The beginning of a beautiful friendship

Robert is a springer spaniel. He was born on 20 July 2020, in a litter of seven and he was the only male. I know his parents because they pick-up regularly on my local shoot. Robert was supposed to be my sixth cocker but the pandemic scuppered my plans to collect a pup from Devon.

Robert’s journey home last October was a doddle – it took four and a half minutes. He travelled in an old cat crate which was secured in the passenger footwell of my aging mobile dog kennel and his travelling companion was a toy pheasant which stank of his old nursery and his six sisters. When we got home, Robert settled into his new crate and run in the kitchen without any discernible stress, slipping back into his familiar routine of food, sleep and piddling for England.