“You can’t be that bad a cook!”

“The first time we took her to bonfire night, she sniffed the air and said, ‘Smells like Daddy’s cooking.’”

This time I do laugh, and the tension evaporates.

“I’ll be round in half an hour,” I say. “I just need to lock up here and pop home for a shower first.”

“Do you have to?” Will says. “I was looking forward to a whiff of eau de diarrhoea.”

“You’re grim.”

“And yet you still like me, so what does that say about you?”

My grin disappears the second I leave the staffroom. I lock the doors to reception first then walk through the building so I’m outside the dog compound. The sound of frenzied barking greets me as soon as I step out into the dusk. I enter the building and double check that all the doors to the kennels are shut, the bedding and toys are clean and there’s water in the water bowls. I completed my checks before I finished my shift, but I have to reassure myself everything’s still in order before I leave for the night. As I round the building and approach the runs, the barking increases and cages rattle as Luca, Jasper, Milly and Tyson throw themselves at the fences. Only Jack stands motionless and silent, staring at me through his one good eye.

“You’ll be okay, boy.” I speak softly, my eyes averted so we’re not making direct eye contact. “You’ll be okay.”

His tail wags from side to side but it’s a hesitant movement. He wants to trust me but he’s not sure whether he should. Unlike Luca, Jasper and Milly, Jack’s details won’t be entered on our website to advertise him as available for re-homing once his seven-day observation is over. Instead, like Tyson, we’ll look after him until his neglect case comes to court, whenever that might be. He could be here for months, but I’m not planning on going anywhere. Or rather, I wasn’t until the letter arrived earlier.

I check the other dog compound then cross the yard to check on the cattery. Two of the cats press their paws against the glass and mew plaintively, but the others ignore me.

I pass quickly through the small animals facility, checking doors are locked and windows are secured. It’s quieter in here and my reflection – pale and ghostly – follows me from window to window as I hurry down the corridor.

“Hello! Hello!”

The sound makes me jump as Freddy the parrot makes his way along the cage towards me.

He tilts his head to one side, his beady eyes fixed on me. “Hello! Hello!”