"He was in training to be an airport security dog, but took a knock and can't sniff properly." Strange, but true. There's a reasonably high percentage of security dogs that fail out of their training for getting hit in the head and losing their sense of smell.

"I used to volunteer at a job office with a man who worked with trained dogs and that's how I lucked out getting him." In his voice, there's an open, honest affection for his dog and a bit of nostalgia for his old life in Newcastle.