ポール先生と愛犬の
シーバちゃん（左）とウィスキーくん

Pets in the United Kingdom especially dogs

　We really love our pets in the U.K. As you may know the Queen of England has about fifteen Welsh Corgies and they have their own bedrooms. Most celebrities also have pets, as well as most of the population.
　The number one pet in the U.K. are dogs. Next is cats, then rabbits, birds ,hamsters, horses and ponies, snakes, gerbils, tortoises and turtles and last rats. Recently, geckos and braded dragons (lizards) have became popular.
　The most popular breed of dogs in the U.K. is the Labrador Retriever. Next is the English Cocker Spaniel. Then the English Springer Spaniel. Followed by the German Shepherd then my dogs, the dependable Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
　From six to ten is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel then the Golden Retriever. Followed by the West Highland White Terrier then the Boxer. Last is the Border Terrier. These statistics are from the Kennel Club of the U.K. 2006.
　It is not surprising that dogs are the number one pet in the U.K. or most common in the world. After all! A dog is man's best friend. They have helped us over the past 30,000 years. Dogs have protected us from predators, herded our farm animals and they have hunted for us. The list goes on. 　Today, we still depend on them for guiding the blind, alerting people with epilepsy, alerting deaf people to a knock on the door, acting as service dogs for children and elderly people in hospitals, searching for injured people in earthquakes and other natural disasters, helping the police and custom officers in detecting contraband and searching for truffels and other things.
　Dogs have a lot of freedom in the U.K. They can travel on buses, trains, taxis and the subway unlike in Japan and all for free. You can walk your dog without a lead anywhere in public. You can breed your dog without any restrictions. Dogs have rights just the same as people in the U.K.
　Dogs are the most varied species on the planet. Because we have breed them that way. What would we do without them? They give us unconditional love and don't ask for anything in return. Apart from food and going out for walks. We need them just as much as they need us. It's been a bond for the past 30,000 years and will continue until eternity.