After battling through peritonitis and pneumonia, the RSPCA decided they would be better off in a proper home where they would get 24hr care.

So, with the support and help of my boss at the time and my family they came to live with me, on site at the Horse Charity NEDS. (National Equine Defence Society).

Meg had a wire cable fetish, all were fortunately unplugged at the time. I think she was a cat in a previous life and secretly had nine lives. She soon managed to kick the habit. Her only other interest was white cats!! She would sit and watch Amy, the whitest cat on the yard, constantly, following her everywhere.

Hence the possible previous life idea.

Anyway….

After a couple of years it was clear Megs mum needed a one-dog family. Not the 7 that lived at the charity. So she was rehomed, to a more suitable home, for

Some well deserved R & R.

When Meg and I moved to Scotland, we made new friends in Tara and Charlie (GSD’s) and another Meg (Border collie).

Meg would come with me to stable yards to help house sit and run Highland Pony Stud Yards, along the way meeting many new friends.

But when I began work for the RSPCA, she really came into her own.

I used to bring orphaned puppies and kitten’s home to hand rear, hourly feeds and little sleep were soon made easier when Meg decided to mother them, she even started to produce milk, and came to find me when they cried. A real Lassie wanna be.

Nothing fazed her and I am sure she had a smile on her face the whole time.

The years went by and we moved around a bit, my children were born and Meg had to learn to fit in with a new lifestyle, which she did with ease.

Then at 13years Meg started with arthritis in her back legs, then her sight and hearing began to fail, but she still ran rings around our other dog Flynn, 7 years younger.

At 14 years old I started to take Meg to OAP checks at the vets, to hopefully get a heads up on any conditions that strike in old age. I recommend this to anyone with a veteran pet. Nothing to cause concern ever showed in her results.

At 15 years old, now completely deaf, she slipped off a wall 4 inches high, breaking a toe. This never healed due to the arthritis, but after a few months rest she was skipping around like a 2 year old again, in between naps that were becoming longer and longer.

But then in 2006, she suddenly, almost over night looked tired and old, and had begun to loose weight. However, as I was preparing for the inevitable in January 2007 she sprang back to life with the arrival of our chocolate Labrador Harley.

Meg took Harley under her wing and showed her the ropes. Just like with the kittens and puppies years ago. It was so nice to see Meg play again.

Three months after getting Harley, sadly, at 17 years old, Meg had 2 mild fits and the time had come to say goodbye. Our hardest decision ever, but that was the day she went to sleep……

Meg is missed everyday, but will never be forgotten.