Sugar, a white Maltese terrier, lives a life of luxury - Dame Elizabeth refuses to let the dog get about under its own steam, instead cradling her beloved pet in her arms.

Together forever: Dame Elizabeth and Sugar

Refused a pet passport to bring Sugar into the UK because the scheme only applies to animals from other European countries, the actress came close to calling off her trip to Buckingham Palace this week to be made a Dame of the British Empire.

And to avoid the pain of separation once Sugar shuffles off to doggie heaven, the eight-times married screen legend reportedly wants to clone her pet.

Scientists in Texas are already in the process of cloning a collie named Missy, funded by the dog's wealthy owners to the tune of �1.4m.

But it is not just the rich and famous who are prepared to go to such lengths to ensure their pets live on in perpetuity.

A Welsh dog lover hopes to bring his Labrador, Jack, back from the dead using the same technique that created Dolly the Sheep.

Businessman Simon White has already paid US scientists �500 to extract and store Jack's DNA, and will stump up a further �2,000 when the technology is ready in two years.

Creature comforts

Devoted pet owners go to great lengths to secure the comfort of their friends from the animal kingdom.

Our dogs are part of our family - they're our babies

Dog lover Carol Rivers

Horse and Hound editor Arnold Garvey made the papers this week after receiving a stern reprimand from airline officials for taking a puppy on a flight to Rome.

Although wrapped in a blanket and stowed in Mr Garvey's hand luggage, the seven-week-old Jack Russell escape en route and urinated on a passenger's newspaper.

Mr Garvey insisted that the dog was a present for his sister in Rome and therefore did not require a pet passport: "This dog was for export and I had all the necessary paperwork."

Business opportunity

Catering to the whims of over-indulgent owners who treat their pets like family members is a growth area for budding entrepreneurs.

Lucinda Lambton: Dedicated animal lover

West Yorkshire couple Jill and Masarat Aziz run a company that makes customised pet beds, ranging from a basic pine model up to a four-poster complete with a downy duvet for luxury-loving moggies.

The couple launched the company after making beds for their own pampered Persians, in a bid to stop the cats sharing with their asthmatic six-year-old son.

"We hardly ever see the cats now," Mrs Aziz said.

"They are always snuggled up in their own beds. Lilly loves the luxury of her four-poster while Smokey Joe sticks to his more basic model. Typical female and male really."

As the weather hots up, over-heated pooches need no longer "ruff it" in murky lakes and streams.

For a cool �20,000, a South Yorkshire couple splashed out on a heated swimming pool for their German shepherds.

One of the family

"It might seem a bit extravagant, but our dogs are part of our family," said dog lover Carol Rivers.

"We're just daft about them - they're our babies."

Even in death, the dearly departed of the animal kingdom receive the royal treatment at the home of the photographer and broadcaster Lucinda Lambton.

She commissioned a miniature Albert Memorial for a deceased mongrel called Flint, and her hallway is decorated with a 12-foot Gothic frame inscribed "Joyfully Barking in the Heavenly Chorus" in memory of five other dogs.

But even these grand tributes will pale in comparison to the lavish memorial Dame Elizabeth will surely demand for her canine soulmate.