LivingwithKids

I never wanted a cat flap. Everyone tried to tell me it was good for the cats to be able to come and go as they please (I never wanted two cats, either, but that's another story). But I knew it would lead to trouble. Last night my fears were justified.

At about 1am I heard a howling sound coming from the hall. 'Wake UP,' I hissed. 'There's something downstairs.'

After much groaning (not from me) we crept down one step at a time, closely followed by the dog, who suffers from separation anxiety at the best of times. And then we saw our intruder. A tiny Tabby cat. She was cowering in the hall while our own cats glared at her.

Of course the cat took one look at the dog and started wailing even louder. The dog went beserk and the stupid cat, unable to work out that the way out was the way it came in leapt on to a table and started hissing.

While the rest of the family tried to catch the dog, I went after the intruder. But just as I neared her the dog came hurtling towards us, barking loudly.

The terrified cat sprang into my arms, where upon she began to scratch my arms to smithereens, followed by my neck. As I spun around clutching the hissing, spitting, scratching animal, the dog was restrained and I was able to make my way to the front door. The cat leapt off and out into the night, leaving me to lick my wounds.

Fortunately my tetanus is up to date. I hope.

When I was a kid a family who lived near us had a beautiful black labrador. He was gorgeous, that dog. They bought him from a pet shop, and he was soft and bouncy and friendly, always licking your face and happily letting everyone pet him.

But one day while everyone was playing at their house a little girl we all knew went into the kitchen while he was having his food. He turned round and bit a chunk out of her face, scarring her for life.

The problem with dogs is that they are unpredictable and so far the law has been largely ineffective. Now plans have been made to microchip all dogs.

I'm not sure even this will help.

I frequently see a man exercising his dog in our local park. The dog is a banned breed, the Japanese Tosa. He is enormous, this dog, the size of a pony. The man exercises him without a muzzle, or lead, and yells at parents and children to get out of the park - he knows exactly how dangerous that dog is. Of course the parks police always arrive just that bit too late to catch him. And I don't know how many 'pit-bull types' I've seen in our area. The same 'types' that are known to savage babies and children.

I'm not sure what the answer is. Personally I'd like to see the reintroduction of the dog licence. But putting babies and children before pets, educating people about owning dogs and a clampdown on pet shops, puppy farms and possession of dangerous breeds would be a start.

He steals anything he can get his big paws on, he chases the cats, he leaves 'presents' on the stairs, he has recently started barking and has to be convinced to go for a walk. Yes, it's only been four weeks since Yoda the puppy came into our lives and already he's causing total chaos. But he's also an incredibly sweet and loving pup who curls up next to the oldest cat at night, loves being cuddled and laughs when he runs.

Now at the risk of sounding like a Disney script, he was one of seven puppies who were due to be drowned because of their uncertain parentage, and if the pet rescue hadn't stepped in that would have been it. (He was taken from his mother far too soon. I suspect this is why he cries every time we leave the room, although he's getting better.)

But knowing he had such a rough start in life, it's quite difficult not to spoil him, and we've been treating him to all sorts of goodies from Pets at Home, including this wonderfully soft plush Puppy Bed (£10), which is nearly too small for him, as he's growing at an alarming rate. We're still not sure what he's been crossed with. I just hope it's not a Great Dane.

Thank you to everyone who sent in their suggestions for what we could call our new puppy. In the end, after much debate (some of it quite heated), my son suggested 'Yoda', after the little Jedi in Star Wars. (The puppy isn't green, of course, but he does have sticking out ears, which may or may not go upright at some point, depending on whatever it is he's actually crossed with).

Wise beyond his years he is.

This morning I was trying to wipe the mascara stains from underneath my eyes when I realised that it wasn't make-up after all but was in fact dark circles caused by lack of sleep. Given I'd also tried to put the clean crockery from the dishwasher into the fridge, it's fair to say two sleepless nights have taken their toll.

Yes our rescue puppy has finally arrived, and just like a newborn baby he has an annoying habit of sleeping during the day and keeping us awake at night, and demands to be fed roughly every four hours. Unlike a baby he also poos on the carpet (and ignores the newspaper), nips at our ankles and whines at the cats.

Leaving aside his bad points, however, it's fair to say he's won us all over already. He's incredibly cuddly, affectionate and as you can see from this picture (of yet another daytime nap), simply adorable when he's asleep. Cleverly, he has also quickly identified me as the Leader of the Pack (probably because I'm the one making all his food) and cries every time I go upstairs.

It's fair to say he has bags of personality and while this little puppy won't ever take the place of our old dog, he has gone a long way to filling the gap. What he doesn't have, however, is a name. Max wants to call him 'Max'. Harriet wants to call him 'Riley'. I like 'Chandler' and Zak suggested 'Billi Chilli Marley Moses'. I can't see us calling that out in the park. If you have any ideas of what we could call a golden lab x puppy (we're not sure what the 'x' is) I'd love to hear them!

As I was making sandwiches at 7am this morning (pre-packaged ham, sorry Jamie!) and trying to persuade our two moggies to use their cat flap rather than bawling at the front door (an uphill struggle), while trying to make breakfast and keep my eyes open, I happened to glance out of the kitchen window. The leaves on our pear tree are already turning red and ochre and are starting to fall, and the temperature has dropped.

Which means that autumn is well and truly on the way... and I have NOTHING to wear.

What I need are some reasonably smart-looking jackets/tops that don't cost the earth. That's why I'm loving the autumn/winter collection from George at ASDA  - I have my eye on this smart belted jersey jacket (£20) and checked gilet (£18). Throw one of them on over a top and pair of jeans and no one will guess the chaos you left behind in the kitchen to do the school run.

Oh boy, and just when I thought this week couldn't possibly get any more stressful, at 5am this morning our beloved spaniel suffered a massive heart attack and died.

The whole family is devastated. We took him to the vet's wrapped in his towel, and I couldn't help remembering the day eight and a half years ago when we brought him home as a puppy. Then I held him in my arms, but this morning he was simply too heavy.

Losing an animal isn't the same as losing a person, and I'm trying to be pragmatic about it. He barked a bit too much (at the postman, the window cleaner, birds) and he was a bit smelly sometimes, particularly after he'd been for a walk in the rain. But he was a super loyal and always loving dog who quickly won the hearts of everyone who met him. Especially ours. He'll be sorely missed.

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Our Cavalier King Charles spaniel is eight years old and has a serious heart murmur – sadly very common in his breed. The vet has said it’s only a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.  

My worry is how to explain this to my son. They’ve grown up together and even though he knows the dog is sick, I’m sure he can’t imagine life without him. He takes him for walks, cuddles him, and expects him to be there wagging his tail when he comes home from school. So far, thankfully, he hasn’t had to deal with any kind of bereavement, and this will be his first major loss. I know it’s only a pet, nothing like losing a relative or friend, but I’m sure it’s going to have an impact.

Goldfish are easy. You can flush them down the loo and replace them with a lookalike and their little owners are unlikely to be any the wiser. (One of my friends has done this three times.) Bigger pets - dogs, cats, rabbits - are slightly more complicated. They become part of the family, and their absence is always going to be missed.