We have had our dog Jack for six months now, and I'm so glad that we have because despite my reservations he has made a massive difference to our house. Luckily he came to us house trained so we haven’t had a single accident involving any unpleasant discoveries indoors. Jack is seven years old yet still very much a puppy in our eyes such is his enthusiasm. Having been a cat owner for a number of years (and I didn’t want to have them either but thankfully Mandi ignored me on that occasion too), I worried about the dynamic in the house following the inclusion of a dog, at one point I even told Mandi that I would leave her if she went ahead with this ridiculous idea. I did my best to ignore Jack when we first got him, although once I took him for a walk for the first time I began to get used to the idea and now I can’t imagine life without him and refer to him as ‘my boy’. From not being allowed to sit on the furniture he now not only has his own space on the sofa, but also sleeps at the end of our bed (although he does of course get shut out so as not to ruin those intimate moments between Mandi and myself). In fact thanks to the mess in my office he now has a ‘nest’ of jumpers on the floor so he can be with me when I am working.

Jack is a rescue dog, and I would recommend that anyone who wants a dog (or a cat for that matter) should ‘adopt’ one from a rescue centre. The animals in these places might have been the victims of violence or neglect, and the chance of a new home is something that they deserve. I liken it to my marriage in a roundabout sort of way; I was a victim while in that house and finally got it together to leave and am now able to not only enjoy a loving relationship but am allowed to pursue my career. While I don’t think Jack was physically abused, as he doesn’t show any signs of fear around people. Jack’s neglect was, I surmise, lack of affection. The ‘foster’ carer that we took Jack from told us that he used to belong to a workman who took Jack around in his van in the passenger seat. Once the workman entered a new relationship and moved in with a woman with children, Jack was out of the picture. He more than makes up for it now though, and loves attention and hates being alone, when you stop stroking his head he puts his head in your hand for you to carry on.

Although I am no animal expert, I have a theory that the reason Jack is so loving and affectionate is because he is grateful for this second chance at a happy home life and the fact that we take him out a lot more than he is used to. When you take his lead down from the hook in the kitchen he goes mad with excitement, jumping up in the air and running around the room, then makes a dash for the door. I’m pretty sure that he would happily spend an entire day running after a ball in the park if time allowed, and as I said before it is time well spent for me because during that time my head is totally free from the stress of producing radio shows, writing books, filming, and whatever else I have to think about. Although I’m sure that there’s scientific evidence somewhere if I look for it, the theory that dogs are more loving than cats does ring true. Okay so the cats will come and sit on your lap and release a contented purr, but when Jack comes running towards the door to greet me when I get home I feel that he is genuinely pleased to see me.

On the walk that I take Jack at night, I have for the last few days walked past a cardboard box outside a house that has been left out for the bin men. The box is full of cuddly toys that the children of the house have no doubt grown too old or cool for. There is something about that box of once loved toys that I find very sad, maybe because they all have faces and seem (to my writer’s imagination at least) to know that they are destined for a new life living rough at the local tip. A few days ago I walked that way with Mandi and told her that I wanted to take the toys home and wash them, as I genuinely felt sorry for them. Perhaps I am being too sensitive about the situation, but the brain of a writer is not unlike the brain of a child. Maybe I’m wired differently because of my tendency towards depression and the fact that I suffer with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but Mandi had to talk me out of picking up the box full of rejected toys. I didn’t want to keep them for myself you understand, but the thought crossed my mind that I could have given them to a charity shop or donated them to the hospital so that they could have the chance of a new life and a loving home that we gave to Jack. We should think about what we throw away, as we have become too quick to discard rather than repair and that just leaves a landfill site of unwanted household junk. If you’ve seen Toy Story (or The Christmas Toy, the Jim Henson film that the Toy Story idea was ripped off from) then you’ll know that toys have feelings. Given that toys are able to come alive when us humans aren’t around, they could of course just run away and find a new life somewhere that they are wanted.

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