Betty & Butch...

Not the best picture. It's taken through glass and it reflects the street behind me and a lot of me. It's a picture of the window of the Betty & Butch dog lifestyle store in Chorlton. They usually have witty, well thought out windows that would not disgrace a trendy boutique or even Harvey Nicks on New Cathedral Street. But today, and for the next week, the window will be like this, draped in black as a tribute to the dogs that died in the arson attack on the Manchester Dogs Home two days ago.

The donation page set up by the MEN has been a great success. At the moment, £1.3 million has been donated plus another £250,000 in gift aid. It has certainly touched a nerve with people all over the country. And I'm told by friends in Warrington that the town has had traffic chaos today with jams on the M6 and M56 as people try to get to the Manchester Dog's Home sister site at Grappenhall to donate food, blankets and other doggie supplies....