A singer-songwriter from Amesbury is due to release a single in memory of his four-legged best friend who passed away last year.

Luke Bonella, 29, lost his beloved dog Troy, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, in September 2019 when at the age of 14, he had to be put down due to a tumour.

He said: “We got him before my parents broke up, it was just me and the dog for almost 14 years. I’m quite an introvert, I don’t get out much so every day I was with the dog, he was my best friend. He was the most loyal friend I’ve ever had.”

Following Troy’s death, Luke, a steel fabricator who has recently moved to Eastleigh, was able to access help from The Senior Staffy Club’s Rainbow Bridge Group which supports people who have recently lost their dog.

To thank them for the help he received, he decided to release the acoustic version of a track he produced last year, with three quarters of proceeds going straight to the charity.

Luke, also known as Nilzz, said: “I’ve always been involved in music since I was 16-years-old.

“I haven’t written any singles in a while and I already had a track I made last year.

“The Senior Staffy Club have a Rainbow Bridge Group for people who lose their dogs. I was speaking to a lot of people from [the group] and it really helped me so I thought what better way to do something for them than to donate 75 per cent of my proceeds from my royalties.”

“I’ve had a few comments saying it’s only a dog but to me he wasn’t a dog, he was my best friend,” he added.

The acoustic version of the track, called ‘Today I Lost My Best Friend’ has been produced with the help of Salisbury-based band Flow&Hustle.

It can be downloaded from Friday, October 16, HERE.