I can still remember the day that this mad 5 month old nutter quite literally leapt into our lives, five months old and the biggest lump who decided her paws were going everywhere whether you liked it or not! We got Lucy from someone who was moving into a flat, after pestering my stepdad for months on how we wanted a dog but he always said no. The day we picked her up, I had my then toddler cousin asleep on one side and then Lucy sprawled on the other!! We introduced her to everyone and like us they fell in love with her.

Lucy wasn't without her issues, and there were a few times that scared me, but with a lot of love, care, attention and the fact she demanded cuddles lol, this beautiful princess eventually calmed down. As she grew, she was just like a teenager but only about 15 years younger, and had us all wrapped round her little claws. Lucy absolutely loved being taken to my mum and stepdad's business, and, just like at home, she ruled the roost and had everyone following her every command!

She loved to drink milky tea, and for some weird reason LOVED guinness, I've never figured that one out!! Lucy truly was my best friend, and I told her so many secrets and cried so many tears into her while she licked me, cuddled me and loved me. If we took her for walks, you didn't take her. Told you she ruled the roost!! But despite her bossiness and at times stubborness, she was the most beautiful, gentle, loving Belgian Shepherd ever. I will never forget the last few weeks with my angel. One of my fears was not being there when her number was finally called, as I lived hundreds of miles away at the time. The final weekend I had with her I will cherish forever. The weekend started as per normal,with me and Lucybell downstairs at 3am when I finished work, that was our time. On the Monday before I travelled back home, I remember I had the laptop on my knee sitting on the floor, Lucybell came over and kept nudging the laptop off because she just wanted cuddles! She seemed weak then, and I truly believe that she knew in her heart that that was the final time I would ever see her. Anyway, the week went by and no concerns, the following weekend I didn't come home as I was off work. The weekend after I thought everything was okay. We went in the house and mum and stepdad sat me down, stepdad said we needed to talk. As soon as he started sobbing, he told me, and I ran to the back door crying out for Lucybell, they had to usher me inside and I could just feel my heart breaking and my world falling apart. Lucy had died on the Tuesday of that week, it turned out when she was moving her legs like a greyhound she wasn't dreaming, it turned out she was paralysed and it was nerve movements. It broke my heart that we never even realised, but my parents told me they couldn't break my heart over the phone not when I was hundreds of miles away at the time.

There's a lot of regrets I have about Lucy, things I could have done better, and I wish I had one more day to tell her just how much she meant to me. Nearly two years later and I still cry a lot, it's still extremely raw and painful. It sounds stupid, but I write Lucy letters, kind of like therapy in a way. May 4th 2010 was the day I lost my beautiful angel and the best friend I will never forget ever ever.

Babygirl, thank you for twelve amazing years, love you always and forever from Bifferly xxxxxxx