Puppy love

Amanda Goff and David Basha are perfect soul mates, but if it wasn’t for their dogs, they may never have met, let alone fallen deeply in love. By Kelly Baker.

Amanda Goff was at the absolute lowest point of her life. In February 2003, at the age of 29, the seemingly healthy writer had suffered a stroke. Then, while recovering in hospital, she discovered its cause – she had a life-threatening heart condition. She was attempting to come to grips with this shattering news when her long-term boyfriend declared their relationship over. Amanda was heartbroken, but there was more to come. Just when it seemed things couldn’t possibly get any worse, she lost her job.  “I was devastated,” says Amanda bluntly. “It was a terrible, terrible time and it all happened in about a week.”

Amanda was released from hospital after seven days of observation. Luckily the stroke had been minor and she had suffered no serious complications. However, Amanda was deeply unhappy. She did her best to keep her chin up and when she turned 30 just days later, she allowed her friends to throw her a lavish bash. The party couldn’t have been more special, but the Sydney-based UK native had never felt so alone.

“I had all my girlfriends around me and they were wonderful, but I had a horrible time,” she says, shaking her head at the memory. “I was living on my own, my family were a long way away, and while I should have been celebrating turning 30, all I could think about was my own mortality.”

Sensing her misery, Amanda’s friends gathered close. They visited her often and regularly took her out for meals and coffee. Amanda appreciated their efforts, but her mood remained low.

In June 2003, about four months after the stroke, Amanda and her friends arranged to meet at a local shopping centre for one of their regular catch-ups. Amanda arrived early and wandered through the stores. When she spotted a pet shop she stepped inside and it was then that her life took a dramatic turn for the better. “I saw this little white Jack Russell-Chihuahua cross and all I could think was, ’I want that dog,‘” she says.

Amanda bought the puppy, which she named Georgie. For the first time in months she felt genuinely happy. She and the pup were instantly smitten and soon they were inseparable.

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