4. Play every day

5. There are few things in life better than a sunny patch on the sofa, going for a walk in nature or curling up in front of a real fire

6. Drink lots of water!

7. Be loyal and dependable

8. Giving up is the only sure way to fail (he hasn’t caught that squirrel, but he’s still trying)

9. Love unconditionally

10. Looks aren’t important, and neither is age (Harry never looks in a mirror and has no idea how old he is)

11. Actions speak louder than words

12. Be enthusiastic

13. Don’t judge anyone by their sex, race, age, IQ or how straight their shoelaces are (Stanley was very firm about the shoelaces). We’re all just human

14. Have faith

15. Be patient (no one is more patient than Harry, when it comes to begging for scraps)

16. Go for it!

17. Joy can be found in the unlikeliest of places – like an old, stinky tennis ball, a muddy puddle or a walk in the rain

18. Be open to adventure

19. Walk more

20. You can never have too much sleep

21. Greet everyone you meet as a friend (because to Harry there are no strangers, just friends you haven’t met yet)

And, like Stanley said, if it’s on the list it must be true.

Acknowledgements

I want to say a huge thank you to my wonderful editor Trisha Jackson, for all your hard work, boundless enthusiasm and for making me feel so valued and supported as an author.

It takes a village to publish a book, so thank you also to the brilliant team at Pan Macmillan: Sara Lloyd, Lucy Hale, Stuart Dwyer, Hannah Corbett, Eleanor Bailey, Jon Mitchell, Sophie Brewer, Anna Shora, Maired Loftus, Jayne Osborne, and to designer Mel Four for such a brilliant cover.

Also, huge thanks go to proofreader Fraser Crichton and copy-editor Mandy Greenfield, Sian Chilvers and Holly Sheldrake in the production department and text designer Lindsay Nash. A special thank you to Charlotte Wright for all your hard work and patience. I really am the luckiest author in the world to work with such talented people and am so grateful for everyone’s contribution towards getting this book out into the world.

My agent Stephanie Cabot has been in my corner from the very beginning and is both a fantastic agent and a very dear friend. I am so grateful for your wise counsel and a huge thank you for everything you do.

Writing can be a lonely job and I want to thank all my friends, near and far, for keeping me company, cheering me on and making me laugh with all your funny texts, voice messages, videos, dog walks and drinks in the pub.

To my readers all over the world, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It’s because of you I get to do the job I always dreamed of.

As always, I want to thank my mum, Anita, for a lifetime of love and support. I also want to say a special thank you for all your invaluable advice about doing the jive, fifties fashion and being one of my very first readers. To my sister, Kelly, thank you for being the best big sister anyone could hope to have and for being a complete inspiration. I am so proud of you for all your tireless work with ADF and for transforming the lives of so many street dogs in Mexico.