Mr Dog and the Seal Deal. Ben Fogle

‘You there, boy? Coming inside?’

      Mr Dog rose, stretched and went over to the fisherman. He pressed himself against John’s legs to say thank you for his lodging, then turned and padded away to the garden gate.

      John smiled. ‘Is it time to say goodbye?’

      For now, thought Mr Dog. He gave a quiet woof of farewell to the man in the moonlight, then turned and trotted away on to the footpath that ran alongside the row of fishermen’s cottages. Ahead of him, the sea was silvery dark as it stirred and shifted in the breeze, bobbing the boats in the harbour. The cries of night birds sounded in the distance.

      Mr Dog was heading for the estuary, where the river merged with the sea. Then he would follow the course of the river inland. The search for Ditzy had begun!