‘I’m a survivor – I know how lucky I am’
TV presenter Michaela Strachan opens up about her battle with cancer, why her pets have given her grey hairs and why she’s against the breeding of certain dogs
One person who is, unsurprisingly, really wild about her pets is TV presenter Michaela Strachan. The 58-year-old – who lives in South Africa with her partner Nick Chevallier, a wildlife director and cameraman, and their 18-year-old son Oliver – treasures her rescue dog, Rio, eight, who she says is “the love of my life”.
“I better not say that, actually. Nick is the love of my life, but we all adore Rio,” she says, laughing, before launching into a spiel about what makes dogs the perfect pets.
“I think the unconditional love dogs give is just the best thing in the world. My favourite car sticker says, ‘I wish I was the person my dog thinks I am.’ I love that because they really must think that you’re just the best thing in the world.
“They’re always excited to see you. I’ll be away for three weeks. I come home and Rio’s so excited to see me. If Nick met me at the airport and wiggled his bum as much as Rio does, he would get a hell of a welcome from me!”
On top of the unconditional love, Michaela believes having a dog brings so much enrichment to our lives, and can teach us valuable lessons from a young age.
“It forces you to go out on walks and I think that’s incredibly good for your mental health, your fitness and for meeting people. I also think it’s great for kids to be able to take care of something other than themselves, for them to have responsibility and to learn about connection and loss, because obviously our pets don’t live as long as we humans do.”
The Springwatch presenter says Rio – a terrier spaniel mix – is “part of my way of life” and their hikes up Cape Town’s Table Mountain is where Michaela finds her “sanctuary”.
However, such is her love of dogs that she feels strongly about their mistreatment, hitting out at those who don’t spend enough quality time with their pets.
“I think it’s really sad when people have dogs for completely selfish reasons and the poor dog is sitting inside five days a week until their owners come home. What’s the point of having a dog when you work
9 to 5 and nobody’s at home all day?
“We must remember that dogs are pack animals, and many of us only have one dog, so we become their packs. It’s not natural for a dog to be on its own.”
Until a couple of years ago, the wildlife presenter had another pooch, Timmy, who she lost unexpectedly when he died of haemangiosarcoma – an aggressive form of cancer in dogs that often goes undetected until it’s too late.
“He was perfectly fine in the morning. After breakfast, Nick tried to take him for a walk, but he collapsed,” she recalls. “Nick rushed to the vet who opened him up and discovered he had a burst cancer tumour. He phoned me up while I was at lunch with a friend and I said, ‘Something’s the matter, isn’t it?’
“He told me, ‘I’ve put Timmy down.’ He had been fine that morning, so it was a shock.
Before he died, Timmy and Rio gave Michaela the fright of her life when the pair dramatically suffered a suspected overdose on crystal meth.
“We’d been on a walk and it was sunny. We got home and they passed out,” she says. Michaela knew something was wrong when Timmy was “staring into the distance” and paying no attention to her. “I waved my arm in front of him and he didn’t react. I looked in his eyes and clicked my fingers a few times. He jumped and I thought that was very weird.
“Rio then began convulsing. She was outside in the sun, having a fit. Neither of them could stand up. I went into utter panic mode. I thought they’d eaten some poisonous plant, worried they would both die.
“I was sobbing in the back of the car while Nick drove to the vets and the two dogs were just completely spaced out. I explained to the vet I’d taken them to the ‘old fort’, and she knew right away what had happened. She said, ‘This has happened before. They’ve eaten poo off a tick user.’”
Michaela explained that ‘tick’ is the equivalent of crystal meth in South Africa. She adds, “The fort is a hangout place for homeless people, but I knew none of this when I took them there. The vet gave