Meet Leo, the youngest member of our household

I’m pleased to announce an addition to the Young household — a ten-week-old Vizsla. For those unfamiliar with this particular breed of dog, they are Hungarian in origin and when fully grown are about the same size as a lab. They make good bird dogs — they’re excellent retrievers — but can also double up as household pets. We’ve named him Leo on account of his leonine colouring.

Caroline says it’s like having a new baby, save for the fact that she isn’t breastfeeding him, and that’s not a joke. For one thing, I had no choice in the matter, just as I wasn’t consulted on the four occasions she decided to get pregnant. She drove up to Wales one morning to ‘look at’ some Vizsla puppies and returned in the evening with Leo under her jacket.

Having a dog is also a big expense. I was dimly aware that he would cost the best part of £1,000, but had no idea there were so many extras.