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It is with regret that I write in support of Ian Halliday’s letter (November edition) about the treatment of dogs in French rural areas.

Having owned a second home in the Vendée for 15 years, I have seen first-hand how animals are treated in some areas.

Whatever might have happened in more urban areas (Ricky Beets’ letter, December), country dogs are still left to howl their heads off 24 hours a day, particularly those kept for the so-called ‘sport’ of hunting, and are often let out of their owners’ properties completely unsupervised.

There seems to be very little acknowledgement that a dog is a member of the family and a part of the home, as in Britain.

Unfortunately it is not only dogs that are treated badly. Cats are often dumped in rural lanes to drop kittens in the road, where many get run over.

Whilst there is much I love about France, the treatment of animals, certainly in country areas, falls far short of what it should be.

Chris Thompson, Vendée