Robbie Williams and Ayda Field are going through a period of mourning after announcing that their beloved dogs, Poupette and Walle, have passed away in a double family tragedy.
Ayda expressed the couple’s grief with a social media post dedicated to Poupette and Walle, who died together on the night “listening to Dancing Queen.”
Revealing the news to her fans, Ayda said Poupette was her “soulmate” who had transformed her partner Robbie into a “kind of fluffy little dog” as she paid tribute to him and Walle in an Instagram post.
Following the couple’s sad news, fans were left stunned by their bad luck in losing two dogs at the same time, leading many to speculate on how this could have happened.
Although it is many pet owners’ worst nightmare, it is possible for two pets in the same family to die at the same time, although in most cases it is rare, according to veterinarians.
Robbie Williams and Ayda Field have shared the sad news that their beloved dogs, Poupette and Walle, have passed away in a double family tragedy.
The couple is taking some time to get over their loss.
“Today our dogs Poupette and Walle left this planet to embark on an adventure in an infinite galaxy far, far away. They died together in bed, listening to ‘Dancing Queen’, surrounded by tremendous love,” Ayda wrote on Instagram after the dogs’ deaths.
Fans have highlighted how unusual it is to lose two pets in one day and have described it as “unimaginable” that they both die at the same time.
It’s clear that pets can share a close bond, not just with their owners, but with other pets as well. But how common is it for them to die at the same time?
Dr. Linda Simon, Pooch & Mutt’s resident veterinarian, explained that while pets often die at the same time, this is usually a tragic coincidence due to reasons such as accidentally ingesting rat bait or antifreeze.
“In the case of Robbie and Ayda’s dogs, they were both very old so it is assumed they had underlying medical issues. It is likely they passed away on the same day, which is a very sad coincidence,” she told FEMAIL.
While “broken heart syndrome,” also known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, in which the patient becomes seriously ill and in rare cases dies due to emotional stress, sometimes caused by the loss of a loved one, is a recognized medical condition among humans, it is not common in dogs.
However, Dr Simon has seen some evidence of a “broken heart syndrome” in rabbits, explaining: “In practice, I mainly see ‘broken heart syndrome’ in rabbits, who bond closely with their partner and can become so stressed by their partner’s passing that they refuse to eat and even die.”
Ayda called her pet Poupette her “soulmate” and adopted her 18 years ago
After the couple met, they decided to get another pet together and found Walle.
Poupette (left) and Walle (right) died at the couple’s home in west London.
Ayda Williams shared a heartfelt and lengthy tribute to the dogs she shares with Robbie and his family.
She went on to explain that dogs can “certainly” sense when another pet is gone and show an emotional reaction to the loss.
“Dogs and cats can clearly sense the death of another pet. They may become depressed or develop behavioural problems such as separation anxiety,” Dr Simon continued, adding: “However, I have not seen any cases of a healthy dog or cat dying from grief.”
Of course, the bond between dogs and their human owners can also be incredibly strong.
We know this works both ways and is very important for mental health. When owners die, it can be very traumatic for the pets they have bonded with.
A well-known example of this is Hachiko the dog, who lived in Tokyo and waited for his deceased owner at the train station every day after his death, hoping he would come home.
The couple had a bridal party made up of furry friends for their 2010 wedding.
Robbie posing with Walle when he was just a puppy
Ayda also shared the backstory of the dogs’ lives in the Instagram post, writing to her followers: ‘For those of you who don’t know about Poupette and Walle, here’s some history…
‘Poupette has been with me for 18 years. From the day we met, she was my soulmate. I was a single girl and suddenly, with Poupette, I became a single mother. Everyone who knows me called Poupette ‘my shadow’… because wherever I went, she was behind me.
Ayda continued: “It’s strange to be able to share so much with a being who can’t communicate with you in the same language. But that’s the beauty of unconditional love… it doesn’t need words.”
The post was met with heartfelt condolences from her fans, who commented on how difficult it must be to lose two pets in such a short time.
One fan wrote on Instagram: ‘This is a heartbreaking read so I can’t even imagine how difficult this is for both of us to go through.
“Losing a pet is hard, but losing a beloved one is even harder, and losing two at the same time is devastating. However, I’m so glad they got to spend all that time together. Rest in peace, Poupette and Walle.”
While another said, ‘May I ask how they both died on the same day? Such a tragic event, losing one dog and two on the same day, is just unimaginable.’
Dogs also played a pivotal role in the couple’s 2010 wedding, with Poupette serving as Ayda’s bridesmaid and Walle serving as Robbie’s best man. Ayda revealed in the post that Poupette and Walle were the “last members of the bridal party.”
Ayda ended her heartbreaking post with this farewell: “I’m going to cry and take some time to process these next few days. The last members of the bridal party have left us, but if I know Poupette and Walle, they’re going to throw one hell of a going away party.
‘Poupette and Walle, you watched me grow from a child into a woman and supported me throughout my adult life. I love you with all my heart.’
