Yesterday I was due in London for the annual meeting of Dogs Trust vets. The charity has rehoming centres all over the UK, including Northern Ireland, and once a year they get all the attending vets together to give an update on the charity and to discuss health issues. I have to say I really enjoy a quick trip to London, which is so different from North Devon that it is like having a short holiday abroad! I am excited by the bustle of the place and I love seeing all those iconic buildings. I enjoy the fact that there are restaurants of every nationality and I like celebrity-spotting - last year I managed to turf Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall out of my seat on the train, and then saw Jilly Goolden and 'Duncan from Blue' on Oxford Street. And the Dogs Trust meeting is always enjoyable and educational too!

Anyway, yesterday it was not to be. Having left home at 5.45am, I got to Tiverton. No  trains. 'Body on the line at Ivybridge' was the excuse. Shocking as this thought was, nobody seemed to spend too much time dwelling on it, just trying to work out how to get to where they were meant to be.

To cut a long story short, I ended up  back home, 5 hours after I first set off, and missed the meeting and the London buzz. Such is life.

However, the point of this blog was really to point out what an excellent charity Dogs Trust is. The whole set-up is totally professional, and everyone I have met who is involved with it has an absolute commitment to dog welfare. The dogs under their care are all extremely well looked after, and treated as if they were family pets when it comes to their veterinary treatment and general care. Their carers form a strong bond with them, but are always happy to see them going to new homes. They rehome thousands of dogs every year which would probably be put to sleep otherwise, and are a really worthwhile charity to support. If you are ever looking for a dog, it really is worth a look around the rehoming centre near West Down.