I am not the sort of owner that remembers her dogs' birthdays let alone does anything about them.  But this year I made an exception for my flat coat Titus - partly because 12 is a pretty good age for a breed beset with cancers, and partly because the fact that he is still with us following his diagnosis of a brain tumour last December is well worth celebrating.  Sure, he is a little slower and unsteadier but as somebody said the other day: he is such a happy dog!

I didn't go so far as a card or present but I made a cake, of sorts.  There are loads of dog cake recipes on the internet but they all use flour and some kind of fat in an effort to mimic the real thing.  So I decided to concoct a variation on his normal liver and garlic treat.  Into the blender went a pound of liver, four chicken breasts, five carrots, three apples, a garlic bulb and 2 eggs.  Then into the oven for just under an hour at 180C.  The "icing" was plain, fat free yogurt stiffened with a little cream cheese (to stop it sliding off) and the "candles" were chew sticks. I don't think it would have won any Masterchef plaudits but it was quick and easy to make, highly nutritious and, judging by the dogs' reaction, absolutely and utterly scrumptious!