Six years ago, when our beloved pooch Betty was but a small puppy, my wife took her into work at The London Evening Standard for a feature on dogs in the office. Being a cross between a Jack Russell (yappy, wilful) and a poodle (extremely intelligent), Betty’s a handful – but by all accounts she behaved herself admirably and the resulting article was well received, if readers’ letters were anything to go by.

These days pet-friendly workplaces are becoming much more common. From Dilyn the Downing Street rescue dog to Lillput, the Maltese terrier supermodel, dogs in the office are contributing to a more relaxed atmosphere, promoting interaction between staff members and helping break down barriers between the bosses and the rest of the staff. But remember, there are some “do’s and don’ts” when it comes to pets in the office (and some of the “don’ts” revolve around “do’s” if you take my meaning).

Still on the subjects of dogs and work, one workspace that was occupied by dogs before humans was space itself. Early Soviet missions used dogs to determine whether human spaceflight was possible. Humankind has gone far beyond that now, of course – and now space scientists are launching themselves into “zero gravity flight” to find out how it affects the human mind. Space scientist Elisa Ferre talks us through her flights on the “Vomet Comet”.

This week we’ve also been reading about why “boogies” in our nose are good for us, the danger of governments led by narcissists, and we’ve been providing some sound advice for students about to embark on their university careers. We’ve also published a series of articles about the climate crisis, which will be valuable reading in the run-up to the UN Climate Summit next week.

Meanwhile, from our colleagues around the world, why dreadlocks are feared in Nigeria and, from Australia, this beautifully written essay about the end of a long friendship.

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