Vet Emma Hindson tells Joanne Bednall what it’s like to own a dog deemed ‘dangerous’ under breed specific legislation.

Emma, Zara, and Wilf at home.

Zara has a lovely, friendly temperament

For Emma Hindson, owning her first dog has not only proved to be a jumping-in-at-the-deep-end experience, but an emotional rollercoaster

The 29-year-old wasn’t allowed a dog as a child, but made up for it by volunteering with a local rescue centre at weekends while she was at university studying to be a vet.

It was here, 10 years ago, that Emma first met Zara, who’d become a real ‘boomerang dog’ after being rehomed - and brought back to the rescue - three times.

Over 18 months, Emma built a strong bond with the former stray, but it wasn’t love at first sight. “The first time I walked Zara, I thought she was a nightmare,” laughed Emma, who works at a small animal veterinary hospital in County Durham.

“Although she only weighed 25kg, she was strong and really pulled on her lead.”

But, naturally drawn to dogs who pose more of a challenge, Emma realised that Zara’s over-exuberance was simply down to a lack of basic training, and pure excitement at being out of her kennel.