Monty Don has been sent plenty of well-wishes from his fans after he shared a heartwarming tribute to his dog, Ned, in honour of his birthday.
The Gardeners' World presenter, who often posts on his social media about his animals and love for his dogs, tweeted a gorgeous photo of the golden retriever, along with a simple caption that read: "It is Ned's birthday today."
Fans were quick to heap birthday messages on Monty. One replied: "*Singing* Happy birthday, to you.... dear Ned... Happy birthday to you xx." A second follower wrote sweetly: "He's turning into a handsome boy. Happy birthday Ned!"
More of Monty's fans shared their happy birthday messages, too, and some also mentioned the TV presenter's late dog, Nigel.
"Happy Birthday Ned. Nigel would be proud of you too," said a third fan. Another echoed this by writing: "Hope he gets loads of pressies. Thinking back to the number of tennis balls Nigel used to get."
The TV personality's dog Nigel sadly passed away in 2020 after suddenly falling ill. Following his death, the presenter paid tribute to his "old friend" on social media, revealing that Nigel was "happy, healthy and his usual calm, lovely self" right up until the end.
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In February 2021 Monty then shared a photo of large commemorative terracotta he had been gifted engraved with Nigel's name. He also shared a snap of Nigel with Nellie, writing: "Found this from last year. They made a good pair. Miss the old chap."
© BBCBack in May, Monty wrote about Nigel again in honour of his birthday. The sweet post on Twitter included one photo of Nigel sleeping next to a personalised tennis ball, alongside another which sees the golden retriever happily standing in a field. He wrote in the caption: "This chap would have been 15 today. #Nigel."
© InstagramMonty has always been vocal about how much his animals mean to him. On his official website, it reads: "I have lived with dogs all my life and so it is absolutely natural to me that wherever I am in the garden I should be accompanied by a dog or two. It is their garden as much as mine or any other members of the family."
© InstagramHe continued: "Something that I take for granted is that, by and large, they do absolutely no damage and respect the garden completely. They (rarely) dig holes or crash through the flower beds. They do treat the long paths as bowling alleys down which they career in chase of the ball that we are obliged to throw, but it is harmless enough."
