JUNE

OF COURSE, it’s not all work for the two puppies. And in June there’s a very special outing for Tala — to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen.

It’s the charity’s tenth anniversary and to mark the occasion its patron, the Duchess of Cornwall, invites Claire and her team to show off their skills.

Working cocker spaniel Kizzy, a specially trained cancer detection dog, was first to demonstrate her work. She tested eight urine samples on a carousel by sniffing each sample to check each for the odour of cancer. When she came to the right sample, she stopped and sat in front of it, not moving until she was told she was correct and rewarded with a treat.

Black Labrador Peanut, a Parkinson’s detection dog, then demonstrated how he detects Parkinson’s disease from sweat samples positioned on a series of stands. Both identified the correct sample confidently in under ten seconds.

The day goes brilliantly, and everyone is bowled over by Tala (pictured with Claire meeting the Queen and Duchess of Cornwall). Despite all the distractions, Tala impresses with his calm temperament. ‘He was there representing Daisy and he was absolutely impeccably behaved,’ said Claire. ‘He is a really special dog. Of all the dogs I have had, he reminds me most of Daisy, so he has clearly got some of her spirit in him.’