An Ode to My Best Friend

Before I dive into this, full disclosure: I haven’t got a clue what an “ode” actually is. I think it’s meant to praise, glorify, or celebrate someone or something. If that’s the case, then this tribute to my best friend fits the bill.

Each passing day, I watch my old companion soldier on through multicentric lymphoma, pancreatitis, and a general fade in energy. And truth be told, he’s not that old! He’ll only be ten this September.

Born on the 10th of September 2015, this little furball arrived in the middle of one of the wildest days of my life — I was neck-deep in a disastrous callout to fix a pyromaniac underfloor heating fuse in one of the village’s farmhouses. A sudden call from home had me apologising to the owner with a promise of “I’ll be back” (no Schwarzenegger impression — that would’ve flopped spectacularly).

When I got home, my sister stood in the hallway, a peculiar-looking blanket. I walked into the living room, and from under the table burst a small brown bundle of fur, straight at me like a four-pawed missile. That was the very beginning.

Now, as I write this, he’s snoozing under my desk, unleashing toxic emissions that should be stored in a lead-lined container. But even that isn’t enough to overshadow all he’s been — and still is.

He’s more than just a loyal companion. He’s been my sidekick, foodie partner, toilet buddy, personal shadow, and an honorary member of every adventure. Over the years, he’s dabbled in landscape gardening, assisted as an electrician’s mate, supervised cleaning sessions, moonlighted as a secretary, and been the most loving babysitter to Morgan. Though I’m not sure he appreciated that title while getting wheeled around the garden in a Silvercross pram!