When her beloved Jack Russell terrier Sunny died aged 14 last Saturday, Lucy Ledgeway thought she would never see her face again.
But the broken-hearted owner was amazed to glimpse Sunny’s unmistakable features in a cloud only hours later.
A distraught Miss Ledgeway, 19, had gone outside to clear her head when she looked up – and saw the dog’s face.
She said: ‘It was so weird. I was thinking to myself that I wanted to see Sunny in the sky as a sign that she was OK.
A message in the sky? The cloud photo taken by Lucy Ledgeway
Sunny, a 14-year-old Jack Russell terrier, died after suffering a seizure
‘I was crying my eyes out and I looked up in the sky and saw Sunny.
‘I quickly took a photograph before the clouds moved and sent the picture to my mum, who also thought that the photo looked exactly like Sunny. It is crazy really.’
The teenager from York shared the picture and a photo of Sunny on social media where it has been liked more than 100,000 times.
Saturday was the day of Miss Ledgeway’s parents’ wedding anniversary. Her father was taking Sunny to the vet but the dog suffered a seizure and died in his arms.
Jack Russells live for around 14 years, and Sunny had lived with the family after they took her in 13 years ago
With the family upset by the loss of the pet, Miss Ledgeway’s boyfriend took her out for a drive to clear her head.
The couple were passing a spot where Sunny used to go for walks when they saw her face in the clouds.
Miss Ledgeway said: ‘After seeing Sunny in the sky I felt a warmth. It was her way of telling us that she is OK.’
Jack Russells live for around 14 years, and Sunny had lived with the family after they took her in 13 years ago.
Scientists say we see faces in clouds and objects because the human brain is equipped to detect faces from birth, while others say it is because brains like to assign meaning to random images.