Minnie-Frances

Minnie-Frances was the reincarnation of Florence Nightingale, I’m sure of it! She was a nurse first and a pug second. If anyone was ever ill in the family she would be by their side nursing them, by giving them bed baths (head to toe pug breath licks) and becoming a hot water bottle with a pulse. She was the perfect companion you needed when you were well or sick. 13 years ago my dad became ill and was on palliative care with the hospice at home. Minnie was there till his final breath and actually barked at him right before he passed. I swear she knew and was telling him it’s okay. Minnie was a rescue pug. We got her at 9 months old and she was with us till she was 15. She is the reason I have a huge love of pugs and she will always be remembered and missed.

Gorgeous deaf old boy. Always shouted when he got excited playing with a toy. So affectionate.

Cookie was a gift that found his way to us exactly when we needed him most. Once unwanted, he came into our lives and filled our home with eight years of loyalty, laughter, and quiet understanding. From the very beginning, with two tiny children and a busy household that moved around allot (husband is in the Military); he settled in as if he had always belonged.

He was such a funny boy, full of his own quirks. Water never interested him; rivers, the sea, all ignored! Unless he believed one of us was in danger. I’ll never forget a day in Dedham. He was watching me try paddle boarding for the first time. The moment I first I fell in, Cookie didn’t hesitate. He jumped straight into the water and swam to me, all heart and bravery.

He wasn’t one for fetch either- unless Graeme joked that he “wasn’t a normal dog.” Then, suddenly, Cookie would prove him wrong- fetching like a champion, as if to say he understood every word.

But more than anything, Cookie was my best friend. He felt everything with me, sitting close, crying with me, comforting me without needing to be asked. He was pure love, an angel in our lives, and his absence has left a space that can never truly be filled.
RIP

Florence, our dear standard issue tabby – anything but standard,

Fraggle was the funniest little girl who came to me at the age of 2 from a family that no longer wanted her. She was an absolute loveable disaster in terms of all of the situations she got herself into over the years – cost me an absolute fortune. But I wouldn't have had it any other way! She was full of life and fun, always involving herself in non-dog activities like yoga or gardening. One of her favourite places was the Fraggle-sized hole she dug under my rosemary and lavender in the garden, where she'd lie in wait for the neighbourhood cats who always got the better of her. She absolutely loved a snuggle too and loved nothing more than getting cosey with me on the sofa. Fraggle saw me through the hardest days of my life. She was my best friend and my soul dog. I will always miss the sound of her tippy taps at home. Princess Fraggle Baggle Woo Woo of Colchester 2005-2023.