Breaking the ice with strangers can be difficult, but according to the dog owners and walkers in one of London's parks, who chatted to Frank Wilson, a dog can help you to make new friends.
For the last 22 years "The Major" has been walking in a London park with his three labrador dogs, and thanks to the influence of his four legged companions in that time he and they have made many friends: "In a walk around the park I speak to at least 25 people" he says. "Mind you when you've got three labradors it's rather ostentacious publicity."
Enid aggrees that she too has made friends because of her dog "I got him when he was 9 months old. I brought hin to the park and within a week I knew hundreds of people..literally. Dogs are much more sociable, less class-inclined, pedigrees don't just walk with pedigrees, they all muck in together."
Another dog walker Steve, has three dogs of his own and says they have broken the ice for him many times since his move to London 18 months ago. "It's got a lot to do with the social behaviour of your dog and the other person's dog - if the dogs gel, you'll find everytime you come to the park the two dogs will run up to each other like lost freinds, and humans don't have any other choice but to start talking to each other if the dogs are haring around together."
Beverley Cuddy of Dogs Today magazine agrees with Steve "Dogs don't know social etiquette at all and they do the sort of things that people want to do but haven't got the guts to do it. Dogs are straight in there and they are not like that just with other dogs they're like that with people. Somebody once said dogs allow us to be children again, allow us to play. You can't act the way you do with your dog, without the dog or you'd get locked up."
Beverely did point out that although often dogs bring people together they can also drive them apart: "People often split up because of their dogs. Often dog lovers have a dog and the person they meet has a dog and whilst they love each other, the dogs hate each other and neither will give up their dogs".
