Lizzie,

Congratulations on a totally common sense thread. While I agree with almost everything you've said, there's a couple of issues I'd like to take issue with.

>Most dogs will lay down their life for you. They adore you, they ask nothing of you, save food and water, and in return they give you nothing but love. It is up to you to ensure they are safe and loved in return.<

I agree totally. I personally have had far more bother from great gamin crowds of anti-social adolescents than I ever got from dogs. Compared to a certain humans I have had the mispleasure of knowing, dogs are magic - and well behaved.

>Do not leave them in cars for even 15/30 minutes these days, else in the summer, they will be dead on your return. Baked.<

No. Dogs are perfectly ok in cars, provided there's plenty of room and adequate ventilation. I know. I've checked this point with the RSPCA and the police. The latter informed me that they have adequate powers to deal with situations where dogs are liable to suffer in cars, and they're prepared to use them. Personally, I'm a bit lumbered. I adopted Ben from the RSPCA, who thoroughly vet their dog adoption applicants incidentally, before I was left on my own. Unfortunately circumstances change as circumstances will and, having been left alone, I now take him with me wherever I can. If that means he has to sit in the car for an hour or two, well at least he's enjoyed the journey. And at least I can slip out and make sure he's ok and take him the odd treat and a quick walkies if there's an interval. And I always leave a bowl of water for him on the floor of the car.

But of course don't leave your dog in the car under any circumstances on a hot sunny day for any length of time.

>Think of their sensitive ears, before you take them near live music, with speakers blaring out.<

This needs to be decided on individual merits. Some dogs don't take to music, it's true. I can only say that loud music has never ever bothered Ben. Once he realised that Thursday was the night when we went to my local jazz session, he'd sit in the hall next to his lead wagging his tail in anticipation. He wouldn't have done that if the noise bothered him.

>I won't take him again though, to any festival...because it was stressful for him.<

Absolutely. I'm probably very lucky in that my dog is totally laid back over just about everything.

>whilst he enjoyed his day, he was very glad to get back to the car.<

I took Ben to a festival recently. About 9 pm I figured he must be ready for bed and took him back to the caravan. Didn't want to know. Wanted to get back to the festival where all the fun was.

>I won't put him into kennels, he couldn't cope with it<

I won't put Ben into kennels either and have had to cancel quite a few events where it would have been impractical to take him. He was in the RSPCA kennels for quite long enough after his previous family dumped him. I wouldn't want him thinking that he was about to be dumped all over again.

>Dogs have always been our friends.<

Absolutely. In their natural state dogs don't kill for any reason other than for food. Of course now they've been domesticated it's sometimes a different story, but that's hardly the dog's fault. I never heard of dogs starting wars, or exploiting third world poverty, or depleting the earth's natural resources, or causing climate change, or causing one minsicule fraction of the pollution that humans cause. And yes, there is a problem of dog fouling, or rather there is a problem of dog owners who let it happen. But when did you last see a dog spitting on the pavement or vomitting up vast gallons of lager in the street on a Saturday night? When did you last see a dog committing acts of vandalism or grafitti? And do you know what? I've never yet come across a dog that was a football hooligan.

One final thing before I close this overly long exegesis. Some of the attitudes expressed on this thread have been totally abhorrent to me, not just as a dog owner, but as a human being who has to share this planet with all manner of racists and bigots. Problem. Some dogs cause a nuisance. Solution. Ban all dogs. Doesn't that remind you of the attitudes some people have towards travellers and Black people and gays and members of the Jewish faith and quite a few other disadvantaged minorities?

And if it does, then thank God that some of us are sufficiently enlightened to realise that Blacks, Jews, Gays and Travellers are sensate emotive beings, and deserve to be treated as such. And if we can understand that, then pehaps we can understand that dogs and all other animals are sensate emotive beings also.