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Milo has taken the best cushion on the family sofa, following a quiet but significant change in household policy.

Dad had previously declared the dog “absolutely not allowed on the sofa”. That position became harder to maintain last month, when he bought Milo a blanket for it.

“It’s only temporary,” Dad insists.

Three weeks later, the arrangement remains in place. Milo has the prime seat, while Dad now sits in the armchair. The blanket has, at least, made the new division of furniture look rather deliberate.

There is a familiar family story here: a firm rule, a small exception and, eventually, a dog with better seating than the person who made the rule.

For the moment, Dad’s original position survives in quotation marks. Milo’s position is on the cushion. Whether the two can ever be reconciled remains an open question.