I felt like the Queen, stood there in my headscarf, surveying the countryside.

Except, I wasn’t at Balmoral looking out over the Scottish highlands, I was at Watford, looking out over a muddy field and the M1. And, next to me, I didn’t have a couple of corgis but a Victorian Bulldog showing me (in a completely non-aggressive way) his spectacular set of bottom teeth.

My mission was to take Victor for a walk but, in the cold wet weather, he didn’t want to go.

He’d spent the day before in Reception at the National Animal Welfare Trust (NAWT) Rehoming Centre and Victor looked as though he was gambling that, if he played his cards right (and, let’s face it, animals looking for a new home, don’t have many cards to play), he could have another day there today.

Thus it was that three hours later, when I left the Rehoming Centre, Victor was snuggled up in Reception snoring softly. If, like Victor, you don’t like going for a walk on a freezing day but can see yourself curled up in the warm with a sleeping bulldog by your side with a few bottom teeth on show, go and meet him at NAWT, Tylers Way, Watford by Pass, WD 25 8WT (nawt.org.uk).

The Centre rehomes over 400 cats and dogs a year. Just a few of the wonderful cats currently available for rehoming are featured in their new “Love Cat” video released for Valentines Day on YouTube.

You can meet the Manager of this busy Rehoming Centre, Jackie de Friez, at this year’s Ealing Animal Welfare Bazaar on Saturday, March 7 (10.30am-4pm) when she will be having a stall in aid of NAWT. Over 30 other animal welfare groups will also be there representing local, national and international societies. The Bazaar (animalwelfarebazaar.info) takes place at Hanwell Methodist Church, Church Rd, W7 1DJ. Admission is free.