Pop star Will Young has credited his dogs with improving his mental health because they are “consistent companions and fiercely loyal”.
Will Young has credited his dogs with improving his mental health because they are “consistent companions and fiercely loyal”.
The 46-year-old pop star has an eight-year-old mastiff-bulldog cross named Domino – who he rescued from a “kill shelter” in Los Angeles in 2020 – and a 15-year-old border terrier named Esme, who is battling dementia, and Young admits having his pooches at home has been a huge help as they boost his mood and give him a routine.
When asked if dogs help with his mental health, he told The Sunday Times newspaper: “Yes. I find mornings difficult because I have a lot of stored trauma in my body. Domino is great because he wakes me up, bang on 6.30am, and I have to get up to feed him and take him out.
“Dogs are amazing consistent companions and fiercely loyal. I was talking to a psychotherapist friend recently who said dogs are brought to you at various times in your life to walk alongside you. I definitely feel that, particularly with Domino.”
Young previously owned a dachshund named Nelly, but she was killed when she was hit by an electric car three years ago and the singer admits he struggled to deal with her loss and so did Esme.
He added: “[Esme was] badly affected by the death of my dachshund Nelly three years ago. Nelly was run over by an electric car.
“She didn’t hear it and ran into the road. Esme became depressed but has picked up in the last year. The trauma stays with me though.”
After rescuing Domino from being euthanised, the pop star went on to set up his own dog food brand called Miraculous Meals which donates 50 per cent of the profits to animal rescue shelters.
In a statement posted on the brand’s website, Young explained why he decided to set up the company. He wrote: “Rescuing Domino taught me how much something as simple as a meal could mean.
“That first bowl [of food] told him: ‘You’re home now’. That’s why we created Miraculous Meals
- a food that nourishes the dogs we love and gives hope to those still waiting for their second chance.”
Will Young’s dogs helped his mental health
