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Pets Corner: Pawprints on my heart

Writer's picture: Jacqui  GrantJacqui Grant

Updated: Feb 1

Connect & Grow Magazine: Issue 17 January - February 2025

 2025 hasn’t started the way I hoped.


I envisioned it as a continuation of the incredible momentum from 2024—my first book, The Canine Perspective: Using Force-Free Methods to Unleash Your Dog’s Pawtential, soared to #1 in 11 Amazon categories and received glowing reviews. I had just signed on with a journalist and TV presenter to feature me in a lifestyle series set to air in America. Life felt like a dream.

 

But as we headed into the new year, my gorgeous girl, Kali, began to falter. She was 13, battling IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease), and we’d been waging a tough fight against recurrent urinary tract infections for months.

 

I noticed subtle changes: She seemed subdued, moments of vomiting came out of nowhere, and her usual enthusiasm for meals waned. Instead of wolfing down her food, she picked at it half-heartedly (which is very un-Pug-like). My gut told me something more was wrong. I took her to the vet, suspecting another UTI.

 

 

The news shattered me. End-stage renal failure. Weeks left, at best.

Kali wasn’t just my dog. She was my heart. My soul. My everything.

 

 

She had been so much more than a pet—she was my partner in transforming lives. She’d helped rehabilitate countless anxious dogs and rebuilt their confidence where hope seemed lost. She was a qualified assistance dog and once flew with me in the cabin to Melbourne, where I earned some of my qualifications.

 

She brought comfort to hospice patients and even guided me through my recovery

from chronic illness. For 13 incredible years, she was my sidekick, confidant, and constant source of unconditional love.

 

The days that followed were some of the hardest I’ve ever faced. I watched her fade, holding onto every moment while knowing they were slipping away. I promised her I’d be strong enough to let her go when she was ready, and days after the diagnosis, she told me she was.

 

 

On January 5th, in a peaceful ceremony on a dear friend’s property, Kali took her last breaths in my arms.

Her passing was gentle, just as her spirit had always been.

 

 

Grieving a pet is unlike any other loss. It’s raw, consuming, and hits you in waves that leave you gasping for air. And yet, the world often brushes it off as “just a dog.” But those of us who know the depth of that bond understand—it’s so much more.

 

In these moments of profound loss, self-care becomes a lifeline. Letting yourself grieve fully, surrounding yourself with people who can hold space for your pain, and honouring the love you shared are essential steps in healing.

 

 

The truth is, I miss her more than words can convey. But the life we shared, the joy she brought, and the lives she touched were worth every ounce of the heartache I feel now.

 

Kali taught me so much about love, resilience, and the magic of connection. If I had the chance to do it all over again, knowing the pain that would come, I wouldn’t hesitate.

She was worth it all.

 

 

 

pug dog on a pillow
pug dog on a pillow


Written by

Sarah Rutten

Canine Behaviour Specialist

#1 Amazon Best-Selling Author


 

 

To read all our incredible articles why not purchase the digital version of Connect & Grow Magazine Issue 17: Connect & Grow Magazine  

(C) 2024 Break Free Consultancy


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