Grieving TV Star Struggles To Cope After Death Of Beloved Rescue Dog

Home renovation fans will likely recognize Nicole Curtis from HGTV, where she has hosted two popular shows. But even if you aren’t familiar with Rehab Addict and Rehab Addict Rescue, we can certainly sympathize with the shock, pain, and grief this woman is feeling following the death of her beloved dog.

“My dog, Lucy, is gone,” the TV star wrote in a heartbreaking Instagram post that included a photo of her cuddling her departed dog, Lucy. “The tears haven’t stopped, the heartache so bad that I’ve sat in my house just screaming her name out.”

The post didn’t explain how Lucy died, but her owner recalled how a neighbor had brought Lucy home. “I saw my neighbor coming up the walk carrying her yesterday saying I’m so sorry, mama,” Curtis wrote. “They laid her down next to me and I cradled my baby.”

The HGTV star adopted the Brussels Griffon mix at a charity auction in 2013 when Lucy was just 6 months old, according to Dogster. “I kept telling myself, ‘I’m not getting another dog. I don’t need another dog, I don’t want another dog,” said Curtis, whose dog Polly had passed away just a year before. But the cuddly puppy, whom Curtis had offered to hold during the auction, nevertheless wriggled her way into her future owner’s heart. “And then after an hour of sitting with her, I was like, this is my new dog,” she remembered. “Needless to say, when bidding started my paddle stayed up until she was mine to keep forever.”

Photo: Instagram/detroitdesign

Lucy grew up to be the HGTV star’s constant companion, accompanying her owner to work, on car rides, vacations, long runs, and even helping raise her young family. “I didn’t birth this sweet girl, but, at times, I felt I had,” Lucy’s owner wrote on Instagram. “From the moment I brought her home, she slept curled into my belly, she spent 9 mos curled against my pregnant belly, she then guarded my baby like he was her own.”

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My dog, Lucy, is gone. The tears haven’t stopped, the heartache so bad that I’ve sat in my house just screaming her name out. I saw my neighbor coming up the walk carrying her yesterday saying I’m so sorry, mama. They laid her down next to me and I cradled my baby. I didn’t birth this sweet girl, but, at times, I felt I had. From the moment I brought her home, she slept curled into my belly, she spent 9 mos curled against my pregnant belly, she then guarded my baby like he was her own. Everyone has a Lucy story. The dog who could open doors, fences, cabinets, steal my dinner off the stove, jump up into a windowsill like a cat, walk airports like the Queen, run 13 miles & still want to go for more, loved to be on camera, loved to run free & return home just in time to get in the car for one of our adventures. My dear friends dug a hole, made her a casket as I just held her tight in her fav spot in the sun on the porch. As the day started to fade, my best friend held me tight & said it’s time, my friend laid close and held me as I held my dear sweet baby & I sobbed & just took every last breath Of her that I could. For the past 8 years, life’s pains were lightened by this blessed pup of mine -I spent the night curled up in the strong arms of my friends and I’m so thankful. I haven’t had the strength to admit my girl is gone & whenever people see me -the first thing they ask is where’s Lucy…so now you know. If you see me, let’s not discuss it unless you are prepared to hold me til it passes & it’s gonna be a long time. I have to go home and be the strong mommy & put on a smile -puffy-faced, holding back tears til I can hide and cry & honestly, not telling my little this story til he’s 42, at least, Lucy went to space, Lucy is traveling, Lucy went for a run—who’s to say that isn’t true ? Fly high my Lucy goosey …❤️ (thank you to my dearest who waited this out with me -those are her paw prints in concrete & nothing I would’ve ever posed for, but thankful I have this last pic)

A post shared by Nicole Curtis (@detroitdesign) on

But now Lucy’s owner is struggling to cope with a gut-wrenching loss, grieving a rescued dog who returned the favor by showering her human with undying love, loyalty, and affection. “My dear friends dug a hole, made her a casket as I just held her tight in her fav spot in the sun on the porch,” Curtis wrote, recalling how she sobbed and held her “dear sweet baby” close as they buried Lucy in the backyard.

“For the past 8 years, life’s pains were lightened by this blessed pup of mine,” Lucy’s mourning owner wrote, admitting she still can’t admit her beloved pup is really gone. We’re so sorry for your loss!

Have you ever lost a pet? How did you cope with the grief?

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J. Swanson is a writer, traveler, and animal-enthusiast based in Seattle, an appropriately pet-crazed city where dog or cat ownership even outweighs the number of kids. When the weather permits, she likes to get outside and explore the rest of the Pacific Northwest, always with a coffee in hand.
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