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What a good job I took Isis upstairs last night.

It’s morning. When the alarm goes off at seven I sit up. Feeling the movement, she flexes her back against me and then paws slowly at her mouth. Suddenly,  big, wide, pink miracles begin to happen: she yawns … and yawns …  and yawns. I peer into her mouth. The third yawn reveals a stick  (yes, Amber, another one) jammed across the roof of her mouth between her back teeth.

There’s no time to put my armour on. I wait for the next yawn and pounce. Grasping the stick firmly between thumb and index finger I tug it out. It drops onto her tongue. She obligingly opens her mouth again and lets me retrieve it.

She has been brilliant. No growling, no attempt to bite. She gets lots of fuss and I get a few happy licks.

Phew!

Isis came from the Aeza cat and dog rescue and adoption centre in Aljezur, Portugal. For information about adopting an animal from the centre, contact kerry@aeza.org or  www.dogwatchuk.com