Swollen faced dogs

Just spent the weekend in Devon with the fabulous Grant family. Emma (Grant) is my best friend of 22 years. I didn't exactly name my daughter after her, but it helped.. I don't think I know any horrible people called Emma, come to think about it. Not that it necessarily puts you off a name: I loved Margaret, you see, despite the famous, horrible one. Little Emma loved her weekend in the country. We even came home with a new friend for her - Mumps, a dog on wheels we picked up at Yew Tree antiques in Wiveliscombe, so-called because of his disproportionately large head and jowls. We paid 65 quid for it, sucked in by the 'Antique' moniker. It probably isn't at all, but put together in a back room from recycled materials by some geezer chuckling to himself. On our return I was hoping to find a crop of messages along the lines of "yes please, we'd love to rent a three bedroom house in Tooting, while you muck about a la Suisse for 2 years" but it wasn't to be. Where have all the renters gone? Back to Mum and Dad's probably, while they squirrel away pocket money for their first house purchase. Hateful hounds (no offence, Mumps.)