Me and My Guide Dog, ITV - TV review: We saw the huge positive impact these dogs have

The Reed family credit dog Totem with helping their autistic son Adam speak and laugh for the very first time

The feel-good appointment of the evening: Me and My Guide Dog on ITV

The feel-good appointment of the evening, however, was Me and My Guide Dog on ITV, which followed the fortunes of 10 very cute puppies, born and bred for a special purpose.

This was the 22nd and last litter of renowned stud Kane, whose offspring are spread all over the world. In Texas, for instance, every single guide dog on the state-wide breeding programme is a descendant of this one labrador.

As part of training, the dogs were fostered for a year by volunteers like the recently widowed Colin and dog-loving great-gran Jean, all of whom swore they wouldn't get too attached, and all of whom inevitably did. "The puppy snatcher's arrived! Don't let her in!" joked one foster-owner when the Guide Dogs for the Blind collection van turned up.

It's worth the heartache though, when we saw the huge positive impact these dogs go on to have. In Canada, the Reed family credit dog Totem with helping their autistic son Adam speak and laugh for the very first time, and then there was the most famous guide dog owner of them all, former Home Secretary David Blunkett: "There's an old adage, if you want a friend in politics, get a dog. Well, I've got a dog."