Fickle Friday How Posh Are You?

A reliable class indicator is the type and breed of your pet according to Kate Fox in her latest book ‘Watching The English’. People in the upper
echelons prefer Labradors, golden retrievers, King Charles spaniels and springer spaniels. The lower classes, meanwhile, are more likely to have Alsatians, poodles, Afghans, chihuahuas, bull terriers and, of course, Rottweilers.

Cats are less popular than dogs with posh people, although those who live in grand country houses find them useful for ratting and keeping mice numbers down. The lower classes by contrast keep mice as pets as well as guinea pigs, hamsters and goldfish.

Some middlers and lower middlers take great pride in keeping expensive exotic fish such as Koi carp in their garden pond. The upper classes think this is tasteless.

Horses are widely regarded as posh and social-climbers often take up riding or buy ponies for their children in order to ingratiate themselves with the ‘horsey’ set. However hard they try they don’t fool the genuinely ‘posh’ horse owners.

Generally, only the middlers and below go in for dog shows, cat shows and obedience tests. The upper classes regard showing dogs and cats as rather naff but showing horses and ponies is quite acceptable.

Middlers and below are more likely to dress up their dogs and cats in coloured collars and bows. Upper class dogs usually just wear plain brown leather collars.

So which one are you?