William Blake wrote of a tiger burning bright in forests of the night, TS Eliot celebrated the many personalities of cats, while Robert Burns, of course, paid tribute to a wee, sleekit, cowran, tim'rous beastie.

And from dog lover Rudyard Kipling came a poetic warning to anyone contemplating opening their home to a four-legged friend: “Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware,” he wrote, “Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.”

Too late. For the first Pet Poet Laureate, Russell Jones, has already given his heart to his English Springer Spaniel, Pakkun, a gun dog who was scared of guns and who is about to help provide the inspiration for a series of ten new poems which celebrate the comfort, companionship and sheer joy of pets.

National pet charity, Blue Cross, has named Jones, 34, as its official Pet Poet Laureate, a year-long role in partnership with the British Poetry Society, that will see him pen a series of poems about pets and the influence and impact they have on people’s lives.

The Edinburgh-based writer and poet beat 20 other shortlisted poets to take the title after penning a touching poem, A Tempest, which reflects upon the struggles of an abandoned cat, Ella, and her homeless kittens.

He is now preparing to craft a series of animal-inspired poems covering themes relating to pets and their owners, from how pets impact children’s development to the role pets played in the First World War.

Jones, the author of five published collections of poems, said the role offers a chance to explore the impact animals have on our lives through a revitalised medium which is often linked to emotions.

“Poetry is enjoying a resurgence, people are watching a one or two minute poem on YouTube and discovering how therapeutic it can be,” he said.

“Poetry is particularly relevant at quite emotional times in our lives, whether it’s a funeral, a wedding or a birth.

“We often mark time or important occasions in our lives with poetry. And our pets are a very emotional part of our lives.

“When they pass away or a new pet comes into our lives, it’s like losing or welcoming a family member.”

He adds: “For a lot of people, their only companion is their pet.

“They are there when we learn about death as children. The loss of a pet is a way to learn how to accept or cope with loss, so there are a lot of emotions tied up with owning a pet.

“That’s why poetry is such a good medium for talking about pets.”

Jones said his own pet, Pakkun, will be by his side helping to provide inspiration for his role as Pet Poet Laureate.

“He was a gun dog who was scared of guns. My girlfriend and I were going to have a look at him. She said ‘don’t make a decision straight away’, but as soon as we saw him we knew we had to have him.

“He is the friendliest dog ever. I spend my days at home writing, and if I didn’t have him I would be quite isolated and probably six stones heavier.”

His poem particularly impressed the panel of judges which included The Poetry Society, with its warm message and wave-like quality.

It describes mother cat Ella and her kittens being separated, then rescued and finally reunited by Blue Cross, and moved on to the ‘new worlds’ of a rehoming centre to begin a new chapter in their lives.

Julia McKechnie-Burke, Fundraising, Marketing and Communications Director at Blue Cross, said the Pet Poet Laureate role was created to champion the impact pets have on people’s lives.

“We wanted to tap into the exploding world of poetry, which is already undergoing a renaissance and reaching increasingly diverse audiences, to demonstrate our mission in an interesting and exciting way that has never been done before,” she added.

Jones, who had a list of pets as a child that included a gerbil, cockatiel, mice, fish, tortoise, cat and a budgie, said he is already planning a poem inspired by his dog. “It will be about how he has changed my life. My life was quite isolated before he came along. Now I take him to the pub, book shops, poetry readings and events.

“He is a very literary dog.”

Julia Bird, Projects Manager at The British Poetry Society said, “Pets have already left a clear pawprint in bardic history from the pens of poetry greats including T S Eliot who marvelled at the ‘terpsichorean powers’ of cats and Elizabeth Barrett Browning who noted the ‘loyal cheer’ of dogs.

“With pets so prominent in society and many households considering them part of the family, it is appropriate and exciting for a new poetic voice to step in and respond to how we see our furry friends today.”

She said the winning poem, the Tempest, offered “striking imagery, clever leaps of language and voice, and powerful insights about pets and our relationships with them”.

Jones’s work will be shared on Blue Cross’s website and social channels, where details of public appearances and new material will be published throughout the year.

A Tempest

- for Ella (“Beautiful Fairy”)

Cast away, nursing futures,

mottled shells spilled

on bare shores.

Ella, hold them close,

listen to those tiny oceans

roar, sail fast with hope beyond

hope. Who knows what storms

you navigate or divine.

Be not afraid,

this isle is full

of distant mews, incantations

and leviathans. A blue cross

cuts the squall. You will wake

to your babes lapping, think

of new worlds.