A dog that saved his owner from suicidal depression and helped raise thousands of pounds for charity has been nominated for the prestigious Friends for Life competition at Crufts 2014.

East Anglian Daily Times:

Teddy, a Bichon Frise Lhasa Apso cross, gave Louise Jacobs from Colchester the confidence to start living her life again after suffering from depression as a teenager.

The super pooch even helps Louise handle a severe back problem that means the 25-year-old can sometimes be bedridden for days on end.

All this led to Louise nominating Teddy for the Friends for Life competition, which celebrates heart-warming stories of friendship in adversity, where dogs have truly earned the title of man’s best friend, through bravery, support or companionship.

Since September the pair have run three dog shows under the Kennel Club licence, with a fourth penned in for this May, and to date they have raised almost £2,000 for charity.

“He definitely rescued me,” said Louise

“I was once very suicidal and I didn’t want to wake up. Now I love getting up every morning living life.

“Before I got him I didn’t go out nor have friends. Now I meet regularly with other dog walkers and have met lots of people through organising the shows. “Thanks to him I have got my life back and found great friends.

I would not have done all this without him, I would not have had the confidence.”

The Kennel Club, which runs Crufts, will announce a shortlist on February 18 of the five dogs that will go into the Friends for Life final. The public will then vote for which of the five dogs has the most truly deserving tale.

The winner is due to be announced on Sunday March 9, in the Crufts main arena at Birmingham’s NEC

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club spokesperson, said: “Louise sent us such a moving and inspirational story that truly demonstrates how important dogs are to our lives and what a difference they make to us, both in our best times and when things are tough.