In loving memory of a loyal friend.

So, I’ve thought long and hard about whether to share this — a very intimate moment in my life — but ultimately, I feel I can make good of it, with your help…

Last Sunday I said goodbye to our family dog. Leaving my parents house after a Mother’s Day visit, I knew the next time I visited home he would be gone. At 16 and half years old he was beginning to suffer and the obvious choice was for him to put to sleep.

What could have been a more fitting day than Mother’s Day, to bid farewell to my first baby?

During those 16 years he’d shared so many of my adventures and milestones — from my first year of high school to my first year of motherhood — and although we lived apart in his final years (as I moved to London and he stayed in his comfortable home with my parents), I cherished the evenings back home where he would rest on my lap in front of the TV, or sleep on my bed at night.

Though I will miss his presence, I’m so glad that he had a long and happy life surrounded by love and family in a comfortable home.

Not all dogs are so lucky. Which is why I’m hoping to raise money in his memory for the brilliant charity Wetnose Animal Aid. Based in my home county of Norfolk, Wetnose Animal Aid help small shelters across the UK, including dog rescue centres.

I had the pleasure of meeting the Wetnose team, as they launched their annual Wetnose Day fundraiser last year, and they welcomed me like family. I really believe in what they do, and would love to use this as a chance to support them,

I’ve opened up a JustGiving page in Chaz’s memory (https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/wetnose-for-chaz), to help with raising much needed funds.

If you have a spare pound, please consider a donation. I want to spread the love in my heart that my little dog has given me, and do something good with it.

I made the above video 11 years ago, and I never would have dreamed I would have still had that crazy little guy this long. We truly have been lucky!

So please don’t feel sad, and know that no sympathy is needed here. I had a good friend for a long time, and his life was filled with love and comfort and family. There are so many dogs who don’t have this, and those are the ones we should feel sad for.

It was not a sad goodbye, the story in the photo is true. I said goodbye with a smile — because, hey, 16 is pretty good age for a dog — and I know he’s had a good life.

Want to pledge a donation?

• Visit my justgiving page here
• Learn more about Wetnose Animal Aid here.
• See why I support Wetnose Day here.