Man's best friend? Well, with one notable exception (you know who you are!), none of my best friends is in the habit of placing unpleasant surprises in my path that inevitably result in an unhappy whiff about my life as well as considerable embarrassment.

For my own health and vanity - primarily the latter - I've taken up jogging. Footy ovals and public parks are favourite locations as they are for many. It should be an exercise (pardon the pun) involving little personal risk other than to my dodgy, aging hamstrings.

But despite big, and to me, obvious signs pleading with dog owners to clean up after their four-legged henchmen, some canine terrorists still see fit to plant landmines to cause casualties among sportsmen and other active civilians.

And frankly, if dog owners aren't prepared to clean up behind Rover, then perhaps they should consider gold fish.

Don't get me wrong, I am an animal lover. I have a critter who I share my house with and I'm not talking about the slightly neurotic fellow journalist who pays half the rent.

Contrary to some expectations, though, I prefer to lavish my attention, and a none-too-cheap pet food budget, on a cat rather than some drooling fleabag.

''A cat?'' some ask. ''You strike me as being more a dog person,'' presumably because I like man-sized Australian-made cars, seared meat and movies without Hugh Grant.

Well, for a start, I don't feel so insecure that I need a fawning companion who grins inanely at my every action.

And I'm also a pragmatist. Unlike a mutt, which can't even clean itself, a cat can look after itself regardless of what time or condition I happen to stumble in.

Most importantly, a cat has the class and dignity to bury its less pleasant bodily functions rather than offer them as obstacles for the unwary.

Truthfully, I don't dislike dogs at all. I am actually quite fond of some, and most impressed by those canines that perform remarkable duties like helping the police, guiding the blind, and even keeping kids amused. I think most families, and individuals, benefit greatly from having a pet, and dogs are a pretty decent choice for those who, for whatever reason, prefer not to have a cat.