Let me tell you a bit about myself.

My interests include chewing plastic bottles, sleeping and sniffing other dogs. I dislike water in any form (but especially baths), unless I am drinking it, in which case it is alright. I like ready-salted crisps but I am not interested in any other kind of vegetable and fruit is definitely not on my menu of choice. If it hasn't been walking around recently, I am not likely to want to eat it.

Maybe you'd be interested in my history.

I was living in the countryside near Evora, Portugal (the Lake Divor site in the guide to be exact). I was surviving by sharing people's picnics. I really know how to work the crowds but even for me, this was a hard life. I used to be very thin and I had all kinds of minor ailments because of my "wild living". Then I found this human. He is a terrible driver and sometimes it makes me quite sick to ride with him, especially the way he races around roundabouts. On the plus side, he is a regular feeder and he likes a good walk. So, it is not a bad life.

I am now Santen, International Dog.

In order to travel with the human to the UK I had to have all kinds of tests, sprays and injections. Now, call me funny but I much prefer an injection to a bath. So the whole process was not too bad (there was no bath involved). They put a chip in me with a big injection needle, gave me vaccinations and took a blood test to check for rabies. After six months waiting to be sure I didn't have rabies (I could have told you I didn't have rabies) I finally got my own passport. We did it all in Portugal for about €250 (and that is a lot of dog biscuits). I have to swing by a vet in France just before going over for a couple of minor treatments (anti-tick spray etc) but I am basically all set to cross.

The UK PET passport procedure is changing all the time. You can find out about the current process here www.defra.gov.uk

My name

You may be wondering what Santen means and how I got that name. It is actually Japanese for "three points". I am called that because, when I run at you (especially at night) all you see is a blur of white fur and three black dots, my eyes and nose.

And finally...

This is my famous grin. You will only see it if I scratch or if a human scratches my stomach. I like to get letters. Send me a dogmail or write through the Contact Us page and I'll get back at you between my management meetings.