I HAD thought that begging had been stopped in Oxford City centre.
I was amazed to see a woman taking up half the pavement in Cornmarket last Saturday, ostensibly selling some kind of Christmas products.
However all the people I saw drop money into her cup said ‘this is for your dog’, a collie cross breed.
This animal was lying on freezing cold paving slabs. It has been used by several beggars, one being prohibited from begging with a guitar outside Marks and Spencer.
I spoke to that man about the dog lying on cold ground, pointing out the risk of arthritis. He later gave it a blanket.
And the woman I saw begging (selling) on Saturday used to be in a wheelchair.
If she is disabled she will receive disability benefits and has no need to use an old dog to earn her money.
G ROBINSON
Oxford
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