I can't think of a better way to start this blog than with a photograph of my two-year-old girl Hamlet. 

I didn't get a dog after my Hutch died over a decade ago. Anyone who loves their pet understands how difficult it is to lose one. So after Hutch, I wasn't really eager to get another canine companion.

But Hamlet came at the perfect time. Two years after my father's cranial surgery - the incident that turned my life upside down - this girl was presented to me. One look at her and I knew she was mine.

Since then she's been a source of happiness and I couldn't be more grateful for being blessed with this wonderful creature.