On Wednesday, 24th December, Pepe will have been dead three months. Not a day has gone by in that time when I haven’t thought about him. We got him on Christmas Eve 1993, and when I found his Christmas stocking among the decorations a couple of weeks ago we decided to hang it, as usual, on the corner of the mantelpiece. We will all think about him on Christmas Day, especially since this will be the first Christmas without him for a very long time. Marie and James had a lovely photograph of him curled up asleep enlarged and framed for our wedding anniversary and this also now has pride of place above the mantelpiece.

How one little mongrel dog brought a whole family so much happiness is almost beyond belief – but he did and we celebrate his life.