When tomorrow starts without me: Goodbye to the goodest boy
Millions of people across the globe are in grief over the passing of Phil, a giant malamute whose social media videos ‘guaranteed happiness’.
Messages and tears are flowing online to a special family in Lancashire, England, from across the world, in numerous languages, sometimes in different alphabets. Rarely, of late, have intense feelings expressed in Hebrew and Arabic been as united.
News of the death of Phil (Philly Bear or the “goodest’’ boy to his family and followers) – a golden, giant Alaskan malamute who was almost 11 – drew 1.9 million views on YouTube. The grief on Instagram was no less intense, from across Britain, the US, Luxembourg, Indonesia, South Africa, the Middle East, New Zealand and Australia. Overwhelmingly, people were thanking the dog’s owners for sharing him with the world.
“It breaks my heart, have been following Phil for many years. So sad, RIP Phil, love you from Singapore’’; “He gave unending joy to a lot of us, especially through the pandemic’’; “My heart is broken. I hope you know just how much Phil has meant to so many’’; “He went full of love!! From Spain … Gracias’’; “Au-revoir Phil repose-toi bien la haut (Goodbye Phil, rest well up there); and “We loved each and every journey with you” were typical of thousands of reactions.
The saga has been a bit like following Taylor Swift’s Australian visit, which grabbed the attention of everyone from teenage Swifties to Greg Sheridan and Geoffrey Blainey. The social phenomena surrounding both events also has some things in common. The singer and canine both exuded goodness and happiness. What Sheridan wrote of Swift – “one cultural aspect of her success worth noting, and that is certainly cause for some celebration, is that she makes joy, even niceness, a central part of her offering’’ – certainly applies to Life with Malamutes, the online story of Phil and his family that has unfolded for 11 years.
Amid broken red hearts and teary emojis, as subscribers recalled his bear hugs and high-fives, some asked good questions. Why were they crying for a dog they had never met, which for many, had lived thousands of kilometres away? Was it loneliness, too little to do or to think about, too little warmth and affection, disconnect or a longing for their own pet? Or was it more basic? “Watching Phil is guaranteed happiness,’’ one person wrote.
Why did this dog, out of scores of other pet blogs, touch hundreds of thousands of hearts, after initially being followed by only a handful of his owners’ friends? During the pandemic, many discovered him when they were isolated and vulnerable. The short, daily videos drew legions of new followers, who kept watching. It was fun, a touch of escapism on busy days – often interesting, funny or touching. One viewer of the retrospective Phil videos now reappearing said: “Phil is still healing.’’
In a nutshell, Phil was the eldest of the “pack’’ belonging to Emma-Leigh (storyteller par excellence) and Shane Matthews, a young couple with a pre-schooler, Amelia, and a baby, Nathan. The “pack” includes two other malamutes, Niko and Teddy – very different and very fetching – two cats, several golden retrievers, a few farm animals (after the family moved out to the country from Manchester) and the dogs of visiting relations.
Phil was Emma-Leigh’s first pet and grew up alongside Shane’s childhood dog, Toby, by then an ageing retriever, whom the couple believe taught the malamute pup a lot. Phil’s spirit and quirks shone through the clips – he was affectionate, kind and patient and could be trusted off lead because he was friendly to new humans and dogs. BBC radio picked up his extraordinary pronunciation of “Woof” in a distinctly British accent. His antics to escape baths, his happiness chomping a pork pie or ice-cream, his affection for the children (their playpen and trampoline were favourite spots), his joy at seeing their grandparents and Teddy, as a young pup, suckling Phil’s leg, were memorable. The Matthews are model pet owners and Life With Malamutes should continue strongly.
Retired psychologist Karen Nixon says Phil cut across cultures and languages, drawing viewers because they found “something uplifting” in his story, told in short video clips over many years. “People sensed the goodness and drew a connection with their lives.’’ Since his death on Australia Day, which was not announced for some days – his family needed time to come to terms with the loss – audiences who have lost their pets reached out, telling their stories.
Problematic as social media can be, it is bringing animal lovers from far and wide together. From Bernese Mountain Dogs wearing blue and gold kerchiefs to raise money for Berners in Ukraine to supporters of a shelter housing 400 cats and dogs in that war-torn country, bonds are being forged.
Phil’s latter years were often tough. When he as younger, he was an exceptionally beautiful dog of about 50kg with thick golden fur (malamutes are normally black and white), with big paws like a bear. But as time rolled on, much of his fur fell out due to alopecia and Cushing’s Disease. Both were hard to treat. His affable face was largely untouched, though the rest of him came to resemble a favourite old teddy – coat worn thin from hugs. His tiny rat’s tail, often tugged by the baby, looked incongruous but distinctive.
He bore his afflictions, and frequent vet visits, blood tests and tablets, stoically, which probably counts for some of the affection towards him. That side of his life is told in a children’s book published in 2022, What I Love About You. For audiences, waiting for news of his medical tests it felt a bit like it must have been waiting on New York docks for ships to arrive with new chapters of The Old Curiosity Shop, to find out if Little Nell was still alive. Now or 180 years ago, in print or online, great stories of real characters are compelling.
Severe arthritis did not stop Phil struggling up a high staircase one morning, about 18 months ago, to scramble on to the bed to sit with Emma-Leigh, who was heavily pregnant. (Waking up to the best surprise ever.)
His one and only meeting with another online canine star, Sherpa, was one of his (and Sherpa’s) most popular videos ever.
In winter, Phil looked debonair in the jumpers that protected him, though recently, as snow – his favourite weather – fell for the first time for ages, he rushed out in his threadbare fur on a freezing night, a bit slow and unstable on his feet, for his last, snowy playtime with Niko and Teddy.
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