On too many nights, it was Mrs Murphy and not me who made sure that Scout was fed, read and put to bed. On too many mornings, it was Mrs Murphy who walked Scout to school. I could not imagine our lives without her hard work and kindness.

I knew she would do anything for our little family.

But two dogs were too much.

I walked Stan and Dasher to Smithfield ABC and let them off lead.

Stan made a beeline for Fred, a lifetime dog lover, knowing he was assured of a warm welcome. Dasher sniffed around the gym with shy good humour, a gleam in his eye and that irresistible Lab grin on his face.

Nesha was wiping down the weight machines. He held out the back of his hand and Dasher gave him a sniff, and then another. Nesha whispered to him in Serbian. Dasher acted as if he understood every word.

‘Do you like dogs, Nesha?’ I asked him.

‘My grandfather had dogs to guard his cattle,’ he said.

I thought about that for a bit as he scratched Dasher behind the ears. The kid had a reserve with the dog that I liked, as if he understood that the canine sense of decorum is at least as refined as any human’s.

‘I need someone to walk the dogs,’ I said. ‘I’ll pay.’

‘That’s me,’ he said.

Fred and I went out to the street to see the boy walk off with Stan and Dasher.

The big yellow dog and the small red dog trotted contentedly by his side as Nesha stared down at them, not talking too much because it is not necessary to talk to dogs when they are walking in their world of scent, but watching them carefully, walking with a loose lead, murmuring a few words when they stopped for a traffic light.

‘How’s he doing?’ I asked Fred.

My trainer flashed his pirate’s grin.

‘Nesha’s at that awkward age when you’re not sure of the way forward,’ said Fred. ‘When you’re lost and wondering what you can do that the world might want.’ He gestured at the figures of the boy and dogs. ‘Maybe this is it,’ Fred said. ‘Maybe this is the thing he can do.’

We watched them until they were out of sight.

Then we went back inside Smithfield ABC, put on our gloves and spent the next hour hitting the pads, the speedball, the heavy bag, the upper-cut bag and each other.