‘My dog saved my life – so I set up the world's first animal hospice'

Crohn’s disease left Alexis Fleming, 40, from Kirkcudbright, Scotland, feeling suicidal. But adopting a dog in need gave her the motivation to help animals die with dignity. She shares her story…

- KIRSTEN JONES

On a cold December day in a desolate car park in York I waited to meet Maggie, a desperately skinny bullmastiff, who I was adopting. She was cowering, had acne, and her teats were saggy and infected. She was clearly a starving, broken dog and as she looked at me with fearful brown eyes, I told her soothingly, “Come on darling”, coaxing her into my car. At that moment I knew I was going to save this dog’s life – but little did I know that she was about to save mine.

As a child, my first word was Trouvee, the name of our family dog who we’d rescued as a neglected pup. When Trouvee died, I was 12 and I was utterly devastated. Later, Mum started a cat rescue in her memory and I remember, aged 16, coming home one day to find 17 kittens in my bedroom!

I always felt such a connection to animals, so when I first saw 10-month-old Maggie’s intelligent face online I just had to rescue her. She’d lost 10 puppies and had been beaten by her owner.

It was 2008 and my husband Chris and I lived in an apartment where pets weren’t allowed. But my heart went out to Maggie, and before I knew it she was in my car, ready to turn my life upside down.

Sadly, Chris wasn’t happy and Maggie’s presence drove a wedge in our already lonely marriage.

To make matters worse, some scary health symptoms had been creeping up on me. I was shattered, full of aches and pains. “What the hell’s wrong with me?” I wondered. I’d get home from a long day of work packing boxes at a warehouse and collapse on the floor, crying. I felt like dying – but Maggie would lie with me until I could get back up again.