YOUR PETS Scaredy dog Sparky ‘has the best guilty face’

Pet’s name: Age: Four. Breed: Half Staffordshire terrier, half Labrador. Owners: Lann Niziblian, a calligrapher, 46, and Lydia Niziblian, 43, a jeweller, from Whitchurch. Owner’s story: “We’ve had Sparky since he was about six weeks old.

“We foster puppies and Sparky is probably about the 42nd puppy that we’ve adopted.

“We are quite used to having puppies around so we are fairly up to speed with raising them.

“He was the runt of the litter, but he was very happy and obedient as a puppy and quick to learn. Sparky Niziblian. bull

“My wife came up with the name Sparky, it’s from a song by the band Cardiacs called Dog Like Sparky.

“A lot of Staffs have skin problems like allergies and Sparky does too.

“He’s allergic to tree pollen and grass, and we have to give him a tablet every day to help him.

“Staffs were known as nursing dogs because they are fantastic with kids and Sparky is no exception. When the kids are upset he comes over to them and nurses them and licks them and lies with them.

“When they go for a sleepover he gets upset and lies on their bed too.

“He’s eaten quite a few things while we’ve been out, and he does the best guilty face.

“He’s scared of pretty much everything really. He’s scared of our pet hamster and we showed him a stick of celery the other day. He’s a great guard dog, not.

“We go to quite a lot of craft markets because of what we do and Sparky comes along to help sometimes.

“We like to dress him up in a costume too. I’m not sure he’s a massive fan of that though.

“Sparky is quite a character. He means everything to us and we would do anything for him really. He’s part of the family.”