A beloved friend gone without a trace

OUR BELOVED old dog disappeared the other day: I believe she was dog-napped.

Either that, or she dematerialised, and I don’t believe that can happen to dogs. A spaceship might have beamed her up, but I don’t believe that either. I’ll explain what happened, and you tell me ...

Nicky is a liver-and-white springer spaniel with foxy-red flashes on either side of her muzzle, a feature inherited from some golden cocker or red setter that featured in her genetic mix. She was 12 years old and, while her hearing and sight were not as finely tuned as of yore, she was by no means deaf, blind or senile.