In catching a glimpse of the television over this festive time I saw the programme Dickensian and it made this canine wonder what a typical Christmas would be like for us dogs (not to mention the cats at this abode) in those far-off days of yore.

Would we be allowed to have the leftovers from the glorious turkey, like we do today – not to mention the extras, when our Matt goes overboard and buys enough food for a month, let alone for the two festive days. I think humans are not so clever as us in the canine world, who go hunting for food only when we are actually hungry!

A mutt from Dickens’ time would be grateful for whatever he could lay his paws on and would be happy to chew over bare bones ? unlike Margo the dalmatian from Middleton whose Christmas stocking contained, amongst other things, ham- and cheese-flavoured, handmade, bone-shaped doggie biscuits no less. She is now modelling a very fetching, bespoke, tweed over-coat, only to be worn for special occasions of course as mud and tweed don’t give a good look.

Would cats have fared better in those far off days? In the home of Scrooge I think not ? with his miserly ways they would have been lucky if they could even smell a turkey bone. Their mouse-catching skills would be well honed, though, which is more than can be said for these two feline rogues, Jessie and Walter.

All in all, us four-legged friends have just about got it right when it comes to Christmas – nice and warm by the fire, with our bellies full of festive fare. We just need to remember to give a wag and a purr to keep our humans on track!

As told to the Hunters