Pickle was a bit of a poorly boy yesterday and the night before last; we should have guessed something was up when he did a particularly ripe ammonia fart underneath our bed. Nice. Well, he had a nasty dose of Labrador tummy – something that seems to strike him from time to time for no obvious reason (other than him being a walking garbage guzzler). I took the morning off work to look after him and realised that he must be feeling better when he pretended there was someone at the front door and promptly swiped a batch of uncooked oatcakes off the table while I was distracted! Are all Labradors that crafty?

He is feeling much better now though and this evening he has been "helping" me bake in the kitchen....or wishing he was allowed to, as I was making chocolate cake – most definitely forbidden food for dogs. Bad luck Pickle!

He still managed to get his nose on to the table while he thought I had my back turned and had a quick hoover of some spilled flour and sugar.

Oh Pickle, you're such a naughty boy!

Today I thought I'd show you a few more pictures of what Pickle gets up to.

He absolutely loves the snow, so he was in his element in the recent chilly weather, what with catching snowballs, rolling about in the snow and ploughing his way through some pretty deep drifts out on the downs.

Football is another favourite pastime. Recently Pickle had the opportunity to combine it with a little skating on our thickly-frozen pond. Nifty footwork, eh?

Although a country hound at heart, our handsome boy also enjoys visiting the seaside for his holidays. We've been lucky enough to find some wonderful dog-friendly pubs on the Suffolk coast where we've spent some enjoyable weekends.

Chasing pebbles into the sea is so much fun! (Almost as much fun as running into fishermen's beach tents and stealing their sandwiches and catches, but that's a whole other story...!)

There's no ocean to play in at home, so a tin bath under the apple tree is a welcome spot to cool off on a summer's day.

And best of all, is bed....Pickle likes to wind down at the end of the day, stretched out on his back, a big, silly grin on his face even while he's fast asleep.

Aren't Labs just the most gorgeous dogs?

Welcome to the World of Pickle!

Allow me to introduce Pickle – a three-year-old black Labrador widely acknowledged as the most handsome of his breed and colour in all of England.

He was always destined to be a handsome boy, as this picture of him as a puppy shows.

He enjoys lots of lovely walks in beautiful English downland.

This is Pickle's best friend, Pooza the fat grey cat. Sadly for Pickle the friendship is not always reciprocated.

Pooza generally prefers to be left alone. And he certainly doesn't appreciate an over-enthusiastic Labrador's wet nose up his nether region.

Pickle is more than just a handsome face though. There's nothing he likes more than a good belly laugh. He has a great sense of humour.

Yep, he's an all-round crazy party animal!

Visit again to learn more about the exciting life of Pickle, Britain's leading Labrador.