0:00:03 > 0:00:06In Northern Ireland, we are the biggest dog lovers
0:00:06 > 0:00:07in the whole of the UK,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09with almost half of us sharing our homes
0:00:09 > 0:00:12and lives with a canine companion.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17# Well, hello there... #
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Our bonds with our pet can be every bit as special
0:00:19 > 0:00:21as our human relationships.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26They are child substitutes, yes.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28I know some children that aren't fed as well as my dogs!
0:00:28 > 0:00:31# How am I doing? #
0:00:31 > 0:00:34But just like people, animals get sick and grow old.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37And alongside the happiness of pet ownership
0:00:37 > 0:00:42comes the sad inevitability that one day, we will have to say goodbye.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45It is very difficult, as anybody who is a dog lover knows,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47to let your pet go.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51But it is the biggest act of kindness I can now do.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54# Gee, ain't it funny
0:00:54 > 0:00:59# How time slips away? #
0:00:59 > 0:01:01For many of us, being with our beloved pets
0:01:01 > 0:01:05as they embark on their final journey is the ultimate act of love.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07- TEARFUL:- Bye-bye, girl.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Going out and leaving her, it felt...
0:01:13 > 0:01:14hard. Very hard.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21# ..how time slips away. #
0:01:40 > 0:01:43This is Lahl. And this is Mena.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Two elderly dogs who live in Castlerock.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Both now 15 years old, they have been cared for all their lives
0:01:50 > 0:01:53by their devoted owners Trevor and Diane.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59This is Lahl, and she is the eldest, and this is Mena.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02She came from the Dogs Trust in Ballymena.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06And I thought, "That is the name, I will call her Mena."
0:02:06 > 0:02:09And it just suits her. Hello, sweetie.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15Generally, their health has been very good throughout their life.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17We have been very, very fortunate with the animals.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20But as you can see, Mena has now developed what
0:02:20 > 0:02:23we think is a tumour, and she has had it for a number of years.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28When we took her to the vet's last year for her booster, it was about
0:02:28 > 0:02:34half that size, but it is almost becoming unmanageable for her.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38But once that actually happens, we know what we are facing
0:02:38 > 0:02:40and what we really have to do.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43For her sake, more than ours.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46The first time that the quality of life is impacted,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50we will discuss it with the vet, and if the vet feels that it is
0:02:50 > 0:02:54a permanent change and it is not going to get any better,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57we will just bite the bullet and say...
0:02:57 > 0:03:00We will bring her out and...get her put down.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07It will be a difficult transition when the time comes, but we will try
0:03:07 > 0:03:11and remember the good times and not dwell too much on the sad times.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17And as if the prospect of losing Mena isn't bad enough,
0:03:17 > 0:03:22Diane and Trevor are also worried about their other dog, Lahl.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Lahl I think is suffering maybe doggy Alzheimer's.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Because you could take her out before you go to bed,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31half an hour later, she wants out again.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34And three or four times during the night.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36I have developed quite a light sleep,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40so I can wake up when I hear the little whimper.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42- LAUGHING:- Not many husbands and wives
0:03:42 > 0:03:43sleep in separate rooms
0:03:43 > 0:03:48because of the animals, but because Lahl does get Trevor up
0:03:48 > 0:03:51such a lot during the night, and the cat now sleeps with him,
0:03:51 > 0:03:56I have to sleep in the other room with Mena, because...
0:03:56 > 0:03:59I am one of these people that need eight hours' sleep at night,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01and I wouldn't get that if Lahl was in.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03The odd night that people have been staying
0:04:03 > 0:04:07and we are all in the one bed, it's not really very comfortable!
0:04:12 > 0:04:13It sounds ridiculous,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16but they have shared everything that we have shared.
0:04:16 > 0:04:17And people say, "They are only dogs",
0:04:17 > 0:04:20but they are not only dogs, they are our family.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22People say they are child substitutes.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Yes, that is exactly what they are. And they always have been.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Like anyone faced with losing a loved one,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Diane and Trevor are determined to make the most of their time
0:04:34 > 0:04:37with Mena before her condition gets worse.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45Obviously when the time comes and anything nasty would happen,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48ulceration on the tumour, anything like that, it would be time
0:04:48 > 0:04:53to say goodbye, because we wouldn't want to see the dog suffer.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59We will keep them company, and they will keep us company,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02for whatever time we have left.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06We will just cherish them while we are here, that is why we have them.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15There is very few days that I don't cry, thinking,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18"These dogs aren't going to be with us very much longer."
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Especially Mena. Sometimes when I look at her
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and she's having difficulty getting up, you think, "This isn't fair",
0:05:24 > 0:05:29but the vet said she has a while yet and she is not in any pain.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33The very fact that she is not in pain is SO important to us.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Sophie is a West Highland terrier who lives in Belfast
0:05:42 > 0:05:44with her owner Linda.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49They are best friends and go everywhere together.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50- LAUGHING:- Yes!
0:05:52 > 0:05:57I got Sophie about 12 years ago.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00She is now 16, so I think she was three or four.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02She came to live with me.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Try not to catch your nose. Good girl.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07'Sophie and I have a great relationship.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09'We're out visiting friends,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12'if we're invited for dinner, it's WE are invited out for dinner.'
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Christmas cards are from myself and Sophie, birthday cards,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18we're just a wee couple!
0:06:20 > 0:06:23She's so easy, but now that she's got that bit older,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27I would say she is very quiet.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29She still would have bursts of energy,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33but she would be very tired after.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37As the years have caught up with Sophie,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Linda has become increasingly concerned about her health.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47Her hips are quite arthritic, and she also at this time of year seems
0:06:47 > 0:06:50to get an allergy, I don't know if it's something in the grass.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55Because she would gnaw at her paws and lick them and be quite agitated.
0:07:00 > 0:07:01Obviously I don't want to lose her,
0:07:01 > 0:07:06but I think it would be awful to keep her longer than I should.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Whether I have Sophie a year or another week,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11it'll be devastating when she goes.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19How I will remember Sophie would be someone who
0:07:19 > 0:07:23is very calm, very comforting, Sophie means the world to me.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- She's part of me. - SHE SNIFFS
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Sorry, I can't... Sorry.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38I would miss her dreadfully.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52A walk on this County Down beach brings back bittersweet memories
0:07:52 > 0:07:57for Gill, who spent many happy times here with her late dog Murphy.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Little did Gill realise when Murphy came into her life
0:07:59 > 0:08:02she would become much more than just a pet.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06I got Murphy, she was about six weeks old,
0:08:06 > 0:08:11and I had been ill and in hospital.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14In a psychiatric ward.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17And they let me out for a week, I think it was,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19to make sure I could cope with life again.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22You're not meant to look after anything,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24you're meant to look after yourself,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26and we had all been warned about that as you get out,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28but a friend of mine, Jilly, said,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31"Come on and we'll go and look, just look."
0:08:33 > 0:08:37I just saw this pudgy wee thing make her way to me
0:08:37 > 0:08:40as soon as we went into the room. I fell in love, just immediately.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44And regardless of what doctors and people were telling me,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46I had to have her, and I brought her home.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52She was just like a wee miracle, to me.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57She supported me, gave me lots of love, helped lift my mood
0:08:57 > 0:09:02when it was down. As someone who has got a mental illness,
0:09:02 > 0:09:07it's sometimes difficult to control, and Murphy had that gift,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10that gift of just knowing how to lift my mood.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13So it was a really important relationship to me.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17But in 2010, Murphy became ill and Gill had to face
0:09:17 > 0:09:21the sad reality that she wasn't going to get better.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26She displayed symptoms of what I can only describe
0:09:26 > 0:09:28as canine Alzheimer's.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32And I noticed that it was happening more and more often.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36I just knew it was coming to the end and I would have to make a decision.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40And I had to phone the vet and make that choice.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47I just wasn't prepared for how deep it would go
0:09:47 > 0:09:51and how raw it would be, and for how long it would be like that.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58The pain involved, it was a physical pain.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00I felt it, I felt it in my chest, I could hardly breathe.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03It was just an enormous pain.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Shortly after Murphy died, Gill suffered another bereavement.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Just three weeks after Murphy died, my mum died.
0:10:17 > 0:10:24I felt guilty, because I didn't know who I should grieve for more.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30And the loss of Murphy was coming through stronger,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and that was tremendously difficult.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37I was embarrassed to tell anyone, I was embarrassed to say.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43People feel foolish when they cry over their cat or their dog.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48And they shouldn't, because it's a real, genuine loss and emotion.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51It needs to be understood a bit better.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Hello!
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Nearly five years on and still grieving for Murphy,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Gill has decided to attend a pet seance,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04where a spiritual medium believes he can connect owners
0:11:04 > 0:11:07with the spirits of their deceased pets.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13I am here tonight, I am hoping to have a little bit more closure.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18While I would say my grief has subsided a little bit,
0:11:18 > 0:11:22I would just dearly love to know she's OK.
0:11:24 > 0:11:25We have all got something in common,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28as we have all lost pets in our lives.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31If somebody would come to me and they have lost a pet, I try
0:11:31 > 0:11:34and communicate with the spirit of
0:11:34 > 0:11:37the person's loved one or their pet.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41We're going to try a bit of mediumship where we connect
0:11:41 > 0:11:43with our loved pets.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47'In most cases, people who come to me for a reading for their pet'
0:11:47 > 0:11:49usually walk out with a smile on our faces.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53There may be some tears, but they are tears of happiness.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58We invite our pets to join us in the room now.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Among the group of people hoping to make contact with their pets
0:12:03 > 0:12:05is Gale from Carrickfergus.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Although she has two healthy dogs today,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Gale is determined to preserve the memory of
0:12:16 > 0:12:19her beloved dog Spirit, who died at the age of three.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Today is the three-year anniversary of
0:12:28 > 0:12:32my white German shepherd Spirit, who I lost to lymphoma.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Spirit had lymphoma for a year.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38And I think because I nursed her for that year
0:12:38 > 0:12:40it made the bond much stronger.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Even though I knew she was terminally ill
0:12:43 > 0:12:47and I was going to lose her, it still affected me.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50It broke my heart, basically, yeah.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56The pain eases, but the memories are always there,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58and you still have your wee moments.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02I would still have wee moments where I would remember something
0:13:02 > 0:13:05or see something, and I would have a wee cry.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13This is my wee doggy snug.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17I moved into this house about four months ago and I decided
0:13:17 > 0:13:22to dedicate a wee room, so we have really just got this finished.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25This was a picture of Spirit on the beach in Donegal,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27and then I wrote this wee poem for her.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29"So this is where we part, my friend
0:13:29 > 0:13:32"And you will run on around the bend
0:13:32 > 0:13:34"Your place on hold, you will be missed
0:13:34 > 0:13:36"The fur I stroked, the nose I kissed..."
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Sorry.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42"And as you journey to your final rest
0:13:42 > 0:13:45"Take with you this, I loved you best."
0:13:49 > 0:13:53Maybe I do want to believe that there is an afterlife for dogs,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56but I think I have had too many wee signs,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58wee things that aren't coincidence.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02So, yeah, for me, Spirit is in spirit form,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and she is my guardian angel.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12In Castlerock, it's an anxious time for Diane and Trevor
0:14:12 > 0:14:15as 15-year-old Mena's condition has taken a turn for the worse.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20The tumour has started to ulcerate.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22We think it's near the end of the road,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24but we'll take each day as it comes.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30What the vet has said is, if this opens,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33there will not be any more they can do for Mena.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36She's definitely not in any pain.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38If she was in any pain, we would know,
0:14:38 > 0:14:42and her temperatures and body temperatures, everything, are fine.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46It's just discomfort more than pain.
0:14:46 > 0:14:47Hey, baby.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51You go to work in the morning, and at the minute I am wondering,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55"Is this going to be the last day, is this going to be the last day?"
0:14:55 > 0:14:57I just know it's drawing closer and closer.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05The aloe vera gel the vet recommended,
0:15:05 > 0:15:10because it takes the heat out of the skin that's inflamed.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13And hopefully it takes the itch away a wee bit
0:15:13 > 0:15:15so she doesn't want to keep chewing at it.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19You can feel the difference, even a couple of minutes after
0:15:19 > 0:15:22putting the gel on, you can feel it's just not as hot as it was.
0:15:24 > 0:15:25(That's a good girl.)
0:15:31 > 0:15:32Hello, Lucy.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36Now in her twilight years, Lucy has spent every year of
0:15:36 > 0:15:39her long life with her owner Ivy in Lisburn.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Lucy is nearly 16 years old.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47And I have had her since she was six weeks old.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50And she has been my greatest companion all of that time.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56Recently she is beginning to fail, her quality of life is not great.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03I cut myself off from the fact that she was going downhill,
0:16:03 > 0:16:07I didn't want to accept it. Just tried to ignore it.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09I tried to ignore it, but you can't,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11because it is there in front of you all of the time.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13And I realise that I'm being selfish now,
0:16:13 > 0:16:18I should be thinking more of her than of me.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21I could see that she was showing
0:16:21 > 0:16:23signs of dementia before anything else.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Because she would start maybe to take a drink of water there,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30and then maybe start going walking around the room
0:16:30 > 0:16:33before she would go outside. Things like that.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38I'm thinking on Monday morning I'll be getting in touch
0:16:38 > 0:16:42with the vet. He will be asking me if she was happy.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45I couldn't honestly say she was happy.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Because of the way she wanders about during the day,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51it makes me think that she is not happy.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53I know my dog and I know she is not happy,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56because she hasn't got a happy-looking face any more.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57No bright eyes.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I used to say to her, "When you go to the heavens in the skies,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06"I'm not going to get another dog." So she knows that, I have told her.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Told her she will never be replaced, haven't I, pet? Too old now.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Too old to look after it, and the dog would probably outlive me.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19SHE CHUCKLES
0:17:25 > 0:17:2816-year-old Sophie's condition has also worsened,
0:17:28 > 0:17:33and her owner Linda has had to make the decision she has been dreading.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Over the last few weeks, Sophie has deteriorated.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39And the time has come for me to let Sophie go.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47The kindest act I can do for her is to let her go,
0:17:47 > 0:17:52so I am taking her to the vet and just releasing her.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56It is a huge loss,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00and yet I wouldn't for one minute change anything.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06She is just such a lovely dog, so to be kind to my dear friend...
0:18:07 > 0:18:09- VOICE BREAKING:- ..I'll let her go.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37In Castlerock, life for Diane and Trevor is lonelier now,
0:18:37 > 0:18:39with only Lahl remaining in their lives.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43Despite all of their hopes, Mena's tumour was incurable.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47It happened very quickly.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51It burst, and then it started bleeding profusely and we both...
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Again, I will say it... Looked at each other and said, "Call the vet."
0:18:55 > 0:18:59It was a hard call to make, and I made it, because I just have
0:18:59 > 0:19:03a mechanism that kicks in when something like that goes wrong.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06- I think your coping mechanism... - Yeah, is good.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Step back a wee bit from it and...
0:19:09 > 0:19:11It's the days after that it hits home.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18I miss her every morning and I miss her every night.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20I miss her when I come in from work.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24There hasn't been a single day that I haven't cried in the last month.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30I can only compare to losing my parents,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33because I honestly have been no less upset.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36I have always had animals, I have always had dogs,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38and I have always been upset, but never like this.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Never. No.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43But she was a very special dog.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45They are all special,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48but Mena was a very clever and a very unique wee dog.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00For Ivy and her 15-year-old dog Lucy,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03today is the last day of their long life together.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11She was getting old and blind and deaf and no quality of life,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13and she just wasn't...
0:20:15 > 0:20:18She just was...unhappy, I think.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21INDISTINCT
0:20:23 > 0:20:27This is it. We have had a good life together, haven't we, Lucy?
0:20:27 > 0:20:29You're my wee darling.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30Aren't you?
0:20:32 > 0:20:34It certainly is the kindest thing for both of us,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I have no doubts about that.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41It's just still very hard, but it's the best thing for both of us.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43She will just get worse every day,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46and then I'll be regretting that I let her suffer.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Come on, Lucy. Come on. That's a good girl.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14- There's a good girl. Is she eating? - She is eating, yes.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17She was eating all right. Enjoys her food.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Enjoys her food, but it's just that she, her day to day...
0:21:20 > 0:21:24- Her day to day, just wandering about.- The start of dementia.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Yes, I think it's dementia. She has no quality of life,
0:21:27 > 0:21:29as far as I am concerned.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33It's not an easy or a light thing to do, but it is
0:21:33 > 0:21:38the best decision to make when she has lost her mind and lost herself.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42I think it's quality of life that she has lost.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44I wouldn't like to be like that myself.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47What happens next, it is an anaesthetic injection basically,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49so it is a very, very powerful anaesthetic.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Once we start injecting, it's very, very quick.
0:21:52 > 0:21:53We'll let you say goodbye,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56I'll bring her down to Shane down the back, he'll held on to her.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58You'll get a phone call and we'll arrange
0:21:58 > 0:22:00to come pick her up.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04(Good girl.)
0:22:04 > 0:22:05SHE SIGHS
0:22:08 > 0:22:12I will miss these hugs. She's not concerned, sure she's not.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Sure you're not? Settle down now.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23IVY CRIES
0:22:27 > 0:22:30I am sorry, it is a very difficult decision to make...
0:22:30 > 0:22:33- Yeah.- ..but you are the only person who knows her well enough
0:22:33 > 0:22:34to make it.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- Poor wee woman.- Bye-bye, girl.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58- Good girl, Lucy.- It's all right. - It's OK, Lucy.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02- Good girl. - This is the anaesthetic agent.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Like I say, it is a very, very powerful anaesthetic.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06- You're all right.- It's all right. - It's OK.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10So when we start injecting, this is very, very quick.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13- Brave girl, you're all right. - Good girl.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15- (Good girl.)- Brave girl.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28She's gone.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44LOCK CLICKS
0:23:50 > 0:23:53It was a very difficult job for me to bring her in,
0:23:53 > 0:23:54and I was just numb.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58I just felt it was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life.
0:23:59 > 0:24:05Going out and leaving her, it felt...hard. Very hard.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13She brought me more joy than I brought her I think.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17She was just adorable, she was the loveliest wee dog.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29For some owners, the idea of making contact
0:24:29 > 0:24:32with their deceased pets can help ease their sense of loss.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Tonight, spiritual medium Tim believes he can help Gale
0:24:37 > 0:24:39and Gill make contact with their dogs.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45There is a dog coming through, to start.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50This dog is a white dog.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54This dog is not a small dog. Full of energy!
0:24:54 > 0:24:57HE LAUGHS
0:24:57 > 0:25:01She reminds me a wee bit of the German Shepherd type dog,
0:25:01 > 0:25:02but she is white.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07- She is a white German shepherd. - Oh, OK.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10I just want to say, your dog is coming over to you,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and you have got your face beside...
0:25:13 > 0:25:17They want to bring their face over to you for a cuddle.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19She came and nudged me with her nose, and I had to
0:25:19 > 0:25:24get down on my knees and she would have buried her head into my neck.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26She tries to protect you from all the dramas in life,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29because she came into your life for this reason.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Well, I always said that.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34She came in, there was a reason and a purpose.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37She is sitting in front of the fire.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42- Is she here? - Yeah, she's at your feet.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44She's with you and she is not going to leave.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46I hope this gives you a little bit of...
0:25:48 > 0:25:49HE LAUGHS
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- It's put a smile on your face. - Quite shocked!
0:25:53 > 0:25:55OK.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Tim couldn't have known what he told me about Spirit,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00he couldn't have known.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03And I felt her presence there, I felt a warmth.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It wasn't an unhappy feeling, it was happy.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Happy, emotional.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18The next dog is almost the size of a Westie, or...
0:26:18 > 0:26:21- Murphy's a Westie. - Is she the Westie? Right.
0:26:23 > 0:26:28She knew... She says she knew her time was coming.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33And you felt it should have been different or something.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37I suppose you always feel you could have done it differently.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40- Or made it easier. - She says, "Don't worry."
0:26:40 > 0:26:44She says, "It was the way it was and it is completely fine."
0:26:44 > 0:26:47She wanted you to go to the doctor or, um...
0:26:49 > 0:26:53Shortly after Murphy, within six weeks of Murphy passing,
0:26:53 > 0:26:58I took a stroke. Um...
0:26:59 > 0:27:05But between that period, I felt that Murphy had tried to warn me.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10She says you are improving.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18I feel closer probably to Murphy tonight.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23I do feel her presence greatly. I am glad I came.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25I am glad I experienced that.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30I'm going to be going home tonight knowing that she will
0:27:30 > 0:27:31tuck in beside me in bed.
0:27:33 > 0:27:38# I love my dog as much as I love you
0:27:39 > 0:27:41# You may fade... #
0:27:41 > 0:27:42In today's changing world,
0:27:42 > 0:27:46our relationship with our pets is more important to us than ever.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52And in Northern Ireland, there is no doubt that our love affair
0:27:52 > 0:27:56with our canine companions is here to stay.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59# I love my dog as much as I love you... #
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Dogs are amazing.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06They seem to understand your mood when you are happy, when you're sad.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09You are never on your own when you're with a dog.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13They are like humans, they are a part of your life,
0:28:13 > 0:28:15they are a part of your family.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19You have to remember how much pleasure they have given you,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22and the love that you have been able to bestow on them.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26# I love my dog as much as I love you
0:28:28 > 0:28:32# You may fade, my dog will always come through
0:28:34 > 0:28:38# All he asks from me is the food to give him strength
0:28:38 > 0:28:43# All he ever needs is love and that he knows he will get
0:28:43 > 0:28:47# So I love my dog as much as I love you
0:28:49 > 0:28:53# You may fade, my dog will always come through. #