Alison March, 46, runs divorce website thegrouphug.com, Ascot “Our 18-month-old cockapoo, Dougal, can t stand me making calls – which I need to make five or six times a day on Zoom and on the phone. While I m talking, he pulls at my clothes, and steals my slippers from under the desk, and starts eating them right in front of me – knowing full well what he s doing. “He stands up on his back legs, pulling at my arms, and chews my hands when I try to remove him. It s pure jealousy, but he gets lots of attention the rest of the time. He has two lovely walks per day, and lots of cuddles.
Carrie Symond s dog Dilyn has been accused of unleashing havoc at Chequers
Credit: Toby Melville/Reuters
In lockdown, pets have been a lifeline with dogs in particular serving as furry saviours of our sanity. Except, however, when they start driving a wedge between their human counterparts – a crime for which Dilyn, the Prime Minister’s rescue dog, is reportedly guilty. The three-year-old Jack Russell cross is accused of unleashed havoc at Chequers, chewing “priceless books and furniture” and marking his territory on valuable antiques, resulting in a bill of more than £1,000 for Boris Johnson.
The fallout has been more than financial: tales of Dilyn’s indiscretions – including allegedly cocking a leg on a minister during an important foreign affairs meeting – have made it to public consciousness in an attempt, it has been claimed, by disgruntled aides to discredit Carrie Symonds who sees the mutt as her pride and joy. But what can you do when dogs start causing