The best days of my life so far were with my dog Peggy. My mum got her from a rescue centre when she was only 3 months old. She was a black and tanned mongrel.

 I can remember running it home from school in eagerness to meet my new pet. Little would I know she would be so much more than a pet. She was my best friend and someone I could trust more than anything in the world.

 Me and my brother pestered my mum for years for her to get us a dog. I was born on the 23rd of April 1980 and it was not till the autumn of 1992 that we would receive Peggy. She was so fussy when I first met her she licked my face and made me laugh.

 Little would I know that the next few weeks would be agony for me. Peggy was so weak and had very little energy due to been left abandoned and out in the cold. We had to feed her with a syringe to try and get her energy up. One morning when I had to get up for school Dad told me that my mum had to rush Peggy to an emergency vet. I can remember crying thinking that she was going to die and I would never see her again.

 I rushed back at dinner time from school nervously for my mum to ring the vet and check how she was doing. A week would go by and my friends mum would give me a lift from school. Who would be in the back but my mum with Peggy she had made a remarkable recovery. She fussed all over me and licked my face.

 It was thanks to my mum that she got her to the vets quickly that we got to spend so many happy years together. I can remember whenever anything was bothering me Peg would know. We would sit on top of the landing and I would talk to Peg and she would never move. I felt much better for it to after speaking to her. I would also say good night to her before I went to bed and feel better to.

 She was so fast a long the ground she would run for hours. We would walk 14 miles to Rother Valley. She would run around that and still not be tired.

 I can remember mum never telling Dad she was going to get Peg. She just bought her back home, when my dad first saw her he said what’s that thing. Little would he know for the next 14 years she would be one of the most important things any of us would ever have.  

Peggy was a special lady and someone I could trust. I’m single and am 30 years old I only hope I can meet someone I cared about like I did for her. You know where you stand with animals and in my opinion they can be trusted far more than any human being.

The saying “she is a dog” is a term used to describe a woman has been ugly I hate this saying. Why should dogs get labelled has ugly they are wonderful creatures.   

She was family and someone we will never forget. We had to have her put down in the autumn of 2006 we all said our goodbyes. We have many pictures and many memories and they will never be forgotten.

I do believe in heaven and I know I will be reunited with her again one day. I just have things to do down here first things to make her proud. I just know the next time I see her she won’t be taken away.