After losing our family dogs, we couldn’t bear more grief. Then Covid brought puppy love back into our lives

‘We had a large airedale terrier, Tess, who looked up at me in my pram and was my parent’s first pet together, likely a test run for their ability to parent a future child.’ Photograph: Supplied by the Thomas family

Two years ago, when my family dog died, it marked the end of an era.

There were no scuttling feet and a sniff to greet me when I came home to visit and no companion for my parents to go on walks with.