Let's just say that there were more bitches outside the ring than there ever were inside." The dogs were, according to King, totally exploited.

"I have always been a dog owner. I don't know any other way of life. We have eight dogs at home. Through the ongoing awareness programmes of Paws, the Animal Sanctuary and the DSPCA I began to realise that how many unfortunate creatures were in need of good homes. All the canines in our household are rescue dogs."

The roll call of rescues includes Daisy-Belle, the last of her family's bearded collies and Scruffy, who has been with them at least 12 years. "There's Sykes, who's my favourite, he's is a mallet-headed black and white fella who thinks he's a pit bull and we haven't the heart to tell him otherwise; there's JJ McNamara, named after Frank McNamara and Theresa Lowe's youngest, because he's cute and reminded me of his mischievous ways; Jilly Pop is a little darling who's aligned herself with the mammy of the house. She's too intelligent for words and would buy and sell you given half the chance.

"Bertie Ahern is a mongrel, who was nearly knocked down by a car in front of us and was left cowering on a street corner. We said we'd take him in until we could find his owner, famous last words in our house. We've recently taken in another fella, a wiry little pooch who's been christened Peanut, who was deliberately strayed by someone. He was bone-thin and ravenous when we found him." The latest addition to their canine clan is Rosie Kinnity, who was purchased on behalf of a family friend who then couldn't take her.

"A pet is a life commitment . . . sometimes it's hard work but it's also a labour of love. I don't consider feeding my children a chore so neither do I consider feeding and looking after my dogs one. You simple schedule them into your life.

"Every night they are treated to a home-cooked meal. The menu varies between a heart, liver and kidney bake and sausages and rashers, which are served with a [dog] biscuit base and a couple of cans of Pedigree Chum. A well-fed dog is not only nourished on the inside but it is also apparent on the outside. Some of the dogs sleep with me, " confesses King.

"Bertie Ahern is a favourite of my daughter Naomi's and sleeps on her bed while Rosie Kinnity and Jilly Pop like to sneak up onto mine."

Dogs are very smart. "I remember a dog we had called Jane, who was able to go downstairs in the morning and switch on one bar of the electric heater with her paw. She also figured out that by using one of her paws to hold the bag of dry cereal in position she could open it and pour herself a bowl of breakfast."

For King, being a dog owner is a way of life that brings its own rewards. "I saw this fella walking down Grafton Street during a break in rehearsals for Dirty Dusting recently. He was a mad auld fella, most of us would consider him for the birds, but he had this old mutt with him, who looked at him with such love and adoration. He didn't know if he was a prince or a pauper and it didn't matter a whit to him that he wasn't the former.

He just knew how loved he was and that was enough for him."

Bringing up your children with pets is a wonderful way to teach them how to care for something, to groom it, walk it, talk to it, feed it and realise that it relies on you, claims King. "It also introduces children to the circle of life. My kids have seen a lot of death through the birds, cats and dogs who have passed away.

Each passing is given the respect it deserves . . . there's a beautiful ceremony with candles and a lying in state with them wrapped in their favourite blanket. We cry and cry and cry until we gradually we get over it." And find room in their lives for yet another stray.

"There is no such thing as a dumb dog, only a dumb owner, " believes King. "Dogs are better able to judge the character of people than humans are. With a pet pooch you get 365 days a year of love and reward. We idolise our dogs, for me they're part of our lives. But I don't molly-coddle them. They are treated with dignity but there is a clearly defined line between the humans and the animals in our home."

King says she doesn't trust anyone who doesn't like dogs.

"That means there is great expectations on any fella calling . . . love me love my dogs."

'Dirty Dusting' starring Twink runs at the Gaiety until 18 March "Owning a dog means unconditional love at arm's reach 24/7" Graham Cruz, stylist "Christy is five years old, I think. He's a pure-bred Staffordshire bull terrier, with a black and white diamond on the back of his neck and a white line up the centre of his face. My flatmate Leanne and I got him from the Galway Animal Rescue Centre (www. egar. org) three years ago. For us, it was love at first sight. He bounded across the room towards me and jumped into my lap."

Leanne and Graham both have very different relationships with Christy. "I'm top dog as it were, I'm the alpha male. We play like boys and rough each other up. We go for long walks, play football together. Christy is more affectionate with Leanne and likes to spend hours asleep on her lap." He even climbs into her bed at the weekends if given the chance, says Cruz.

Christy needs three walks a day. Each week Leanne and Graham sit down with their work schedules and plan their working weeks around his walks. "If I'm on a shoot all day I will walk him before I go on location and then Leanne will come home at lunchtime to walk him and I'll take him out again in the evening. I like to take him across to the Phoenix Park in the evenings. The walks are also great exercise . . . they take almost two hours a day."

Before being adopted by Graham and Leanne, Christy had spent six months in the rescue centre living with other dogs and ruled the roost. "He had no discipline. He also liked to stand on the arms of our sofa, climbing onto the uppermost part of the couch, which was his way of asserting his authority and showing us he was top dog. Dogs are pack animals. You need to understand what he's doing and learn how to manipulate him. We employed a dog training service, where a lady comes round to your house and teaches your dog in his own environment. Two hours costs 80 and enlightens you to what is going on in his head."

Christy is very playful, affectionate and cheeky. "I didn't want to overdo the training; I like his boisterousness and his personality, his ability to chance his arm. I didn't want a dog that would be a robot. Our roles feel like parents but we know he is definitely a dog. I don't treat him with kid gloves. If he gets into a fight with a cat then he has to get himself out of it . . . he's tough."

For Cruz, the biggest expense of owning a pet is time. "I don't understand people who go to work all day and leave their dog indoors and then spend the evening on the sofa. Why get a dog if you don't want to hang out with him? He's going to get lonely and bored. Christy is my best mate, I chat to him all day and he gets involved in the discussions in his own way. Christy has changed my life. I don't know what I used to do before I had him . . . I've no idea how I filled my time. I love hanging with my puppy, even watching TV together is a different experience."

Owning a dog means unconditional love at arm's reach 24/7, says Cruz. "He's never in a bad mood with you and no matter how crap your day's been there is always a lick on the ear when you come home."

"Having a dog makes you think of someone other than yourself" Jen Kelly, couturier Silver is a Siberian husky. He's six and a big part of Jen Kelly's life. "In the mornings, my wake-up call is a big paw or a wet nose. My priority is to get Silver out for the first of his daily promenades, usually a run down Dollymount Strand. Generally, we're driving against the traffic so by the time we get back into town it's about 10am. These walks are great for clearing the head from the day-to-day stresses and strains of running your own business. A dog's needs are simple, they help humanise you. You get out, get the fresh air, lift your head up and face the day."

Dublin is not dog friendly, says Kelly. "As the dog is going to the toilet, passers-by are already pursing their lips in disgust and remarking that they hope you're going to clean up after you before he's even finished his business. It can feel condescending and contradictory when there is evidence of human excrement and vomit all over the city. We always pick up. We carry a pooper scooper, the disposable kind so it's as hygienic as possible, when out walking. Irresponsible owners irritate me and give us all a bad name. Dog excrement is unhygienic and dangerous to children."

Jen Kelly has never been without a dog. "I can't understand a family without a dog. They've always played such a central role in my life. Having a dog makes you think of someone other than yourself. They give you so much love and lend your life focus and fun.

"Silver is part of the family but he is still a pet. Yes he is a little spoiled. My partner has been known to slip into Gucci and made the odd purchase for him. But the designer collar only comes out if we're going to a southside party."

Silver is relatively low maintenance but he does go to the hairdressers. "Gwen at the vet clinic in Dun Laoghaire washes and blow-dries his coat and it takes years off him. He feels good when his coat is shining and enjoys all the flattery and attention he gets from it."

Having a dog keeps you fit physically and emotionally. "Silver is very noble, very controlled, and sometimes I have to beg him for a kiss. He is very much his own dog. He's like a good lover . . . he doesn't give it to you all the time. It's so disarming.

Even the roughest guy on the street softens when they see Silver. He is absolutely a man's dog."

"The downside to dog ownership is the seriously unglamorous task of picking up after them" Aishling Crowley Model Aishling Crowley lives at home with her two dogs, Molly and Mikey. "They're rescue dogs, so technically they're mongrels but their mother was a pure-bred Tibetan terrier. They were only two months old when we got them and absolutely tiny." Both dogs came with their unique personalities. "Molly is bold, brassy and an attention-seeker while Mikey is very quiet and shy and frightens easily. They are like two members of our family, two little people."

Crowley also talks to them both. "I tell them about my day and it feels like they tell me about theirs."

Are her pooches pampered? "They get groomed. Their hair is washed and cut and their nails are clipped. It is nothing special and certainly their preening is underprivileged when compared to what celebrities put their pet dogs through. I think it's unfair when celebrities like Geri Halliwell and Paris Hilton carry their dogs around in their handbags. The loud noises and cameras must bother them. It's unreasonable to tote them around like an extra accessory."

As a model, the relationship between fashion designers and their dogs is something Crowley can appreciate. "I understand how a dog could be great company if you're working alone in a studio all day and I can see their attraction to talents like Philip Treacy and Matthew Williamson.

Crowley is also studying at Kings Inns to become a barrister and is interested in a ruling recently passed in France where it is considered inhumane to house your dog in an apartment all day. "The law errs on the extreme side as you can now be penalised if you don't walk your dog twice a day." Extreme maybe but Dublin is still nowhere near as dog friendly as fashion capital Paris, where canines can congregate in restaurants and are even offered water bowls while their owners dine.

"My dogs are great company if I'm in the house on my own.

They make me feel safe and scare away any potential burglars.

I also feel completely secure when I take them for a walk every evening. They don't like to travel by car so our excursions are fairly local. Their daily constitutional is about 40 minutes . . . that's all they're able for. Molly has one foot that's shorter than the other three so that's as much exercise as she can take a day.

"The downside to dog ownership and to walking them is the seriously unglamorous task of picking up after them. I use disposable pooper scoopers."

Having a dog is a big responsibility. "They need to be fed and watered daily. Their welfare is important. They're also a really important part of our family. They get presents at Christmas and on their birthdays. Sometimes they even reciprocate and have even been known to send Valentine's cards!"

"Dog ownership is time consuming. I no longer feel my life is totally my own" Sarah Doyle, photographer Sarah Doyle got Penny, her black cocker spaniel puppy, as a Christmas present from her boyfriend. "We always had dogs growing up. They were a vital part of our household and definitely have enriched our lives.

"For me, Penny's energy, freshness, her mannerisms, her enthusiasm, the joy she takes in things, is like therapy. Working in fashion can make you very jaded and cynical. Her puppy stages and her unconditional love, the fact that she's always delighted to see me . . . there isn't anyone else in your life that you can say that about all the time."

Doyle likes to go out for a run or a walk in the evenings to shake off the day but having been mugged three times while living in London she just doesn't feel safe on her own. "Penny is my own personal guard dog, and she gets her daily exercise into the bargain."

Doyle is also a cat person, with three felines, Minca, Shelly and Blackie, who are six and seven years old. "The cats and dog conform to type in that they don't get on. The cats have zero tolerance for Penny's puppy antics. In fact, she doesn't even register on their radar. All she is to them is a complete and utter irritant, an upset in their home life balance."

To date training has been a bit of a disaster, admits Doyle.

"I haven't been able to get her into a class and am now considering some one-to-one tutoring from a pet psychologist.

"Dog ownership is time consuming. Since I got Penny I no longer feel my life is totally my own but that also anchors me.

It also makes me realise I'm not a big fan of responsibility but the payback is great and I feel guilty if I'm away from her too much. This puppy was not just for Christmas . . . she's for life."