As Flash and Leica grew older we were not unaware of the fact that the day would come when we would lose one of them. Even as they passed into their second decade with us they remained lively and vigorous. Flash did, slowly at first, begin to show some signs that her age was telling. Never as strong or quite as agile as Leica, her hindquarters were clearly becoming weaker and her jump into the tailgate of the car was more difficult.

Recognising that the companionship they had always shared was such an integral part of their life experience we knew that a solitary life could be a dramatic and traumatic shift for whichever of them outlived the other. Knowing too that an infant pup would inevitably bring a dramatic level of disruption to our routine, we felt that a more adult dog might be an option for us so, from time to time we found ourselves looking at rescue sites and shelters. As it turned out, we never did go ahead. Each time, we looked at how close Leica and Flash were we backed out, concerned that however well intentioned it might be, the introduction of a third dog could bring issues with jealousy or rivalry.

These half-hearted forays were though our first, albeit superficial, insight into the number of dogs in pounds and rescues up and down the country. Even with our imagining that a mature female dalmatian was our best hope of finding a dog that could be introduced to our family, a fairly narrow and specific set of conditions you might think, there seemed to be one or more out there any time we looked.