A stress-free holiday is on the cards thanks to a successful sleepover - Julian Norton

With a holiday looming, we’d enlisted the help of an old friend called Lou, who has a business offering “home boarding” for dogs, to look after Emmy.

Rather than kennels, the dog stays in the house with the sitters and their own dog. I imagined dogs relaxing on the sofa and being pampered as well as going for dog walks during the day.

Prior to the longer stay, it was essential for Em to have a taster day/evening, to ensure she got on with the house and resident dog, Ziggy the labrador.

We know Ziggy well, because Anne and I delivered him into the world almost two years ago. His mum was struggling to give birth naturally and a caesarean section was required.

I remember rushing back from my shift at Sandbeck to lend a hand in Thirsk. It went well and Ziggy comes back to celebrate his birthday with a dog cake (for him) and a glass of prosecco (for us) at the practice on the anniversary of the delivery every year.

I collected up everything Emmy would need for her stay: bed, lead, food, heart tablets and set off for Ziggy’s house. We were quite anxious – Em is a delightful dog but sometimes does not gel with others.

Dalmations cause her great concern as do dogs with hair covering their eyes. I think she struggles to read their mood. But Lou knows what she is doing. Both dogs were on leads just in case.

That way, at least, the humans were in control. But I need not have worried. Em rushed in, sniffed Ziggy in all the right places before the two of them went off into the garden to investigate. It was dark but I imagined Ziggy showing Emmy all the interesting smells and where all the best toys lived.

In the early days of “home boarding” vets were obliged to visit people’s houses to inspect them, in much the same way that kennels require an inspection.

I’m not sure if this still happens, but I always felt like an intruder as I perused the inner workings of someone’s home with my clipboard and checklist, asking whether the food containers were rat-proof. Luckily, I don’t do these house inspections anymore; I always felt like an unwanted intruder.

I explained when Em liked to go for a walk, what her eating habits were (and not to be alarmed if she didn’t eat much food) and how she liked to be tucked in before bed.

After a few minutes of chat, I left Emmy, Ziggy and Lou to it. “Any problems, give us a shout. We’re around this evening and not going anywhere,” I said, hoping that everything would be harmonious.

Later that evening, Lou sent a photo message, which confirmed Emmy had settled in nicely, which was a huge relief. In fact, she had settled in very nicely on the sofa in front of the fire. She isn’t allowed on the sofa at home! Anne and I could relax.

With just the two of us at home, settling onto the sofa and in front of the fire was exactly what we had planned too.

Morning came, and Lou met Anne in town to exchange Emmy and her accoutrements. Everything had gone smoothly and the two dogs were now best of friends.

We could all look forward to a stress-free holiday in a few weeks’ time. I’m not sure who is more excited!