When the email went out that the Dulux dog would be in the office, the softies amongst us here at the National Magazine Company quietly pencilled the date in our diaries and at 11 o'clock on the day there was a mad dash down to the lobby! The queues for the lifts were considerable and many took to the stairs, some doing two or three steps at a time. There were no injuries that I know of.

We have had so many celebs in the building since I have been here but I have never seen a crowd like the one that the Dulux doggie pulled in! He was gorgeous! When he got tired he just lay his paws out in front of himself and flopped down. His owner had a hairbrush and spray on standby to puff him up between shots and he sat there affably having journalists sling their arms around his neck for quite some time. Bless!

Oh, and why was he here? It's 50 years since Dulux began using the sheepdog in their ad campaigns. Apparently his debut was in a black and white TV ad in 1961 - 'The room set for the ad was fairly dull and unwelcoming (you can’t really do colour justice on black and white television),' Dulux explain. 'And it was thought that introducing a large, friendly, fluffy dog would make it look like a warmer, family environment.' Good move Dulux - fifty years later the doggie remains one of the UK's best-loved brand icons. I looked him up on YouTube and found him master of a Hollywood-style staircase lined with scantily-clad women wearing huge feather headdresses!

Feel truly honoured to have met him - this particular Dulux doggie is Spud, by the way...

Oh and talking of paint, see our hot colours for 2011 here.