Pooch, the blind part-Labrador who was put down a year ago after losing his battle with cancer, has been immortalised by his owner who dedicated a poetry book to his four-legged best friend.

I will never forget my friend

Poet Raymond Fenech described Pooch as a “super-special dog” that helped him cope when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma – cancer of the lymph tissue.

A year ago, The Times reported the story of Pooch, who was put to sleep two weeks before Mr Fenech received a box of medicinal dog treats that could have lengthened his pet’s life and alleviated his pain.

The treats, which had been ordered from the US, were not released earlier because the Commerce Department’s trade directorate required the owner to present an import licence, which he did not have.

Pooch had been taken in by Mr Fenech when he was a stray with advanced sand-fly that eventually led to blindness. Last January, the dog was diagnosed with spleen cancer .

Initially, he lived with Mr Fenech’s elderly mother who would hold on to him to go up the stairs. Pooch eventually moved in with Mr Fenech, weeks before he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“I was so weak I could not even lift a cup of tea. Pooch provedtherapeutic with his constant love and attention. He was my medicine each time I came home from chemotherapy. Although blind, he was brave enough to cope on his own. His courage was addictive... I will never forget my friend… He deserves to be immortalised,” Mr Fenech said.

He did so by dedicating the poetry book he has just launched, called Blood Lines, “to Pooch”.

In one poem, Mr Fenech apologises to his beloved pet for being angry when the medicinal treats were held at Customs. “I apologise… for having put you to sleep, you of all friends,” he wrote in a poem penned soon after Pooch “crossed Rainbow Bridge”.

Funds raised will go towards the Association of Abandoned Animals.