Long life | 12 December 2012

I have a daughter called Freya, aged seven, who sometimes makes suggestions for this column but complains that I never take any notice of them. In particular, she is cross with me for never mentioning her dog Lena, a large mongrel that looks a bit like a black curly-haired Alsatian but has on the other hand the sweetest of temperaments. Given this is Christmas, I thought I would please Freya by finally doing so. But I should add that this is not the only reason, for Lena is a dog worth celebrating.

Lena comes originally from Umbria in Italy, where Freya once used to spend holidays with her mother in a rented farmhouse. She appeared at the house one day, starving, emaciated and about to give birth to a litter of puppies. So she was taken in, fed and cared for until the puppies were born and found homes. One might expect an ill-treated and abandoned dog to be surly and suspicious of human beings, but Lena was quite the contrary — trusting, grateful and affectionate.