Dog owner dies ‘of broken heart’ after pet is put down
A LONELY pensioner died “of a broken heart” soon after her beloved dog was put down, her best friend has revealed.
Jilly Madgwick’s health rapidly deteriorated when Lucky, her Jack Russell-cross, suffered a stroke and died at her local vets.
Her faithful companion of 15 years, who she got as a puppy, had also been losing weight. With the support of close friend Anna-Marie Tindall, 46, she made the difficult decision to put him to sleep.
Mrs Tindall said she believed Ms Madgwick, 79, of Helpringham, Lincs, felt after Lucky’s death that she had nothing left to live for. She said: “I think she had a broken heart after Lucky died and she just went downhill from there.
“Lucky was like a child to Jilly. She thought the world of him and he was a wonderful dog. He was well looked after and well-loved.
“They used to go for walks together and he walked nicely to heel, although he was a bit mischievous too.”
Mrs Tindall said her friend had put off going to the doctors about her own health for fear of leaving Lucky on his own. She had earlier been diagnosed with cancer. Ms Madgwick died on March 16, just weeks after Lucky died on December 6.
A photo of Lucky was placed in her coffin at her funeral at Grantham crematorium earlier this month.
Before Lucky died an anonymous neighbour had called the RSPCA over fears the dog was underweight. The charity took the dog to the vets and paid for his treatment.
Mrs Tindall was angered by the call, saying Lucky was “simply getting very old” before his death.
An RSPCA spokesman said: “It’s really sad when an owner has to make a difficult decision to have their beloved pet put to sleep.”