Overlooked by many prospective adopters, Karmel spent months in the refuge in Cuiddad Real hoping she would eventually catch someone’s eye.

Only 3 years old, she had probably been used as a breeding machine. She joined our family in July 2007, and the first thing she took over was the sofa.

Gentle, affectionate and very elegant, she is typical of her breed. She’s a bit of a magpie, collecting an assortment of items on her bed, including my husband’s shoes and T-shirts and a doormouse doorstop – she’s particularly fond of Dora, who is now beginning to look very grubby.

She has quite a stylish wardrobe of coats, depending on whether it is raining outside or cold inside at night, and hates having to walk on wet grass! She’s very much the ‘lady’ of the canine tribe, and wins the hearts of everyone who meets her.

Karmel’s dog coats came from www.weathertogs.co.uk who have a superb range of greyhound and whippet dog coats