As the time since losing Kev passes, the pain receds a little. Towards the end of the year we hope to adopt another dog -or possibly two dogs. The owner of Primrose, the Standard Poodle who came from Australia, has noticed an interesting trend among local dog owners. Helen finds that, for Arundel dog owners, a rescue dog has a certain cachet.  Buying from a breeder is not seen as the best option, and some people actually frown on the idea.  This must be music to the ears of animal rescue charities.  They have been urging us for years to look at all the unwanted dogs first, rather than encourage puppy farming.  We are only one small town of admittedly middle class dog lovers, but at least the message is getting through.  Older dogs are the other neglected group, as they are often passed over in favour of puppies.  When we adopted Kev, his age was estimated at nine. We had nearly four rewarding years with him, and given the chance we would do it all over again.   Our beautiful dog was slim and handsome, with a fantastic coat. He always helped me avoid eating too much as half my snacks always reached his stomach.  This is a great alternative to an appetite suppressant, and helped me keep my weight down. That is just one more advantage to having a dog.