‘People keep asking me, even today, where is junior’

“People are still asking me, even today, where Junior is but it’s been over a year now since he passed,” says Andy Hughes, reflecting on the death of his beloved dog.

Retired toolmaker Andy Hughes became a popular character for walking his route through Springfield with his trusty sidekick, Junior, the golden Labrador.

“Over the years, when I’m going on my walks, people know me and they know Junior from being with me,” Andy tells The Echo.

“From the time I retired five-years-ago, Junior would be with me everywhere.

“I couldn’t move without him following me. All the time I spent walking, Junior would be with me.

“I couldn’t move anywhere with him. If I went off to Sallins for the weekend and left him behind, he’d give out hell to me for not bringing him when I got back – he was that sort of dog.”

Andy and Junior became an iconic duo in Springfield, with both offering a generous “hello” to people in the community along their route – one with a wave of the hand and the other with the paw.

Like Sparky before him, Junior took to the mantle of being the hand of the unofficial Mayor of Springfield and was beloved by kids in the surrounding communities.

Andy with Junior

However, in late 2021, Junior’s health deteriorated, being diagnosed with cancer, and on January 10, 2022, the 12-year-old dog died.

“I won’t get another dog now, you get too attached to them, they’re like a member of the family,” says Andy, a year on from Juniors passing.

“I miss him terrible.

“Someone offered me a new golden labrador, it was two months old, and I held it in my hands, but I had to give him back straight away.

“It was just too difficult, too heartbreaking for me.

“It’s the same with my two sons, they have their own dogs.

“We just have this love of dogs, it’s in our blood.”

Andy still goes on his thrice daily walks with kids continuing to stop him, to ask where Junior is.

Even after his passing, Junior’s memory lives on.