As polling stations opened on Thursday morning for what is being billed as Britain’s most important General Election in a generation, social media became awash with pictures of people’s pet dogs.

The tradition of taking photos of puppies obediently waiting for their owners to vote at polling stations is a trend that has taken the internet by storm in recent elections thanks to the #dogsatpollingstations hashtag.

And, while the third general election in five years has prompted much political exhaustion, it’s safe to say the viral trend is warming people’s hearts everywhere. 

Police have been mulling the possible reasons for why someone would steal a dog poo bin from a seaside resort.

It was unscrewed from its mounting and taken at Fisherman’s Cove in East Portlemouth, Devon sometime between Tuesday or Wednesday.

“Over the years I’ve investigated many crimes,” said a police spokesman. “Some interesting, some not so. This one is up there on the [interesting] list.”

Officers are looking for leads to locate the bin, “but not its contents”.

Pet owners have been warned that luxury food brands can be worse than cheaper varieties for their animal after a range of dog treats went on sale at twice the price of prime steak.

The Lily’s Kitchen range of liver dog treats costs £3.99 for a 40g packet, the equivalent of £99.75 per kilogram.

That compares to a price of £44 per kg for a top-of-the range steak from a top class butcher, or even less from a supermarket.

The price of the Lily’s Kitchen Truly Natural Little Liver dog treats was described as “outrageous” by the consumer magazine Which?

It said: “Would you ever have thought that dog food could be pricier than a good-quality juicy steak. At that price, maybe we should give the steak to the dog and eat the treats ourselves.”

Australian researchers separated three dogs from their owners, strapped  heart monitors on them and then watched what happened when they were reunited.

They found that despite beating at different rates, their heartbeats followed the same pattern.

Each dog’s heart rose and fell with its master’s.

Researcher Mia Cobb, of Melbourne’s Monash University, said: “I was impressed at how much they came together. The fact that they shared patterns so closely surprised me. This kind of effect of experiencing a lowered heart rate makes a significant difference to our overall wellbeing. If we can decrease our heart rate by hanging out with our animals, that’s something that can really benefit the community.”

Fellow researcher Dr Craig Duncan said: “Stress is a major killer in today’s society and, as we get busier and busier, it is something that is really important for us to try to help with. The Hearts Aligned project aims to show how pet ownership can help us positively deal with the stressors of everyday life.”