I considered myself a cat person until I met Sansa the gorgeous rescue dog, says Ciara McGrattan

For years, I considered myself a cat person. Dogs were loud, rambunctious, messy things with no sense of boundaries.

That was before I was commissioned to write a piece for GCN about the relationships LGBTs have with their dogs. After hearing so many stories from people about how having a canine companion enriched their lives, I started to think about adopting.

For me there was never a question of buying a dog from a breeder when there are so many beautiful animals in need of a loving home. After scanning the Dogs Trust site every day for several months, I finally saw Sansa.

I instantly fell in love with her furry little face and gangly limbs. After going through the adoption process, I took Sansa home and life hasn’t been the same since.

Before long both my mental and physical health improved – it’s hard for me to be sad when I look at her happy face! – and I even ended up converting to veganism because the thought of harming a sentient creature like Sansa for food started to seem awful.

My family aren’t really dog people and so I used to worry about who would look after my furry buddy if I died.

Luckily, the Dogs Trust Canine Care Card means that if I’m gone, Sansa will be looked after by caring professionals.

Now I can depart this mortal coil in peace (hopefully sometime after finding out who Jon Snow’s real parents are!).

Visit Dogs Trust to find out more about the free Canine Care Card.