This website is dedicated to my first pets Batman and Weasel.

They were brother and sister and I got them when they were eight weeks old when I was seventeen,  living in a bedsit in Hereford.

They moved to Bristol with me and have remained my loyal companions throughout the highs and lows of growing up and settling into adult life.

Sadly Weasel passed away in April 2011, and Batman suddenly passed away nine months later in January 2012. Both were far too young.

I will never forget them and will miss them both every day. An end to a wonderful era.

Yesterday (27/09/11) my new dog Letov arrived from Spain.

He's from the same shelter as my other dog, Denzel. He was rescued as a puppy with his litter mates who have all been rehomed. Four years later he was still waiting for his chance, so I decided he was the dog for me!

Lizzi and I recently went on holiday to Malaga, where the shelter is based, and did some volunteering whilst we were there. Despite already having already picked Letov to be my next dog prior to my trip, I got to walk him, feed him and bond with him before he made the long journey to our home in Bristol.

Letov has a disease called Leishmaniasis which is NOT contagious! It is caught when a dog is infected with a Sandfly bite. It cannot be passed on to dogs or humans. Dogs can only catch it if they too are infected by a Sandfly bite.

It is perfectly manageable, and if it were to be compared to human disease then it is similar to Malaria in the sense that it comes and goes, and boughts of it are brought on by heat and stress.

There are a few symptoms, mostly being weight loss, weakness, listlessness, hair loss and lesions. Luckily, Letov does not really exhibit any of these symptoms and I should see a dramatic improvement in his appearance over the next few weeks as a good diet and lifestyle can help a dog turn negative.

If a dog tests positive then they require medication called Allopurinal or Zyleric. The amount required depends on what level of positive the dog is (borderline, low, high, extremely high etc)

Despite being incurable, the medication is very cheap to buy. As such, there is no reason why a dog with Leishmaniasis cannot lead a normal, happy life.

Despite being negative for almost a year, Letov has recently tested positive again, so he is back on the medication for the next year. Fingers crossed a blood test then will reveal he is back to negative.

He has so far got on with all of the dogs, including Denzel. He's a happy, go lucky dog who is going to enjoy his new life to the max. The way his face lit up on his first walk at Ashton Court was a sight to behold. You could literally see him thinking: 'Wow!! This is amazing!'

I am now a volunteer for SOS Animals in Spain and am helping as much as I can with rehoming their dogs. I have lots of pictures and information about all the lovey dogs they have waiting for their homes. All dogs come with a pet passport! For more information please email me, or visit their site: http://www.sos-animals.org

Like all charities, they're running on a shoe string so donations would be greatfully received!

Things at Mutty Mansions have been getting super busy recently and as such I employed the help of my childhood friend Liz. We have had the fantastic job of looking after Riley the puppy recently, and generous Lizzi has decided to give £100 of her 'wages' to the Bristol Dogs and Cats home. What a gal!