Can animals really die of a broken heart? As Robbie Williams and Ayda Field tragically say goodbye to both their dogs at once, vet reveals pets can ‘sense’ when their friends are gone

Robbie Williams and Ayda Field are going through a period of mourning after announcing both their beloved pet dogs, Poupette and Walle, have passed away in a double family tragedy.

Ayda expressed the couple’s heartache with a social media post dedicated to Poupette and Walle, who died together in the night ‘listening to Dancing Queen’.

Revealing the news to fans, Ayda said Poupette was her ‘soulmate’ who had transformed her partner Robbie into a ‘small-fluffy-dog kinda guy’ as she paid tribute to both 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 – and led many to speculate over how this might have happened. 

Although it’s the worst nightmare of many pet owners, it is possible for two pets in the same family to pass away at the same time – although for the most part, it’s rare, according to vets.

The couple are taking some time to navigate their loss 

‘Today, our dogs Poupette & Walle left this planet to start 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 following the dogs’ deaths.

Fans have highlighted how unusual it is to lose two pets in one day, calling both dying at the same time ‘unimaginable’.

It’s clear that pets can share a close bond, not just with their owners, but also fellow pets. But how common is it for them to perish at the same time? 

Dr Linda Simon, Pooch & Mutt’s resident vet, explained that while pets do often die at the same time, this is usually a tragic coincidence due to reasons such as accidentally ingesting rat bait or anti-freeze.

‘In the case of Robbie and Ayda’s dogs, both were very elderly, so presumably will have had underlying medical issues. It is likely them passing on the same day is a very sad coincidence,’ she told FEMAIL.

While ‘broken-heart syndrome’, also referred to takotsubo cardiomyopathy, where a patient becomes seriously unwell and in rare cases dies due to emotional stress, sometimes caused by losing a loved one, is a recognised medical condition among humans, it’s not common in dogs.

Dr Simon has, however, seen some evidence of a ‘broken heart syndrome’ in rabbits, explaining: ‘In practice, I mostly see ‘broken heart syndrome’ in rabbits, who bond closely with their mate and can become so stressed by their passing that they refuse to eat and even pass away.’

Ayda called pet Poupette her ‘soulmate’, adopting the pet 18 years ago

After the couple met they decided to get another pet together and found Walle

Poupette (left) and Walle (right) passed away at the couple’s home in West London

Ayda Williams shared a heartfelt and lengthy tribute to the pet dogs she shares with Robbie and her 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 certainly sense when another pet has passed. They may be depressed or develop behavioural issues, such as separation anxiety,’ Dr Simon continued, adding: ‘However, I’ve not seen a case of a healthy dog or cat die from grief.’

Of course, the bond between dogs and their human owners can also be incredibly strong.

We know that this works both ways and is hugely important for mental health. When owners die, this can be hugely traumatic for bonded pets.

‘A well known illustration of this is the dog Hachiko, who lived in Tokyo and waited for his deceased owner at the train station every day after he passed away, hoping he’d come home.

The couple had a bridal party made 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 followers, ‘For those of you who don’t know about Poupette and Walle, here’s some backstory…

‘Poupette’s been with me 18 years. From the day we met, she was my soulmate. I was a single girl, and all of a sudden, with Poupette, I was a single mom. Everyone that knows me, called Poupette ‘my shadow’…because wherever I’d go, she was right behind me.

Ayda continued: ‘It’s weird how you can share so much with a being that can’t communicate back in the same language. But, that’s the beauty of unconditional love…it needs no words.’

The post was met with heartfelt condolence from their fans, who commented on how hard it must be to lose two pets in such a short time.

One fan wrote on Instagram, ‘This is heartbreaking reading so I can’t begin to imagine how hard living this is for you both.

‘Losing any pet is tough, but 1 that is so close to you even more so & to lose 2 at the same time is devastating. I’m so happy you had all that time together though. RIP Poupette & Walle.’

While another said, ‘ Can I ask how they both died on the same day … such a tragic event to loose one dog but 2 on the same day is just unimaginable.’

The dogs also played pivotal roles in the couple’s 2010 wedding, with Poupette as Ayda’s maid of honour and Walle as Robbie’s best man. Ayda revealed in the post that Poupette and Walle were the ‘final members of the bridal party’.

Ayda finished the heartbreaking post with the sign-off: ‘Going to cry and take some time to process these next few days. The final members of the bridal party have left us, but if I know Poupette and Walle, they are going to throw one heck of an after-party.

‘Poupette and Walle, you watched me grow from a girl to a woman, and supported me for all my adult life. I love you with all my heart.’