Singer Rachael Leahcar has shared some heartbreaking news in an emotional post.
Leahcar, who is legally blind and rose to fame on the first season of The Voice Australia, announced to Instagram this week her guide dog of more than a decade Ella had died.
The star said the Golden Retriever "wasn't just my guide dog – she was my best friend."
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Rachael Leahcar's guide dog Ella has died. (Instagram/ rachaeleahcar)"It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of my beloved Ella," Leahcar began.
"Ella and I became a team in January 2014, and from the moment I heard her name, I knew she was meant to be mine."
The singer recalled the pup making her laugh the first time they met.
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She noted Ella's "playful spirit" and "gentle nature".
"She was universally adored, and anyone who met her could feel her love and grace."
Leahcar said Ella "collapsed at home and couldn't get back up" on Monday last week.
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"The mobile vet confirmed she was unlikely to walk again, and knowing how dignified and proud my girl was, I couldn't let her suffer," she said.
"She passed peacefully, surrounded by love, with me holding her paw, stroking her face and singing her special song, My Girl."
Leahcar said they were "still coming to terms with this loss".
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Leahcar with Ella and her other guide dog, Jarvis. (Instagram/ rachaeleahcar)"Thank you for loving her as much as I did," she wrote to her thousands of followers.
"Rest in peace, my goldie girl. Ella bella, you were truly one of a kind," the star signed the emotional post off.
Leahcar was on Delta Goodrem's team on the first season of the The Voice Australia in 2012.
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The singer, who was 19 at the time, placed third in the competition.
In July 2024, Leahcar marked Ella's 13th birthday with a heartwarming Instagram post.
Leahcar said she "felt a connection" with the pup the first time they met.
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The Voice Australia alum said the pup had been with her through many life milestones including album releases, her wedding, the addition of another guide dog Jarvis, and welcoming her first child.
"And you did it all with grace, patience and love," she said of the pup.
Leahcar married her partner Chris Johinke in 2022. The couple welcomed their first son Eli in December 2023.
"My beautiful girl, my sunshine, my princess and, affectionately, oldie goldie," she said of her pup.
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