A somewhat later than intended entry for this week's Sunday Challenge.

For this we were actually given several subjects to choose from, but in the end I opted to shoot anything to do with pets. This was given as an option because apparently April is National Pet month, or at least it is here in the UK.

So, why the tennis ball? Well, our youngest dog Sandy is barking mad when it comes to balls and loves nothing more than going over the nearby fields with me, the plastic launcher and a ball.

The trouble is that until recently his eagerness to play ball was costing us a small fortune as none of the ones that you get in the pet shops, which are supposedly intended for such purposes last for any length of time before falling apart.

Not sure if it's just him that's too hard on them or if they're simply not fit for purpose, but I've actually seen him destroy one of those balls on a single walk.

Anyway, I got to wondering if 'proper' tennis balls would be any good and so a few weeks back we went online and ordered up a set of 6 for £4.99, as opposed to the £2.99 for 3 usually charged for the others. And it has turned out to be a very wise move indeed as nearly a month later and he is still using the first ball.

So, if your dog goes through those pet shop balls as quickly as our Sandy then my advice is to try ordering some 'proper' tennis balls like the one pictured.

Please view on black for best effect.