The problem wasn’t the advice Philadelphia Daily News sex columnist Chris Fariello gave to the woman who wrote in. The problem seemed to be that Fariello answered her at all. Despite all that sex on TV, the general public is clearly still a little uneasy with a woman who, when her boyfriend is away, plays a little roll-over, boy, with the wrong kind of stand-in.

“I sometimes have intercourse with my dog,” read the letter. “How common is this, can I get a disease and is this cheating?” It was signed “Cat.”

The letters and calls that hit the paper complained of irresponsible journalism. Some suggested Fariello be fired. Most were repulsed, and one attributed the whole damn thing to America’s new enemy-of-God—that backward “liberal-thinking.”

Contrary to what some called out-and-out deviance, Fariello did prove he’s still a bit old-fashioned: according to him, having sex with a dog does indeed constitute cheating.

» Scott Saxon