Keeping Pet Animals

A tradition that is rooted not only in our own soil, but in the minds of the rest of the world is the devotion of the English to animals. Certainly, they will speak affectionately to and of their dogs and horses, which is more than they will do concerning their friends and family - but between the dogs and horses and the rest of the brute creation a sharp line has been drawn. The fox, the deer, the badger, the otter, the pheasant, and many others would have but little to say in praise of the animal-loving English, were they consulted. Even the domestic cat is, for the most part, only viewed as an inferior kind of dog, its sole virtue being that it will - like its owners - kill other, smaller animals.

But by dint of never thinking about it, the English firmly believe themselves to be the only nation on the earth that is really kind to its animals.

(The British Character by Pont)