Kirsty McLuckie - It's a dog's life … and death – so no cheating with a facsimile Fido

THE art critic Brian Sewell once said that heaven, to him, would be waking up in a bed on which every dog he'd ever owned was lying. This appeals to me; if you fancy going somewhere after death, it's better than floating around in a celestial nightie plucking a harp.

Because the only bad thing about owning a dog is their sell-by date – when you find the perfect mutt, you want to stick with it for the rest of your life. Which has led Bernann McKinney, from California, to stump up £25,000 for five identical copies ...