Always with me

I'm hard pressed to think of anything else I own that has been with me through all of my childhood. This is the original Andrew puppy, bought for me when I was a newborn baby. He's called Dog.

Dog is always by my bedside, in remarkably good condition for 30+ years and he has seen me grow up. Inanimate though he is, I sometimes wish I could get him to recount his memories of who I was at 2 and 3 and 7 and 10... what did I say when I sat there chatting to him? What roles did he play in my games? I remember we swapped being the train driver in the choo choo made from long kitchen stools laid out on the floor. He was a good train driver, we went everywhere.

Long live Dog.