During this time I arranged for a new hall carpet to be fitted – I just couldn’t live with it in tatters, £180 later the men came to fit it. Hippie watched them from the cage and when they had gone I let her out, took her straight outside to relieve herself and then back into the house. She immediately rushed into the hall and urinated on the brand new carpet in front of my eyes.

I don’t normally shout but the sound of fury coming from my mouth stopped her in her tracks – I threw her outside and when I let her in she would not look me in the eye – just went onto her duvet and watched me clean up my new carpet.

Our beautiful greyhound sulked for two hours but to this day she has not done that again – I think she understood.

hippie in the hall