“I LOVE DOGS!” says Ava, who desperately wants a dog. Any dog. Tall, small, saggy or waggy. Every day, she asks her parents for a dog and is told they need a lot of looking after. Dogs are forever, not just for Christmas. Just like her Papa’s big baggy knitted jumpers.

Believing she will never get a dog, Ava makes one out of recycled junk, but it can’t eat or walk. When its newspaper tail falls off, Ava spies a photo of sad dogs at the DOGGY DEN, a rehoming centre.

Once there, Ava sees dogs of all shapes and sizes, but the one she loves most is Max, a big, sad dog who has had five names and six homes, and just longs to be loved.

Their adventure together is about to begin.