Find out what the mutts think of their 'masters'.
ZETA
Breed: Weimeraner
Owner: Mary Cassidy
Who's the boss? "I would like to think I am, but who's ever the boss with a dog? She tries to be the boss, but I have to put the foot down. She's very strong willed. I took her to class to do training. We did that for a year and a half, and she learned obedience, and a few tricks."
Bad habits? "She eats absolutely everything. The only thing she doesn't like is celery. But she's a great eater of raw vegetables. She picks up stuff at the beach - scraps of food, the ends of sandwiches. She once grabbed a banana from a man who was sunbathing. She stole the banana out of his shoe and ate it, skin and all. She never gets the skin at home. And maybe I shouldn't mention this, but once she went up to an elderly man sitting on one of the benches. He had a bag with a small bottle of gin. Zeta grabbed the bag, and it fell down, but luckily the bottle didn't break. I was mortified, and went up to apologise, and the man said, 'Your dog caught me out'."
We tell the dog: "Good girl. She's the best girl, she's got a great personality."
The dog tells us: "Let's go out."
ALLIE & MONTY
Breeds: "Cavalier King Charles - it's a little spaniel, and Heinz terrier - a mutt, a cross-breed, you know, 57 different flavours?"
Owner: Heather Nesbitt.
Bad habits? "Monty barks a lot. He dislikes the neighbourhood dogs. The others are all right. Monty has had radical retraining, he's a bit mad. We did one dog training session and got some pointers."
We tell the dogs: "Sit down."
The dogs tells us: "Walk." or "Food."
MILLIE
"She's named for the millennium, she was born that year."
Breed: Irish Wheaten Terrier . "It's an old Irish breed with a lovely temperament."
Owner: Mick Byrne
Who's the boss? "The wife, definitely. Millie's biggest indulgence would be a walk along the beach, she loves that. She can be a bit stubborn; she won't take a command the first time round. I don't get her out enough. She's a bit on the lazy side. She was the runt of the litter, but she was the boss."
We tell the dog: "Stop begging!"
The dog tells us: "Leave me inside at night. Change my food."
CHLOE
Breed: Pug
Owner: Aisling Gordon
Who's the boss? "Oh, she's the boss. She's well indulged. She usually sleeps in the bed, and is the only one in the house during the day. Dog-walkers come for her during the week, and she goes off with all the other dogs."
Bad habits? "She's inclined to get over-excited. She wants lots of attention, and bites to get attention. She jumps up a lot. She's kind of spoilt, but I like to treat her like a dog at the same time."
We tell the dog: "Get down."
The dog tells us: "I want ... (There's always something she's looking for.)"
MUSHI
"Pronounced like sushi."
Breed: "Sharpei. It was the rarest breed in the world in the 1970s."
Owner: Colette Sharkey. "We tried to find a name for her that meant lioness in Chinese. My daughter came up with this, and we liked it, but we don't know what it means. The breed has bad skin, so you have to keep an eye on that, as well as the ears and eyes. She has an amazing temperament - we have two kids, and she's great with them. She's very docile in the house ... but she goes crazy on the beach."
Who's the boss?: "Me, definitely. We got a dog shrink for her - a dog behaviour consultant - because she was keeping us awake at night. We found out amazing things, such as the fact that sharpeis are pack animals. Because we fed her before we had our dinner, she thought she was 'top dog' in the house. We got a few tips, such as our having dinner before she does."
We tell the dog: "Stop scratching!"
The dog tells us: "Bring me to the beach."
SANDY
Breed: Soft-coated Irish wheaten terrier pup.
Owners: Stephen McCann and Seamus (age 3).
Who's the boss? "Errr ... probably the wife, who's at home. We try not to overindulge her. She's great fun, but keeps nibbling at Seamus's ankles."
We tell the dog: "Stop!"