Sometimes, the right souls find each other in the most unexpected ways.

We first saw Teddy — a fluffy little Maltese Shih Tzu cross with eyes that could melt the hardest heart — on Pet Rescue. There was something about him that stopped us in our tracks. It wasn’t just that he was adorable (although he absolutely was); it was that deep-down knowing that this little dog was meant to be ours.

Convinced of it, we did what any hopelessly smitten soon-to-be dog parents would do: we started shopping for him. Bow ties, cosy jumpers, the softest little blankets — all ready for the day he would come home. We could already picture him trotting around the house, tail wagging like he’d always belonged here.

But then came the call. Teddy had been adopted by someone else — a lovely person who went camping a lot and already had another small dog. My heart sank. It felt like a missed connection, like watching the train pull away just as you arrived at the station.

A week later, the phone rang again. It was Pet Rescue. “Would you still like Teddy?” they asked. He hadn’t quite settled in his new home and hadn’t got along with the other dog. Without a second’s hesitation, I said, “Yes. Absolutely, yes.”

That afternoon, after school, the Mrs Pet Rescue brought him over so the kids could meet him. We took him straight to the local park, his little paws padding beside us like he’d been ours forever. It wasn’t a ‘getting to know you’ moment — it was more like a reunion. We all just knew. Teddy knew too.

Since then, Teddy has been my shadow, my confidant, my therapy dog. Every night, when I lift him onto my bed (he’s too small to jump on himself), we have our little “debrief.” I talk, he listens — really listens — in that quiet, patient way only animals can. He never interrupts, never judges, just gazes up with those big brown wise, loving eyes.

And maybe that’s why we’re such a perfect pair. Teddy is a good listener, just like me. We found each other against the odds, and in the way that only happens when it’s truly meant to be. Teddy didn’t just join our family — he filled a space we didn’t even realise was empty.

The rest, as they say, is history.