A: I was just watching a documentary on tv about people us dogs for various purpose. It was very interesting.

B: I love dogs. They have been used as guards for centuries. Nowadays, they are often used to find illegal drugs and bombs by the police and customs officers.

A; the documentary also pointed out that they are used by shepherds to round up sheep and by rescue workers to find people trapped under rubble or snow.

B; horses are useful to people too. We use them for sports and recreation.

A: don’t forget that horses are still used in many countries to pull ploughs and carts.

B: can you ride a horse?

A: yes, I can. I don’t ride regularly though. How about you?

B: I can ride too. Perhaps we could go horse riding together at the weekend?

A: what a good idea!

A; what do you think of the way people use and treat animals?

B: I think most people treat animals well, but we are often cruel to animals. When we raise animals for food, the conditions they live in are often poor.

A; perhaps people should stop eating animals. We could grow more crops.

B; what would you do with all the animas? You couldn’t just let them go. Besides, some people would still hunt them. Meat has become an integral part of our diet.

A; we could provide them with better conditions anyway. We should certainly try to improve the conditions at zoos. We should try to recreate the natural conditions as much as possible.

B: that’s true. I think zoo are a good idea, because they allow people to get close to animals. I think it’s good for kids to see wild animals.

A; I agree. I’m an adult and I love going to the zoo. I don’t like animals experiments though. I believe that we can do tests in other ways.

B; I read that the number of animals being used in experiments is falling dmp3atically as new techniques are being introduced.

A: that’s good news. The good thing is that most people treat their pets well.

B; sometimes you read about people who have been cruel to pets or other animals, but those stories are rare.

A: have you every given money to any of the charities that take care of animals.

B: yes, I have. They do an excellent job.