Alison O'Connor: Down from my doggy pulpit with a lesson in humility

I used to feel like a canine oracle — I am now far more humble (and exhausted) 

‘Badger’ when Alison first brought him home from the rescue home. His mother had been used to hunt and bait badgers.

You think you know it all. I certainly did. I wasn’t slow to share my “expertise” in this column, or to criticise others for how they might have gone about their doggy business.

You see, in my hubris, I really did see myself as a bit of a canine oracle. I arrived into the world over half a century ago to the presence of Dick, a wonderfully placid black Labrador. Then there was Toby, Max, Charlie, Sally, Jimbo, the list of furry friends goes on.