OK9 Magazine was granted exclusive access to the luxury home of Paddy Moore to see how he and his family prepare for Christmas. Paddy proudly showed us round and happily answered our questions.

OK9: Christmas must be an exciting time for you, how much do you get involved with the preparations?
Paddy: Well it is difficult to find the time, I have so much to do in the house – playing with my toys, Mr Snowman is my favourite toy, very seasonal and he squeaks! There is of course a great deal of snoozing to do and looking out of the window to let our neighbours see me. I like to be generous with my time and ensure as many people as possible do get a chance to see me.

OK9: You have a beautiful home, any plans for changes?
Paddy: There is not much I would change now, it has been a busy year modifying my bed and changing the colour of the carpets. The carpets were too light and plain for my taste, they’ve now got dark brown patches – used mud to colour them which I spread with my paws, very effective.

OK9: Do you help decorate the Christmas tree?
Paddy: I am happy to put time aside to decorate the tree and undertake regular inspections to ensure that everything is in the right place – if they aren’t I do remove them. I have heard that some trees have chocolate on them. I have yet to find any on our tree but I do keep a look out.

OK9: Have you written your list for Santa?
Paddy: Oh yes, I am hoping for a bumper Christmas this year, lots of toys and things to eat. I am partial to a drop of wine every now and then but I never get offered any. As it is my birthday on 1 January and I’ll be two I’m hoping that I will finally be offered a drink – I am not fussy, doesn’t have to be wine, a gin and tonic would suit me just as well.

OK9: What will you give T and P this Christmas?
Paddy: They are both Jheddi Knights but don’t have light sabres, they just swing their arms about and make funny noises. It seems to amuse them but I’m sure they’d prefer the real thing.

OK9: What would be your ideal menu for Christmas dinner?
Paddy: Roast squirrel with a side dish of moths and spiders! No, just kidding not for Christmas dinner. A rib of beef would be nice, I had some recently and enjoyed it very much, followed by a large chocolate bar. But actually I’m not hard to please anything I can find in the fridge would do.

OK9: Aren’t you supposed to have a hypo allergic diet?
Paddy: That’s just T and P fussing, I can actually eat anything I just throw up afterwards.

OK9: If you could choose anyone you wanted (past or present) who would you invite to Christmas dinner?
Paddy: I’d invite my friends, George, Sadie, Max, Alfie and Harry. Wouldn’t mind inviting Lassie as well, he had lots of adventures – bet he never saw a wallaby though. Definitely wouldn’t invite Barbara Woodhouse, T does impersonations of her, frightening!

OK9: You holidayed in the beautiful West Yorkies Islands this year that must have been quite an experience?
Paddy: Disappointing actually, weather not that good, must have been monsoon season I think, rather chilly and very wet. Had a lovely day at a local beauty spot called Hardcastle Crags, didn’t rain that day. I saw some of the local wildlife close up – big red dogs. T said they were called deer, but if she knew their name why didn’t she call them over? She always calls me by name when she wants me to do something. So I don’t think she really knew what they were. Certainly not a species you find round here in the woods. But I did see a yellow wallaby earlier this year.

OK9: You made a couple of visits to kennels this year, was this for rehab?
Paddy: How dare you! I may have tummy problems and be on medication but there’s nothing wrong with me. It’s T and P who need the rehab the amount they manage to knock back over Christmas, throughout the year come to think of it. I don’t drink – not given the chance and I only take prescription drugs!

OK9: Sorry Paddy didn’t mean to offend you. What about your New Year resolutions?
Paddy: Take T for more walks, she needs the exercise.
Actually climb a tree
Lie on the sofa with T and P in the evenings
Chase more rabbits
Have my own swimming pool not a blow up paddling pool

OK9: Do you have a New Year message for our readers?
Paddy: Well, I would like to say keep your back to the wall at the vets, but actually it is every cloud has a silver lining. I was a stray two Christmases ago, no home, no presents and certainly no one to prepare my Christmas dinner. My future seemed bleak but I was one of the lucky ones to be found by Dogs Trust and I haven’t looked back since. So a big thank you to them and for all they have done for me.

I am still working on my diet, trying hard to get the message across – dogged even! I want more interesting food – but T and P are a bit dim and are just not getting it. So, this week an opportunity arose to demonstrate that I can eat tasty food and not be sick, instead of a continuous diet of hypo-allergic dried food.

P had cooked a rib of beef which was sitting on the kitchen worktop. It was getting near my dinner time and neither of them was about - as usual they had forgotten me. So not one to miss an opportunity to help myself and show T and P how independent I can be I managed to reach up and get the rib of beef – it fitted nicely into my mouth so I could carry it to my bed to settle in for a comfy dinner. No need for T and P!

I had managed to eat most of it when T appeared, she looked horrified – why? Was she upset that I was growing up and didn’t need her to feed me anymore or was it that I was eating the rib of beef? I wasn’t sure but I think that it might have been because I was eating the beef. She called P – was she going to show him how clever I had been to feed myself? I hoped so, began to feel a bit unsure by this time, might be in a spot of trouble. P did not look happy; he was clearly not pleased that I had managed to feed myself. T got hold of me – I had by this time got out of my bed and was hiding behind the table. P came towards me and did the unthinkable – he took the rib of beef out of my mouth!

He said it was for his dinner – well how greedy, there was enough for us both and if they had bothered to be about to feed me at the right time then maybe I wouldn’t have taken matters into my own paws. There are times when a dog has to act and take control of the situation.

Don’t know what P ate that evening, T being a veggie wasn’t bothered that I had eaten the beef she was eating something strange that I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole. They ignored me, that’s how they punish me, they ignore me so I know I am in disgrace. Actually, at times it is quite nice to be ignored I can have a nice snooze and dream of squirrels without T fussing me.

Was forgiven by the next day, they can’t hold out very long. But I knew they had been watching me all night to see if I was going to throw up and I didn’t! Proof that I can eat what I want – so they can stop all this hypo-allergic food nonsense immediately.

Looking forward to next year!