Telling Tails: From Hopeless Hounds to Tyrannical Tortoises: Animal Letters to The Telegraph (Telegr (Ciltli)

Iain Hollingshead

SIR - Our dog Ben has savaged all electioneering material pushed through our letterbox, with the exception of any communication from the Conservative Party. My son even tried reposting the same flyer, but still no mauling from Ben. Are we to conclude that our dog swings to the right?

SIR - As a regular visitor to the UK, I have been fascinated by the spate of letters regarding the television viewing of assorted pets. They have reinforced my view that the British are quite, quite mad.
Long may it be so.

SIR - Following the recent results of the English cricket team in the World Cup, may I suggest a duck as the national bird for England?

The venerable letterbox of TheDaily Telegraph is host to a menagerie of musings from a wealth of animal owners and observers on a topic very close to their hearts.

From the farmstead to the front room, big and small, feathered and furry can be found amidst the pages of this collection including correspondence from dogs, notes about peacocks, admonitions on horse owners and scapegoats for cats. With the great and the good of the furry and feathered featured, this is the Telegraph letter-writer's pet subject.

Whether you live with a labradoodle, spend your weekends twitching or simply watching the tortoises go by, here is the best assortment of animals as gathered by the readers of TheTelegraph.