The Purest Love | On Tour With the Kid

Sixteen years ago, I received a phone call to say that a pregnant Border Collie had been dumped at a local pound. She was safe with a foster family and was due to give birth any minute. This meant that in a couple of months, there would be puppies that needed to find new homes.

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I had just taken on a new job with a venue and was heading to Hawaii before I began that job. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have a pet at home. Three years prior, we had lost my beautiful black and white rescue dog Danni. Named after Danni Minogue because when we got her, she was super pretty but had done some not-so-smart things. I unreservedly apologise to both the dog and Danni Minogue, who turned out to be smart and lovely and just momentarily misunderstood.

Her ashes sat on my shelf as a reminder that I wasn’t sure I could cope with that sort of loss again. When I went to visit the new mum and her puppies, all the thoughts of pain and loss went out the window as I held these cute, chubby furballs with a life of uncertainty ahead of them.

Two puppies had not been spoken for, and the thought that they might not land somewhere amazing was too much to bear, so just like that, we adopted them both. In the week I started at the venue, I brought them both home. Musical names seemed appropriate. The boy was quiet and seemed to be always deep in thought, but loud and commanding when he had an audience. Diesel (after Johnny Diesel), it was.

The girl was smart as a whip, loud, and a little bit cheeky. Janis Joplin seemed like a good comparison, and as a bonus, Janice from The Muppets was my favourite, so she got the nickname JJ.

These gorgeous siblings were part of our family from that day on. Two years later, when I fell pregnant with the kid, mum bought me a doll that is still lovingly referred to as “Practice Baby”.

I would walk around with its legs sticking out of the carry harness to teach the puppies not to jump when the real bub came along. They remained together and part of our lives until we lost our beautiful boy 2 years ago. I didn’t think JJ would be able to go on without him, but at 16, she was still bouncy and doing well.

Last month, totally out of the blue, she got sick and was gone. The pure nature of the love you have for a pet is one of life’s most beautiful things. It is uncomplicated. You have never fought, they have never said anything unkind to you, they have just been by your side.

To be able to say goodbye to all three of my dogs, while they lay in the comfort of our family home, the last two with the support of a very caring vet, is the ending you wish for. I am heartbroken but incredibly grateful for the time we had together and the softness of the ending we chose. Everyone deserves that kindness.