Jemima was a real Dog. She was born on 10^th October 1996 near Peterborough, England as Allenie’s Winter Cherry and was a Great Great Granddaughter of Squire Harvey of Allenie who won Best Of Breed at Crufts in 1985. Jemima was diagnosed with Lymphoma in November 2009 and died in Elstead on 29^th January 2010 with me by her side.

Jemima was purchased as a Christmas present for a girlfriend but unfortunately we split only a month after buying a house together in West Ewell, Surrey. In September 1999 I moved in with my new fiancé to Jam Pot Cottage and we were married in October 1999. Unfortunately we were divorced in 2005 but I remarried in February 2007.

During her life Jemima was my base – my home. She gave me more comfort than anyone could know and helped me get through many difficult times. The day her body finally gave out was the saddest day of my life. I still look for her at the top of the stairs, or on her bed behind my desk. In quiet moments I can still see and smell her and I can feel her head on my lap when I drive to the station every morning.

For a few weeks after she died the children would call out her name and look for her around the house. Jemima was part of the fabric of my life and to make sure she could be part of the fabric of my children’s lives in the future I started writing hers, and in many places, my story.