In Europe most countries are dog-friendly and you can take your pet with you to hotels, restaurants and open-air activities. I sometimes took my first yorkie to music events - he went to a concert by The Gypsy Kings in southern France, and barked when people applauded.

Portugal, however, is different. Restaurants won't allow you to bring your dog in, and many hotels won't either; it is forbidden to take them to the beach or inside malls. You'd think if someone wants to bring a dog inside then the dog can be expected to behave.

This unfriendliness is partly responsible for the abandonment of dogs in summer when people go away on vacation and find it difficult to take their pet along. What an excuse though! If you have a pet, you must take responsibility for it all the time, not only at convenient times. But go tell that to idiots who offer puppies to their children as though they were stuffed animals!