Real stories · Rain or not, the dog still needs walking

The dog doesn't care that it's raining — so I found a waterproof that keeps me dry without looking like a bin bag

Dry dog walks, in a coat that doesn't look like a bin bag — after this summer's weather, that's my idea of luxury. I'm 67, and Winnie has never once looked at the rain and decided we'd skip the walk. My options were an ancient anorak that rustled like a crisp packet and did me no favours whatsoever, or an umbrella — useless with a lead in one hand and a ball-thrower in the other.

What I wanted was simple: properly dry, hands free, and not embarrassed if I meet someone I know.

Then I found the Selvoria from a British label called York Boutique — a waterproof jacket, and I chose the soft slate blue, which is a genuinely pretty colour for something this practical.

It does the boring things brilliantly. The shell is properly waterproof — rain beads up and rolls straight off — and the hood actually stays up and keeps the drizzle off my glasses. But the clever part is that it's light and breathable, which is why I'm not clammy and overheated by the postbox the way the old anorak left me. And it's cut like a jacket rather than a tent: mid-length, shaped, with proper flap pockets for treats and keys, so it works for the school run and the market as well as the muddy field.

Properly waterproof with a decent hood, light and breathable so I'm not clammy by the postbox, and cut like an actual jacket — the rain gets on with its business and I get on with mine.

It has now done a fortnight of Yorkshire's finest weather: two properly wet mornings, endless drizzle, one downpour we sat out under a tree. Dry every time. My neighbour caught me at the gate mid-drizzle and said I looked 'far too put together for dog walking', which Winnie and I have chosen to take as a compliment. I did check before ordering that I could send it back if it disappointed — you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free — so there was nothing to lose.

It was £39.95 in the sale — I did pause at nearly forty pounds, until I realised it's the coat I'll wear more days than any other item I own. Half the usual £80. It comes in six colours and in sizes UK 8/10 all the way to 18/20, and it folds down small enough to live in the car for emergencies.

If your dog also doesn't believe in weather, do treat yourself to a look. The Selvoria is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 340 women, it's £39.95 in the sale instead of £80 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.