Throughout my childhood I remember always asking my parents if we could get a dog. My family and I would go to local dog shows and ask people all about their dogs breed and what sort of care they needed. I loved stroking and fussing over the dogs watching them do agility competitions to dogs and their owners winning competitions like what owner and dog look most alike ? . We would also speak to the people at the stalls from rescue charities such as the RSPCA and the Dogs Trust.

Back in 2010 my family and I were out walking when these two whippets came up to us to say hello. We spoke to the owners the dogs were so calm. My mum asked the owners what breed the dogs were. When they said whippets, my mum suddenly remembered the breed. We were looking at what breeds we could have because we have two pet cats and because of my disability we needed to get a gentle calm dog. We looked at Greyhounds, Lurches, Staffordshire Bull Terriers. We did so much research talking to dog owners, talking to friends, talking to animal charities, researching on the internet to reading books.

Once my family and I knew that a whippet was what we wanted my mum started to tell a friend who had lots of experience with dogs that we finally came to a decision that we wanted was to adopt a whippet.

We were very lucky because soon after my mum had said we wanted to adopt a whippet our friend said a whippet had just come in to our local RSPCA Rescue Shelter.

My parents went to see the dog first but didn’t tell my sister and I as they didn’t want to get our hopes up. Turns out the day they were going to see the dog my sister was sick and couldn’t go to school so she ended up seeing the dog as well. After school my sister and parents told me all about it and showed me photos. I was jumping around the room with joy !

I remember the first time I saw him looking into this big brown eyes with them staring back at me and his big chocolate button nose. When we took him out for walks people would comment and say how lovely he looked thinking he was a girl, we still often get people thinking he’s a girl now . I remember I got worried as I thought someone else might adopt him but the RSPCA told us we were the only people looking at adopting him.

The day we brought him home was the day after my birthday so I always joke and say he was a birthday present, we decided to call him Ziggy.

I don’t know how I ever lived without him now I know that sounds silly. He’s helped me so much throughout the years. When I was getting bullied at school I’d come back home crying and talk to him about it for ages. He has also helped me through my mental health problems. He knows now when I’m about to have a seizure and he stays by my side till it stops.

He’s just one in a million now I understand the saying a dog is a man’s best friend well a woman’s in my case!

The cats are still in charge and try to steal his food daily

You can follow Ziggy on Instagram @ziggy.the.whippet