The idea that a pet was ever only an object, a possession like a chair, was never one anyone signed up to.
But that’s how it was in law until 2022. We changed it to reflect what we all know - pets are part of the family, they’re sentient, and they’re incredibly important to us.
So this is a roundup of what’s changed on animal welfare in general and pets in specific, but let me first give some family context.
I was lucky to grow up with pets - a tortoise (Tonks) in Africa, rabbits and dogs in England. My first dog, a King Charles Cavalier, was called Crispin as he was born on St Crispin’s Day (date of the Battle of Agincourt for those sensibly aware of history). He was, as for so many children, everything.
In Kenya, as a diplomat, Anthea and my Jack Russells went with us everywhere we went, and the same back here in Gloucester with Twiglet, who some readers may remember.
She lived until 19, and surely watched more cricket than any other dog (she never came on the pitch, except at the end of a game to congratulate me on dropping a crucial catch).
Twiglet had an interesting relationship with our cat, which is something other families will have been amused by. They tolerated each other in public, but were closer in private: and she grieved when the cat died much earlier.
It is also rumoured that Twiglet used to go to the Cathedral for evensong on a Friday.
