The lingering smell - the next social jihad

Since smokers were declared evil and while science cracks down on anyone who eats a cheeseburger or drinks espressos, I think the true anti-social issue behind smoking, and the other allied social disease facing modern life-styles are still not understood.

If you've gone to a house where the inhabitants smoke inside, or driven in their smokey car you'll know what I mean. It's the lingering smell of stale smoke: stomach turning and just plain awful. I bought a car which was perfumed by those toxic pink crystals, but found the true horror they hid a fortnight later when I moved the seat back and it lifted the carpet slightly. It took months to get rid of the odour.

When the jihad is won against smokers rather than cracking down on java consumers and chip eaters, the next crusade must be targeted at the other major anti-social fragrance horror: Dog owners. Like smokers, their houses and their cars stink in a way that makes one want to retch. If you're a dog owner it's an identity mark equivalent to being a smoker. The social sites should add nd (no dogs) to their ns (non smoker) categories. Also Trade Me should encourage those that say their goods are from a non-smoking home to add 'household free from canine vermin'.

One poor colleague of mine lent her car to some dog owners who took their cur for a trip in it. A year later the stench still dominates the Beemer and she is forced to make apologies to non smokers and non dog-owners that are imprisoned in it with her.

Yeah (since you're probably asking) I am a cat lover - but unless she leaves a hair on my jacket you'd never know - if you own a mutt I'll know if I'm within 2 metres of you!

And another thing, what is with the psychology of people who want pets that will stand in the kitchen panting until they've starved to death if you don't feed them? It's sick. Cats will go and find their own food.

There needs to be some serious psychological work done on people who want animals who are totally dependent on them and who, at the same time, make them stink like medievil peasants.