Trying to make my way through the mudbath of Bromyard on Saturday morning in preparation for a day of morris dancing in town, I was just congratulating myself for reaching the "safety" of the mud-free artificial roadway.

I was following a couple, each with a dog on a longish lead. As we reached the craft centre one of these dogs started squaring up to the previously mentioned cone dog. Giving them as wide a berth as possible without stepping off the roadway into the mud, you can imagine my delight when the non-combative dog took full advantage of the length of lead allowed him, and decided to show me how "friendly" he/she was by rearing up and dragging a pair of muddy paws all the way down each leg of my morris trousers.

Not the end of the world - no bloodshed, injury or disease, just a bit of ridding from fellow morris men. But it was a significant downer for me, and has certainly changed my attitude to dogs at festivals. Control of your dog must be absolute and constant - a second's inattention is all it takes to recuit more dog-haters.