Australian television personality Tayla Meath has died aged 30 following a difficult battle with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
Meath was best known as an animal shelter worker and dog matchmaker on The Dog House Australia, where she helped rescue dogs find new homes. The programme announced her death in a statement shared on Facebook.
“Tayla will be remembered for the extraordinary love, kindness and care she showed our four-legged friends through The Dog House Australia, and for the lasting impact she made on everyone fortunate enough to know her,” the statement said.
“Working with animals wasn’t just a job for Tayla. It was her passion and a huge part of who she was.”
The reality series, which began in 2021, follows staff at the Animal Welfare League as they try to match homeless dogs with prospective owners. Meath appeared on the show from its first season until her health forced her to step back.
A 2021 interview with Mamamia described Meath’s work at the shelter, where she spoke about the emotional difficulty of seeing animals surrendered and the satisfaction of watching them leave with new families. ([mamamia.com.au](https://www.mamamia.com.au/dog-house-australia-questions/))
Tayla Meath’s cancer battle
Meath was diagnosed with stage four adenoid cystic carcinoma in August 2024, when she was 28. The disease had spread to her liver, spine, pelvis, ribs, sternum and throat, according to a fundraising page organised by her friend April Faulkner. ([gofundme.com](https://www.gofundme.com/f/taylas-journey-with-acc))
The fundraiser said Meath had undergone emergency surgery after experiencing serious breathing difficulties, including a tracheotomy and later surgery involving part of her voice box and vocal cord. She was left able to speak only in a whisper. ([gofundme.com](https://www.gofundme.com/f/taylas-journey-with-acc))
Her condition deteriorated in June after scans showed that the cancer in her liver had grown significantly and caused several bile duct blockages.
Faulkner wrote that doctors had told Meath there was no further treatment available for the blockages and that chemotherapy was no longer an option. A palliative care team subsequently visited her to discuss end-of-life care.
Meath died on 1 September surrounded by the people closest to her, according to an update shared on the fundraising page.
“Tayla’s family would like to thank every single person who has loved her, supported her, encouraged her and walked beside them through the hardest chapter of their lives,” Faulkner wrote.
Her family and friends are planning a celebration of her life. “Her service will be beautiful, just as she wanted, and just as she was,” Faulkner said.
Meath is survived by her husband, Curtis, whom she married in 2024, and their three-year-old Labrador, Archie. The fundraising page said she had continued working with animals for as long as her health allowed and described the Animal Welfare League as her “dream job”. ([gofundme.com](https://www.gofundme.com/f/taylas-journey-with-acc))
