She was aware that she'd be bucking nature - on the whole, dogs don't do devious very well - but the challenge appealed to her.

The first thing she did was to steal a fish from a fisherman's bag, believing that presenting this as a gift would enable her to at least catch the cat's attention, because most dogs understand the nature of bribery.

They also understand the total allure of food and the hand that feeds them, historically not biting said hand.

Unfortunately, being a dog she made the fundamental error of not distinguishing between the fresh fish in the angler's bag and the tin of sardines his wife had told him to pick up as he passed the shops.

But the cat 'kind-of' appreciated the gesture, and immediately took the can to The Guardian of the Sacred Opener, who smiled vaguely, opened the can, and fed a biscuit to the happy little dog.

This was the beginning of the Cunning Cat's and Devious Dog's friendship, mentoring, and education into the dark arts of the animal kingdom.