Labrador adorably carries her favourite teddy to bed with her

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Wendy O’Grady from Surrey was signed off work for two weeks due to crippling grief after her beloved Labrador Zac passed away, a period in which she describes herself as being “inconsolable”.

Zac had been part of the family since her husband Mike, 51, brought home the nine-month-old chocolate Labrador for the retail store supervisor in 2009.

The pooch was a gift for Wendy after she tragically suffered 10 miscarriages, and acted as a source of comfort for the pair who struggled to conceive over a 15 year period.

As Zac was diagnosed with cancer in July 2021, the couple were forced to make the heart-breaking decision of putting him down.

When speaking of her loss, she said: “Losing Zac was just like losing a child.

“I can’t even explain the grief. We were inconsolable. After 12 years, to not see him come to the door when I came home was heartbreaking.”

The grief-stricken couple welcomed the pooch at this important time in their lives, and Wendy believes that Zac brought them comfort and light during a “rough time”.

The pair doted on the sweet-natured canine who the pair described as “full of love” and as “the glue that held our family together”.

Mrs O’Grady said: “It was a really hard time, I just couldn’t conceive and we were having a rough time.

“So, when Mike bought Zac home, he completely lit up our lives. It was an instant connection.”

She added: “The first moment I saw him, as we sat in the back seat of the car, I fell in love with his sweet nature.”

The couple were forced to make a heartbreaking decision when tragedy struck in July 2021 as Zac became unable to walk properly and the vet discovered he was seriously ill with cancer in the spine.

The pooch was put on medication for seven days, but Mrs O’Grady said he “was so unwell and in a lot of pain” as the medication didn’t work.

She said: “His spine was literally crumbling away, there was nothing anyone could do.

“On the last night, nine days after he became unwell, he wasn’t himself. He was sick and wetting himself and we just looked at each other and said we can’t let him continue.”

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The couple made the upsetting decision to put Zac down in order to end his suffering, which not only affected them but also their second dog, Purdy, now 10.

Purdy who is a black Labrador and pointer cross is said to have become “instant friends” with Zac in 2012 when she was adopted.

She said: “It was such a hard decision. We were with him at the vet’s surgery as he passed and it was just awful. I just couldn’t cope with losing him.

“I can’t describe what it felt like. Purdy was devastated. She even came to the vets with us to say goodbye and gave Zac a kiss”.

Mrs O’Grady said she was made to feel uncomfortable when trying to open up about her loss, and felt as though others didn’t empathise with her situation or understand how devastating it can be.

She said: “I think it would have been helpful if they had addressed what Mike and I were going through”.

“I think people should be more open and just talk about it. We lost a member of our family and I think it should be addressed.”

Since the loss of the beloved pup, the couple have created a memorial in his honour in their garden by planting a rose bush surrounded by a love heart fence.

While no dog could take Zac’s place, the couple have a much loved new addition to the O’Grady family in the form of a new puppy, Zebedee.

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