Dogs
Alan Jones' nickname by people locally is Alan Dogs or Dogsey. This is because he is rarely seen alone, and almost always has his pet dog by his side. His first dog was Sheba an English Bull Terrier bitch. He then had Jasper a West Island White Terrier. Now he has Dylan who is a 5 years old Sealyham Terrier.
Sealyham Terriers
Sealyham Terriers in 1960's were once associated with the rich and famous. Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor for the Independent wrote that the Sealyham Terriers have been associated with the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor, Alfred Hitchcock, Princess Margaret and Cary Grant.
However since the 1960's the Sealyham Terrier is fast becoming a rare breed. This is because they are not now synonymous with celebrities and there are less and less breeders of these terriers. On average there used to be 1000 Sealyham puppies a year being registered with the Kennel Club. In 2008 they only reported 43.
Dylan
Alan did not realise at first how such a rare breed the Sealyham Terrier was until Dylan his dog generated a lot of attention by taking him out and from reading newspaper reports on their dwindling numbers. Alan as with most dog owners simply just adored him for being him.
Alan sees Dylan being also rare in his nature as he such a character. He constantly wants attention and to play. However it is also due to this boisterousness he is a little stubborn as Alan needs to reprimand a few times before he stops being naughty i.e. chewing the furniture, rubbing himself on the radiator.
Dylan loves cats. He will watch for hours and hours cats without barking at them or approaching as if waiting for them to say hello first. Also when Alan takes him to the local pub he makes sure he is the centre of attention by sitting on his bum in the middle of the room with paws up tilting his head (as you can see in the picture below). If this does not work he will sit by people's feet or do other tricks.
Alan mostly takes Dylan out for a walk as he is a bit too strong and heavy for Alan's partner Susan. Although Sealyham terriers are small dogs they are surprisingly strong and heavy. Sealyham terriers can weigh over 2 stone. However sometimes Susan will go with Alan on a walk with Dylan. However they noticed that if Susan takes the lead and Dylan is going up a steep hill he will pull Susan along. With Alan he has never pulled him. It is as if he is being chivalrous to Susan but cheeky to Alan.
Prison Pets
Alan even had pets in prison when he served the sentence for smuggling. In Los Rosales prison, in Ceuta he befriended a rat who he affectionately called Bob. Before Bob showed up Alan used to hate rats. However Alan found Bob a great help to take his mind off his agonising injuries when he spent 2 weeks in solitary confinement in the bowels of Ceuta prison. He also gave Bob tit bits of his food even though he was given very small portions to eat himself and was absolutely starving.
In Cordoba prison Alan had pet cats also. The prison guards allowed cats to be in the prison as part of a free pest control for the rats.
In Carabanchel mental hospital Alan also had a kitten. She was born to one of the cats that wandered the halls. Alan named her Marrakech as her colouring reminded Alan of the sand in Morocco. Alan adored Marrakech as she was so affectionate. She also aided Alan in getting the patients to confide in him their feelings and concerns. As when they stroked her it seemed to have a calming influence on them which eased them to talk.
Sources:
http://www.completedogsguide.com/dog-breeds/Sealyham-Terrier/
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/pets/news/final-cut-for-hollywoods-favourite-dog-1546389.html
