We're just back from an afternoon of sifting through ash with Alan, looking for bone fragments, but probably more importantly, talking shit while we did so, to try to keep him sane. It was a horrible job, with the bone fragments being tiny. The largest piece we found was probably about three inches, and that was rare. Most bits were less than a centimetre long, but we were determined to give him as much to lay to rest as we could find. We believe we found all three dogs, two under the bed and one in the shower tray.
He has closure now, and doesn't have to spend his mornings trying to call them home, but no-one wanted it to end this way. Thanks to you all for your support.