My 5th birthday present (1961) was poodle puppy called Toots (named after a character in the Bunty comic, for anyone who remembers it). She came from Manchester and was put on a train at Piccadilly Station in a cardboard box and my sister, who is 8 years older than me, walked the 2 miles to the local station to collect her and carried her the 2 miles back. You did things like that in those days.
Toots died of cancer when I was about 12 years old and then about a year later my best friend, who lived next door, got a black cocker spaniel puppy. She was called Lulu and was gorgeous. I was desperate for a golden cocker spaniel puppy but was adamently told no, there were no more dogs coming into the house. My father died very suddenly of a heart attack 2 days before my 15th birthday and, I think to take my mind off things, my mother asked me if I still wanted a golden cocker spaniel. Did I! So along came Dylan, the most gorgeous cocker puppy you could imagine.
