Bella Mackie, the author and wife of Radio 1 presenter Greg James, has written an emotional article in Vogue titled 'My Perfect Dog Died. What The Hell Do I Do Now?', in which she declares she will 'never love a kid more' than their late chocolate labrador Barney. The couple had to put Barney down earlier this month after a period of ill health, leading James, 40, to skip his Radio 1 show.
Adopted from Battersea, Barney Became a Radio Star
Barney, adopted from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, had his own dedicated segment on James's Radio 1 show called 'Barney, Are You There?!' and boasted an Instagram account with thousands of followers. Mackie, 43, recalls their 'love at first sight' when they first met Barney at the rescue centre.
In her article, Mackie reflects on the decision to get a dog before having children, writing: '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. But we had the dog before we made any big decisions about whether or not to procreate and this, I now see, was a mistake.'
Mackie's Heartfelt Reflection on Love and Loss
She continues: '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?' Mackie explains that the couple thought they had 'cracked it' by choosing a dog over children, but after 'eight perfect years' Barney's health declined, requiring several operations before the difficult decision to put him down.
Quoting Philip Larkin's 1956 poem 'An Arundel Tomb', Mackie writes: 'What will survive of us is love. I don't imagine Philip Larkin would be thrilled that I'm applying his genius to a slightly overweight labrador called Barney, but here we are. His love was wonderful, wonderful enough that one day we'll get another dog from Battersea (I miss those smug points) and upend our entire lives in service of them. Until then, I don't know what the hell to do.'
James Shares News on Instagram, Asks for Space
Earlier this month, James shared the news on Instagram, asking followers not to directly message him about the loss and disabling comments on his post. He wrote: 'I'm sorry to bring such horrible news, but we had to put our lovely Barn to sleep earlier today. I can't really get my head around it.'
He added: 'But he was peaceful; we were with him at home in the garden in the sunshine, and I can't stop crying. I know how loved this unbelievably daft farty brilliant dog was and I adored sharing him with everyone on here. 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.'
