A furry hot-water bottle? Or a restless snoring pest? Sharing a bed with a dog isn’t ideal for everyone, but it certainly warms the soul, says Bethany Stone

Daisy Lindlar knows she’s very lucky. The 32-year-old and her partner are looking forward to spending their first Christmas in their private rented home with labradoodle Gizmo, who is eight months old

Let’s start with the numbers. There are about 13.5 million tame wolves (we call them pet dogs), 12.5 million cats, one million rabbits, 700,000 tortoises and turtles, 700,000 guinea pigs, 600,000 hams

One in three adults in the UK struggles to sleep through the night; among them is writer Nick Pope. Could embracing the multibillion-pound sleep economy fix his night-time woes or would obsessively attempting to crack bedtime cause another problem altogether?

→ When Bella meets Chris Packham, she engages in what the wildlife presenter describes as an “ancient greeting ceremony”. That is to say, she licks his entire face. “Oh, she likes you,” says Big Issue

I was globe-trotting when I found a new furry friend. Could she become my travel com paw- nion?