Thank you for your article (Britain, a nation of dog lovers? Look at all the spoilt or abandoned pups, then tell me what you think, 25 December), although I guess those who treat their dogs as child substitutes won’t think it applies to them. I was brought up with dogs and cats. At night, they were put into the kitchen or utility room to sleep, where they had perfectly comfortable beds. The dogs were never allowed on the furniture – heaven forbid! I dislike having to share a restaurant or cafe with dogs: they take up too much room, it’s not hygienic and if table service is involved, the waiting staff will find the pets a trip hazard. As for doggie ice-cream, just don’t get me started.
Deborah Hackett
Doune, Perthshire
• A dog is a pack animal, and is only happy and secure when it knows its place in the pack. In the context of a human family, it has to be taught that its place is below every human being in the family unit, even an infant, otherwise it will feel free to indulge in the kind of antisocial behaviour we are increasingly seeing in British society. I think it would be useful for dog owners to have mandatory training on how to understand and look after the needs of a pack animal before they are allowed to have them as pets.
Norma A Clarkson-Gorman
Troon, Ayrshire
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