At the time of writing, we are all looking forward to our lives (and those of our dogs) opening up a little as pandemic restrictions are relaxed and we get the chance to get out and about more. While many of us may feel a little apprehensive about facing the world again, bear in mind that the same may be true of our dogs; they, too, have just spent the last 13 months in a very different world. Carolyn Menteith’s article this issue (page 10) takes a closer look at how we can get set for summer and make it fun and safe for our dogs as well as ourselves, and examines the type of challenges our dogs might face following lockdown.