Australian broadcaster Adrian Barich has described the heartbreak of losing three beloved pugs within 12 months, saying the experience taught him that a pet’s final moments should be centred on their comfort rather than their owner’s grief.
Barich, a senior sports reporter and presenter with 7NEWS, said Lilly, Hattie and Bean each became unwell around the age of 10. Their declining health forced him and his family to confront the decision every pet owner dreads: when treatment is no longer enough and an animal’s quality of life has deteriorated.
Bean, a black pug whose name was inspired by black beans, was the last to die. A year on, Barich said he had only now found the strength to write about the loss.
Adrian Barich on saying goodbye to three pugs
He said the three dogs had become central to family life, offering affection and companionship without judgement and remaining devoted regardless of whether the day had been good or difficult.
Barich recalled how painful it was to accept that there might be no further cure. Yet he said the responsibility of their owners was to put aside their own fear and focus on what the animals needed.
That meant staying close, speaking softly, offering physical contact and allowing the dogs to recognise a familiar voice, touch and scent during an unfamiliar and frightening experience.
“Be the familiar thing in an unfamiliar moment,” Barich wrote, while acknowledging how difficult it was to remain calm when faced with the imminent loss of a much-loved companion.
He said the decision to end a pet’s suffering could leave owners questioning themselves, even when they knew it was the right thing to do. For his family, making that choice three times in one year brought an overwhelming sense of grief, but also the belief that they had honoured the trust placed in them by their dogs.
Barich said he was grateful to have remained beside Lilly, Hattie and Bean in their final moments, shielding them as much as possible from his own distress and giving them reassurance until the end.
He continues to mourn the three pugs and expects he always will. But he said he takes comfort in imagining them together again, waiting for the family they loved.
For Barich, the loss is an unavoidable part of sharing a life with an animal: years of companionship followed by one final, painful goodbye.
