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Roger Brown (Letters, 14 February) attacks our independent schools with the usual charge of elitism and more especially damns them for spending money on beagle kennels. Recent research at the University of Portsmouth has shown that dogs are aware when their behaviour is being observed by their owners and this could imply that they possess a ¡°theory of mind¡±. If so, on grounds of equality, I think the beagles deserve all the creature comforts they can get.

R.E. Rawles
Honorary research fellow in psychology
University College London