“This feature started badly with the sad demise of our first subject. I was due to go to Leeds to photograph the oldest dog in the world (well, he might have been although the Guinness Book of Records were checking his paperwork to be sure) when he passed away. But we pressed on with the others whilst the writer searched for a new old pooch. The parrot was a chatty funny fella, the rabbit was like all rabbits – lights on, nobody home sort of thing, the iguana was a right smelly bugger and the cat was like all cats – completely unhelpful. Our replacement 23 year old dog Pip was lovely and reminded me that dogs are in fact the only pets to have. Fact.”