The Dublin grandmother who went missing after taking her dog for a walk has been laid to rest, along with the faithful pet who stood vigil over her body until she was found. The four-day ordeal left the animal severely dehydrated, and despite veterinary care, the 10-year-old dog had to be euthanized.
 
Peggy Mangan, who suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease, was remembered as a caring grandmother, devoted wife and mother, and dedicated pet owner during the funeral service at Mount Argus Church in Harold’s Cross.
 
During the service, Fr. Joe Kennedy mentioned the song “All Dogs Go to Heaven.”
 
“We just pray [that] as they were united in life, they are now united in death.”
 
To commemorate Mangan’s devotion to her King Charles Spaniel, Casper, many of her neighbors brought their own pets to the service and formed a guard of honor on the street outside the church.
 
Mangan’s husband Tommy, and her three children, Louise, Orla and Jonathan, told the Irish Independent that they were “overwhelmed” by the support from the community in the days after she went missing.
 
Mangan’s body was found in a field near the Ikea store in Ballymun, approximately 3.5 miles from her home. Among the last people to see her on the day she died were the cast of “Mrs. Brown’s Boys, who were filming in the area.
 
The pensioner was walking past the set when she heard the cast singing “Happy Birthday” to actress Fiona Gibney. She walked over and hugged Gibney, and chatted with the actors.
 
The series’ creator and star, Brendan O’Carroll, joined in  the search for Mangan, and was saddened by her death.
 
“Peggy was obviously a kind and much-loved woman. Her family are in our thoughts and hearts,” he told the Independent.