Vera Menzies received a special visit from some four-legged friends as she recently celebrated her 102nd birthday.
Sally, a Bichon Frise, and Jess, a Bernese Mountain Dog, joined Vera and her friends at the Manx Foundation for the Physically Disabled.
The dogs' visit was arranged by newly formed voluntary organisation Dolittle's, which provides animal-assisted healing for children and adults from all walks of life.
Vera, whose late husband Tom was a vet, she has spent much of her life with animals, but in recent years, she has not had a pet of her own, so she was delighted to see Sally and Jess.
Vera was born in Cork and spent a large part of her life living in the Middle East. The secret of her long life? "Good friends and the Telegraph crossword, which I do every day", she says.
