It is bad I took pics of my Angels family but I still asked permission from the owners before I posted them on my site & then stated who the dogs were & who owned them.

Have you considered watermarking your pics thats what I've started doing.

Thats a really good idea, one of the pointer websites does that.

Firstly I agree in this case asking would have been good manners. Secondly I know what this is like I had an article written for one newspaper stolen and published in another, so the first refused to print (and so pay) because it was no longer an exclusive.
However the main problem is that if a rule comes out that a copyright is gained in a photograph because you own the dog, or other animal that is the subject, then were is the line drawn (in case you haven't guessed I'm a photographer, although not for a living). Does it then come out that a dog owner has the right to a shot because there dog is running across the back of a shot, and more importantly from the money side of things, does a person have the copyright on a picture of themselves. In which case most media photographers are out of a job.
As a photographer I make an effort to inform dog owners that I have taken a shot of their dog, but in many cases I just can't, because of time or other restrictions. In which case the shot will be used, although as I said I make an effort to ask first. But their is a lovely winter sun set scene that I used on this years calender, and I have to admit the setter in the fore ground is not mine, and i have no idea who owns him.

Hi Riverruner,
Thanks for taking the time to respond to my thread. I understand your position on this from a photographers point of view and am pleased that you would make an effort to inform the owner of the dog if it were possible. As I said, I was flattered that the person in question wanted to show my dog on her web site and I would not have refused permission had they asked. The fact that she had my details as well as the name of my dog printed by the photo on her web site means she clearly had access to contact me had she had the courtesy to do so. Also, it wasn't as if my dog was just a fleeting glance in the distance, she must have been ringside in order to get a shot like that. I just find it a bit rude really but I do fully understand that it isn't always possible to contact everyone that may appear in the distance in a shot. After all, if that were the case it would be a bit difficult to take holiday snaps etc if we had to worry about getting permission from anyone that may happen to appear in the background. Thanks again, I do hope that you are enjoying the Dogsey experience.