A special breed of companion this Christmas

CHRISTMAS is when we become acutely aware of the people who mean most to us; their presence or absence, their love or their loss. Conversely, dutifully gathering with people from whom we’ve grown apart can leave us feeling as wretched as Ebenezer Scrooge when Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas had finished with him.

But there are members of the household upon whom we can rely: dogs. With an all-knowing look and a wag of the tail, they love unconditionally in the way that only new-born babes and love-struck teens can. “The loyalty of dogs is something I see all of the time,” says veterinary surgeon Pete Wedderburn. “Many people have a very close relationship with their dogs and, when they do, it’s always a two-way thing.”

“Dogs give a great deal of love to those who give them a great deal of love. This most often happens when a dog and his human companion share a home. They both rely on each other for company, and when the dog is treated as he should be, with great respect, a close bond develops between them.”