Meet Timmy; Pat's Beloved Companion

In Bangladesh, there isn't really a culture of keeping pets, especially dogs. Most dogs you see are feral, and with rabies being a serious problem, many people are understandably very scared of them. So when you own a dog as a pet in an environment with lots of people around, your dog needs to look as inoffensive as possible.

Enter Timmy – small, fluffy, and absolutely perfect for the job. He's a cross between a Maltese and a Poodle, known as a Maltipoo. Due to his size and the fact that he doesn't resemble a traditional dog, he doesn't automatically frighten people.

As the founder of Sreepur Village and the only non-Bangladeshi living there, Pat relies on Timmy for companionship, especially in the evenings. When he came to her, he was supposedly being re-homed from a domestic environment. Still, he arrived with multiple parasites and other health issues – so it ended up being more of a 'rescue' situation. He was eight months old then and is now over a year old.

Timmy is absolutely adored and spoilt by his three greatest fans among the staff, and by Pat of course! When he first arrived, he was very anxious and constantly ran in circles. He still does this when he's excited or stressed, but thankfully not all the time anymore.

He's lively, naughty, and incredibly affectionate. One of his favourite things is chasing the ball when the children play football or cricket – though they use a tennis ball for cricket since a proper cricket ball would be a bit too hard for their little friend!