Illustration: Pierre Le-Tan

Q. I brought my dog into a bakery, and the owner asked me to leave him outside. I know dogs sometimes aren't welcome in places that sell food, but mine is little, and I was carrying him in my purse. Isn't that a different story?

A. No. The only kind of dog that belongs in an eating establishment is the kind that helps you see, and clearly yours wasn't helping you see that it's annoying and inconsiderate to force your animal upon others. And if your defense is the diminutive size of your critter, then it won't bother you if I nibble my madeleine with a baby bearded dragon in my Balenciaga, will it? — Faith Salie , host of the public radio show Fair Game from PRI with Faith Salie.