is in a stroller or doggy bag with just a little head sticking out, and it is quiet and not disturbing others, it should be welcomed by shopping centres and alfresco coffee joints and restaurants.

Eating out becomes so challenging and it is a big mood dampener each time we get turned away.

When dogs go out with owners more often, they become less deprived of attention. This makes them even better-behaved animals, and consequently, owners would not want to abandon them.

Dog owners also do not wish to have their lifestyle curtailed just because they can't take their dogs to most places and have to leave them at home.

I look forward to the day when even karaoke joints (those with private rooms) allow dogs to be next to their owners, provided they are toy breeds and are in a doggy bag or stroller.

Jez Lim