I held his paw and slept by his side for 14 days in hospital. But it turned out, all the love in the world wasn’t enough to save him. Thus begins the final post on Life of Dozer.
My dearest Dozer,
You came into my life in my arms, holding you protectively. And after almost 14 years together, I held you in my arms protectively again as I said goodbye.
I was sobbing so hard, I forgot everything I wanted to say to you in our final moments together.
So I started writing this letter to you, to say all those things.
I wanted to reminisce about our wonderful times – the thousands of visits to the dog beach, all the wonderful food we sampled together, the cuddles, the neck-scratching-sessions, our road trips.
I wanted to thank you for spreading the joy that is you with readers all around the world, for happily coming along with me to meet readers at events, book signings, fund raisers, lunches, dinners, not to mention TV shows, photo shoots, and my gosh, we can’t forget our stint on Play School!
But as I sit here, typing away with tears streaming down my face, I realise that’s not what I want to say to you.
What I want to say is thank you.
Thank you for giving me your whole heart.
Thank you for giving me your unconditional loyalty.
Thank you for loving me just as I am, for all my flaws, for never caring what I weigh, what I wear, what I look like.
Thank you for always being there, my one constant through the good and bad times.
Thank you for making me smile, even on the hardest of days.
And thank you for trying so hard to stay with me as long as you could, fighting to heal until your very last day. I will never forget how deep you had to dig to find the strength for your rehab walk on our final morning together.
I know that one day, I will be able to look at photos of you again without sobbing. And I know all this pain I am feeling is because I loved you so fiercely and completely, and I wouldn’t trade it for a second I got to spend with you.
But right now, four days after saying goodbye, it feels like the heartbreak will never heal, like I will never smile again.
Rest in peace, my darling Dozer. I will never forget you, and I will never stop loving you.
Love,
Your mum xoxo
Thank you SASH
To the vets and nurses at the Small Animal Specialist Hospital (SASH),
Thank you for the extraordinary care, skill, and kindness you showed Dozer. Every moment, from the medical expertise to the gentle reassurance and cheering him on, meant more to me than I can say. Knowing he was in such capable, compassionate hands gave me comfort during the hardest days. I will always be deeply grateful for everything you did for my beautiful boy. – Nagi x
I just wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss. What an amazing fellow-adventurer Dozer was. Your love for him always shines through your posts.
Like many others, I know your pain and grief, every pet owner does. The depth of grief mirrors the depth of love, the grief passes but the love always remains.
Dear Naji. I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved Dozer. Nothing loves us so completely as a dog. I daresay the loss we feel for an animal can sometimes hurt even more because their love is so pure. Thank you for sharing all the pictures and happenings of his life and for making him special to us as well. May the fond memories heal your pain in due time.
Your beautiful memories you had together will always remain in your heart.
First time commenter. I have been using your recipes since I started college and you’re website quickly became my favorite. what I loved was your personal touch and I looked forward for the Dozer updates. I can’t imagine the loss and hurt you are going through, but, as you’ve seen, you’re love for Dozer shined through to us strangers on the internet.
Sending you lots of love and hugs and I hope you find comfort and healing.
So sorry to hear about Dozer , losing a friend like Dozer is so hard, lots of love to you
Heidi and Chris
Hi Nagi – I’m just reading this and I can’t help but cry my eyes profusely. I know first hand what it is to lose one’s fur babies. My heart goes out you and know that you and dozer are in thoughts and heart. If it is of any comfort, just know you gave him the best life you can give him and he was loved by you and everyone until the very end. He will now rest in peace and his soul will transform into a beautiful butterfly and live on forever in your heart and hearts of others he touched like mine. There’s no doubt he knew how much you loved him and he loved you.
😢❤️
Oh Nagi. I’m so very sorry for your loss of Dozer. Over the many years I have truly enjoyed your recipes but loved seeing what Dozer was up to.
My sincere condolences for your loss. I have no doubt in my mind that Dozer knows how much he was loved. My thoughts and prayers are with you through this very difficult time.
Dear Nagi,
So very sorry for your loss, but you can rest assured that Dozer had a marvellous life with you. Not many dogs can be chief tasters for an excellent cook.
So sorry to hear the very sad news Nagi
Sending my love. Have been following you and Dozer since forever. My heart aches for you Nagi…
just know he lived a great filled with so much love.
I am so sorry for your loss. rest in paradise Dozer <3
Nagi, my heart goes out to you on your loss of Dozer. As I write this, my best friend, Faith (a Golden Lab) is sleeping beside me. I can’t even imagine the pain of losing her. My tears are flowing over the loss of Dozer. May Dozer RIP and may your memories of happier times carry you through this devastating loss.
Hi Nagi, so sorry to hear about the passing of Dozer. It is heart breaking when they leave us. But you gave him a good life filled with lots of love and food. That is all you can do. The pain will get easier, but at the present my thoughts are with you. Love from Tony in the UK.
Hi Nagi, sending you my heartfelt condolences to you over the loss of your beautiful Dozer.
My heart breaks for you and my thoughts and prayers are with you. 😢 💔
My heart is with you and Dozer .💔
Dear Nagi,
The loss of a pet especially one that has had such a huge influence on your life is hard.
Growing up, I always had a cat. My first cat died of cancer at about 13 years. Its been about 10 years since but the joy she put in my heart is still fresh.
After that, my next door neighbour had a cat which used to escape to my compound because they had dogs that didn’t get along with her. She came with her grown kitten. I adopted them. Unfortunately she loved going out in the night (however much I tried to stop her) and one night she never came back. I was devastated – that was in 2024. I am left with her grown kitten (I can not stop seeing her as a kitten but she is 8 years old) and she is more of an indoor cat. But she enjoys the outdoors equally and she is more weary of any unfamiliar surroundings/people.
My story is about this “kitten”. When her mother passed, she was restless for a while but I paid extra attention to her. I played with her and brushed her more often because now she had no play mate. It took her a while to adjust but not forget. She was in a better place and something devastating happened. I had a brother who had a neurological problem and so he partially lost his ability to walk. So when he was resting from his physical exercises, my cat would sit at his feet.
My brother passed on last year 2025 (June). My cat was devastated. She developed a habit. She would stand in the hallway, endlessly waiting for him to walk from his bedroom but to no avail. She did not understand why he was not coming. Obviously she sensed something was wrong and that is why she was restless. This went on for long time. I tried to help her. Tried to change the positioning of the furniture to tickle her curiosity. Brought in more toys. Stayed with her while she fed. She is now better and is back to her old self (playful and generally enjoying herself).
Nagi, why I told this story, it is to encourage you. It is harder on our fur babies when they lose their humans. They will not get the same love that they have been receiving. They will be heartbroken and lonely and no one will know what they are going through.
For that reason, I thank God for Dozer because out of his influence and unconditional love in your life, the following have happened;
* your heart is a reflection of Dozer’s
* you have been outrageously generous
* you touched people’s lives by being their therapy
* you have setup fresh and exciting meals by providing menus made with love
* you gave of yourself with no expectation back except for the world to enjoy good simple menus fit for 5 star settings.
* your community has enjoyed and benefited from your generosity
* and more …
I keep saying, I would rather outlive my fur baby than the other way round because I do not want to imagine what goes on in their precious minds.
Dozer lived a full life and so have you because you get to spread it. You never know who might catch it! My “kitten” right now is enjoying the fruits of my first cat, and even better.
A love note from a fan in Uganda
Sending you tons of hugs, Nagi. This letter of yours brought me to tears. I know that it will take time, but I hope you find comfort and healing. x
Sending you such love Nagi. Losing a beloved pet is one of the hardest things ever. Dozer was so loved, you gave him the best life and he gave you himself <3
The measure of your pain is the exact measure of the love you both shared with each other. I hope there is some comfort in knowing that Dozer lived his life in exactly the place he was meant to be, loving the person he was meant to love, and living the life he was intended to live. In loving him so well and so long, you helped him to fulfill his purpose in this world. Judging from the peace and serenity his last photos evoke, and with your faithful presence by his side until the very end, I truly believe that he knew that. Dogs know.