Rise in hefty hounds

Suggestions that only one in ten dogs gets a daily walk will raise a few eyebrows.

Just under a quarter of UK households now own a dog, meaning up and down the country hundreds of thousands of pets aren’t getting the exercise they need.

The PDSA fears the situation is fuelling what they term an “obesity time bomb”.

Doubtless they are right — and it is not just pets but also irresponsible and lazy owners that will ultimately suffer.