A couple of days ago my cousin Rosalie in Los Angeles, looking out for my safety, sent me a link to a news story about four people who had apparently been mauled to death by a pack of wild dogs in Mexico City. The attacks occurred in the Cerro de la Estrella, a sprawling park in Iztapalapa, about 17 miles from my apartment. Here is a link to the latest in the story from the L.A. Times, written by the estimable Daniel Hernández.

If you got to the second-to-last paragraph you will have noticed that it is estimated that there are more than a million stray dogs in the city. The AP says that in the Federal District -- the central part of Mexico City -- there are as many as three million dogs, which would be approximately one for every three people. Not including the strays.

Now every time I post about dogs here I get hell from dog owners. But I'm just wondering. Am I the only one out here who believes that it would be great if you had to pass some kind of test before they let you buy a dog? To make sure that you would take care of it?