Bella Mackie has opened up about the death of Barney, the beloved dog she shared with her husband Greg James.
The author reflected on the couple’s bond with their chocolate Labrador in a deeply personal Vogue essay titled My Perfect Dog Died. What The Hell Do I Do Now? Barney was adopted from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and had been part of Bella and Greg’s lives for eight years.
Bella recalled feeling an immediate connection with him when they first met. She also used humour to explain just how central Barney had become to their family, saying that getting a dog had affected the way she thought about having children.
Bella Mackie on loving dog Barney and having children
Writing in Vogue, Bella said: “A good lesson in life – and one I only learnt this week – is not to get a dog in place of a kid. Oh I didn’t know that’s what I’d done of course, not at the time.”
She added: “I love the dog so much I’ll never be able to love a kid more so why go through all of that difficulty: giving up wine, enduring sleepless nights, having to pretend rusk stains on my newly upholstered chairs are sweet?”
The comments formed part of Bella’s wider reflection on grief and the enormous place Barney held in the couple’s lives.
She wrote that they had believed they had “cracked it” by choosing a dog rather than children, before his declining health brought their happy routine to an end.
Barney suffered ill health before his death
According to Bella’s Vogue essay, Barney became increasingly unwell and underwent several operations. The couple eventually had to have him put to sleep earlier this month.
The Labrador had also become familiar to Greg’s Radio 1 listeners. He featured in a regular segment called Barney, Are You There?! and had his own Instagram account, where thousands of followers kept up with him.
Looking ahead, Bella said she and Greg hope to adopt another dog from Battersea one day. She concluded her tribute by borrowing the line “What will survive of us is love” from Philip Larkin’s poem An Arundel Tomb.
She joked that the poet might not appreciate his work being applied to “a slightly overweight labrador called Barney”, before admitting she currently does not know what to do without him.
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Greg James said the loss felt ‘very real and very raw’
Greg announced Barney’s death on Instagram and disabled comments on the post. He also asked followers not to send him direct messages about the loss while the grief was still so fresh.
The presenter explained that Barney had been put to sleep peacefully at home, with the couple beside him in their garden.
Greg wrote: “We’re completely floored by it, and I can’t believe our little mate has gone, and it’s very real and very raw and just so sad. He was the best.”
Greg missed his Radio 1 show following Barney’s death. In his Instagram tribute, he described the dog as “unbelievably daft farty brilliant”. Greg added that he had loved sharing Barney with his followers.
Read more: Greg James and wife hit back over insensitive comment following dog’s death
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