Now, in porn more than in any other part of the entertainment industry the old Showbiz saying that you should "never work with children or animals" has particular resonance. However, animals have been used as props in a number of porn scenes and I have always wondered about the various censors attitudes to their use.

Last year I picked up "Private" Magazine No. 186. In its preview of "Private" Magazine No. 187 there were pictures from a photo set which sees Angel Dark playing the role of a veterinarian examining some guy's little fluffy terrier [I know that there is a good joke there somewhere!]. Anyways, when I eventually picked up "Private" Magazine No. 187 that particular photo set was missing from the magazine. I wondered whether the heavy hand of the censor had struck!

Private has done a number of pictorials over the years with dogs, horses, lions and snakes lurking in the background in the shot. The "Gladiator" and "Tatiana" series had lions and horses looking on at the action.

I also remember a stable scene in "The Voyuer" series with horses prominently in the background. A number of the "Barely Legal" scenes have had girls riding horses in the lead up to the scene, but none are visible during the scene. I also remember the Seymore Butts and Shane "Pool Party" movies where a large dog was lurking ominously in the background during the various scenes. "The Devil in Miss Jones" and its remake also featured snakes.

Anyway, my point is that in one of the rare US porn productions made in Australia, "Singles Holiday" (circa 1990), Sunny Mckay (and I think Randy Spears) have sex astride a horse. They made a huge deal of it at the time as something never before done in porn - a landmark in adult films, even! I was wondering why this feat has never been attempted since - kinda like landing a man on the moon. I even got my hopes up when I saw Alicia Alighatti riding butt-naked in "Bustful of Dollars", but alas she only had a non-sex role!

Is it simply a matter of steering clear of the censors, or is it a matter of practicality and just observing the above-mentioned showbiz adage?