One of the larger supermarket store chains have relatively recently started having a charity box at their entrances and exits.

Now I am not moaning about this - top marks to the companies for giving away a few drops off the top from the money they cream off of us all at their checkout.

However what saddens me is the choices made by Mr and Mrs Joe Average when they come to depositing their wee green token in the perspex box.

There are three options for the departing customer to choose from to make their selection. At the end of a certain period of weeks, the company totals up all the plastic coins and then donates a related sum of money to the charities concerned.

Again, no complaint there and more power to their mid-arm bendy bit but.........

Of the three choices around here recently one has been for a cat's welfare thingy, one for a children's group and one for another local social charity.

It doesn't take a genius to realise which one has coined in the majority of the dosh.

Yep - it was the the cat's group.

And this is not the first time that animals of various shapes and kinds have achieved the larger collection than others for needs closer to home.

Recently one group which provides helpers to the elderly was massively outstripped by donations to an animal welfare group.

Likewise the offerings for a local village hall fund were well beaten into 3rd place by yet another animal charity's receipts.

Now don't get me wrong. As a dog owner I am all for animal charities but I do think that it is a quite sad comment on society when children's charities, local helpers and civic assistance groups seem to fall to a very poor second (or third) place to animal protection groups.

I feel this is is an indication of the sad, blinkering of our modern society where helping one another appears to now take second place to helping an animal in distress.

I know this will wind up a certain portion of society but so be it.

Having necessitated being on the receiving end (and many thanks too...) of charitable assistance during my illnesses, it does cause me a degree of chagrin to feel that myself and other people in similar positions are taking second or third place to Tiddles and Bowser in the charity stakes.

Right I'm off to retrieve my dustbin lids yet again from the force 9 gales whipping around hereabouts.