Lorraine Kelly: Losing a beloved pet is like losing member of our own family

ANYONE who has lost a beloved pet will know what Sue Perkins went through when her dog had to be put to sleep.

The co-host of the Great British Bake Offhad to make the agonising decision to have Pickles the beagle put down after he developed cancer.

Pickles had been with her for 11 years and when he died she wrote an open letter to him where she poured out her heartbreak.

The remarkably honest and candid letter has now been shared on social media and all bereaved pet owners will identity with the sentiments.

Sue wrote about all the happy memories she had with Pickles and also of how she cried “until my skin felt burnt and my ears grew tired” when he passed away last year.

She thanked her dog for being a real comfort when she found out she couldn’t have children saying “You let me use your neck as a hankie and you were the peg on which I hung all the baggage that couldn’t be named”.

She apologises for having Pickles “killed” and was clearly wracked with guilt about making the decision to take him to the vets, describing it as “unbearable pain”.

Even when we know it is the humane, caring and kind thing to do when our pets are in agony and distress, it’s a horrible decision to make and along with the sorrow there is almost always a sense of guilt.

It’s been almost eight months since we lost our border terrier Rocky, who was also suffering from cancer and I miss him every single day.

It’s very strange to go back home and not to get that almost hysterical, over excited greeting at the front door.

A walk along the beach at Broughty Ferry just isn’t the same without having Rocky bounding along the sand and sniffing at the seaweed.

I still have his worn tartan collar and little red and white bandana that he stoically put up with because my daughter Rosie and I thought he looked “cute”.

Our dogs give us unconditional love in return for bed, board, walks and lots of cuddles and so much deep affection.

We forgive them all of our shoes they chew up (did it have to be my most expensive high heels though, Rocky boy?).

We haven’t yet thought about having another dog and I grimace when people use the word “replace”, because no other dog could really ever take the place of Rocky.

Perhaps it is something we might think about one day, and like Sue we would definitely want to help a rescue dog.

Like our Rocky, Pickles was obviously a real character and very much part of her family and that’s exactly what our pets should be, especially when it comes to our dogs.