Politicians and their Pets: Ash Regan and Lexie

The community safety minister and SNP MSP for Edinburgh Eastern introduces us to Lexie.

Breed? 

Rough collie, otherwise known as a Lassie dog.

Age?

Two.

How long have you had her? 

Since she was eight weeks old. I first saw her in a photo, when she was about four or five weeks old, and I thought she was absolutely adorable. She’s actually a bit of a dog-share with my SNP colleague Maree Todd [the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport] as she walks her for me.

Where did you get her? 

She came from a local breeder.

What can she do? 

She’s reasonably good at following basic commands but can also impress with some of her more advanced skills, such as spin, play dead and roll over. 

What do you love about her? 

She’s so beautiful and fluffy.

What special talents does she have?

She’s particularly adept at stealing food and is also good at protecting the garden from squirrels.

What’s her best trick?

Opening drawers in the kitchen. She opens them up and takes things out – she’s always looking for a ball to play with. 

What are her most annoying habits? 

Barking at squirrels while fulfilling her duty of protecting the garden from them. She doesn’t hurt them or chase them – she just barks.

What’s the worst thing she’s done?

I can’t think of anything – she’s generally pretty well behaved.

Do you think of yourself as a pet parent or pet owner? 

A pet parent.

What’s the most ridiculous thing you have bought or done for your pet? 

I bought her a very large stock of raw food. It was frozen and there was so much of it that it took up the entire freezer.

What’s your first pet or animal-related memory? 

Seeing our new puppy for the first time when I was six years old. She was a rough collie like Lexie – it was the 1980s and they were very much in vogue then. She was called Tanya and she was the best dog ever. 

What was the first pet you ever had? 

A rabbit, although I don’t remember much about it other than it was white.

If you could be any animal what would you be? 

A dolphin. They seem intelligent and to be having fun.