I’ve been working on my chapter about dogs. In browsing the web for pictures of truffle dogs, and especially the Italian breed called lagotto romagnolo, I came across this site. Grist to the mill: they look like a sort of poodle crossed with terrier. Not as charming as the incredibly charming Peg, but they won’t chase rabbits. An advantage when rabbits are everywhere.

Peg’s two next month, and I know that some time in the next few years we’ll have to start training her successor. Would a lagotto be good? I had dismissed the idea as being too convoluted and expensive when I clicked on this:

I daren’t let my daughter see this, or expensive dogs will be flying round the world.