Hi, from an over-heated dog listener! Yours truly here currently sweltering in the most humid conditions I have ever known in France.

The last few evenings have been spent with the windows wide open and Kez doing his best impression of a steam train, puffing out his cheeks as he tries to keep cool.

I have tried to help by spraying him with water but he just looked at me like I was trying to kill him (mind you he always has that face, bless him).

If I am feeling the heat, how must the dogs be coping, as they refuse to take off their fur coats (well, not all in one go anyway - the tumbleweeds of dead hair that keeps making an appearance around the house are testimony to that).

I was out and about yesterday in the nearly 40 degree heat, when I saw an old lady struggling to make it down the road under the oppressive sun.

What made it worse was the sight of her poor pooch panting alongside her. Now as a dog listener, I always like to liberate people from the mistaken belief that they have to walk their dogs when it is raining, as the walk is not important to a dog (to find out what is, check out my coaching programme at http://www.dog-listener.com).

In this case, if a dog owner is liking the idea of taking the dog for a walk in the blazing sunshine, I will quote Alec Guinness in Star Wars... "Trust your feelings" (does that mean I owe George Lucas a pound now?).

So, in short, avoid hot dogs... and I don't just mean the canine type (did you see that TV show about what goes into them? Thanks Jamie Oliver!)

Cheers, Tony Knight