Let down by politics and football, but at least my dog is a bouncy miracle

Herbie is now 13 years old. Which, depending on how you measure it, makes him somewhere in his 80s in dog years. For his last birthday, friends gave him some treats that claim to improve his joints. Now, I took glucosamine for years in a bid to make my knees marginally less creaky and never noticed any improvement.

- John Crace

Monday

But whatever ingredients they've put into these doggy "joint care" chews - I'm guessing WD40 laced with amphetamines - appear to have had a miraculous effect. A while back I wrote about how Herbie had torn a ligament in his back leg and that the vet had recommended surgery. A number of you wrote in to me to say not to bother with the operation. His leg would heal just as well on its own. We took the advice and - guess what? - you were absolutely right. So thank you for saving Herbie a painful operation and three months of rehab, and for saving us £4,000. In the past few weeks, since taking the daily chew, Herbie's recovery has taken another quantum leap forward. He is now running around with the energy and freedom of movement he showed when he was five years old.

Tuesday