Sheila says “Doggy wasn’t mine to begin with; he belonged to my elder brother. I was probably only about two or three when I first saw Doggy, and I fell in love with him. I sneaked him into my bed that night, and gradually he just became mine. Hiding in bed with him that night is one of my earliest memories! He has been with me for more than 70 years now, but apart from a feeble attempt to repair his paw when I was a child, he has had no repairs. I had been thinking of getting him a makeover for a while, because he was in a very poor condition, with straw leaking out of his stuffing. I’m sad to say that for years I had kept him in a bag, in a drawer. Over lockdown I took him out, and decided that the time for surgery had come. He is looking very smart nowadays! Doggy’s future is assured, as my youngest daughter has asked me to pass him on to her. My oldest granddaughter became very emotional when she first saw Doggy, before his surgery, and was fascinated by the story of our 70-year relationship. She has asked my daughter to pass him on to her next. So Doggy will have a caring place in my family for many years to come.”