‘Since I was a boy.’ Shelly tried to guess how old he was, but failed. A distant look came to his face. ‘She cocks her head and stares at me when I speak to her, like she’s saying, “Talk dog, will you, boss? I’m not a human, you know.”’ He laughed softly and scratched the top of her head. ‘She’s my companion, tripping hazard, hot water bottle, and the best friend a guy could have. If I’m not giving her enough attention, she pushes her head under my hand and peers up at me with her amazingly deep eyes telling me she wants to be fussed.’ His face lit up as he spoke. ‘And when I take my shoes and socks off, she licks my feet with her big, sandpaper tongue until I’m laughing out loud, then she steals a sock and races around with it. At least she used to.’ He turned to the dog, his voice went quiet. ‘What will I do when she’s gone? I want to . . .’ The rest of the sentence gave up trying to make it into the real world.

‘How terrible. I’ve never had a dog, tell me more.’

He glanced up, but hesitated for a moment. ‘We have an understanding, me and Pat. In the early days, she was a bundle of raw energy, but so was I. She ruined the furniture and woodwork. My poor mum . . .’ He glanced up at the sky with gentle eyes, then down again. A simple gesture that told Shelly his mum had passed away too. ‘My mum put up with a lot from the two of us. Yet she seemed to understand how important Pat became to me. In teaching the dog some discipline, I was teaching myself at the same time. Anyway, we helped each other along in those early days, and now, she’s all the family I have.’

They sat in silence again until Shelly made a suggestion. ‘I think you know what you must do if you really love her. Give her the best week of her life, then let her rest in peace.’

He stared at the paving slabs. ‘Yeah, sure. I wish it was as easy to do as it is to say. I can’t imagine life without my dog, she’s just, well, an extension of me. I was an only child, going off the rails a bit. Almost got expelled from school but then my parents, well my mum, got me this cute, sweet puppy from the animal shelter for my birthday. I simply fell in love with her. She changed my life, gave me a reason to get up in the morning, and I couldn’t wait to get back to her after school. She had six pups, they’re all still going strong. Two of them are guide dogs.’

Shelly heard the pride in his voice. ‘Then you should take her to see her children one last time.’