By Alice GibbsShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA Michigan woman shared how her two inseparable dogs died within hours of each other—one from an undiagnosed heart condition and the other, she believes, from heartbreak.
Holli Johnson’s dogs, Kona, 15, and Willow, 12, were bonded together and been together their entire lives. The pair traveled across the U.S. with their owners, from Arizona to California, and rarely spent a moment apart.
“Willow and Kona were best friends,” Johnson told Newsweek. “They went everywhere together and did everything together.”
A Heartbreaking Loss
The couple’s younger dog, Willow—a black-and-white Shih Tzu mix—had shown no signs of illness before her sudden death. Johnson said the family woke up to find her acting strangely, prompting a rushed trip to an emergency veterinarian.
“She died unexpectedly,” Johnson said. “We woke up and she was acting strange. We took her to the emergency vet and she died in my arms as I was carrying her in.”
Willow was later found to have had an undiagnosed heart condition.
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“We let him see her,” she said. “He was so upset he had actual tears in his eyes.”
...‘He Didn’t Want to Live Without Her'
A few hours after seeing Willow, Kona—who already suffered from heart failure due to age—began pacing and panting. Later that night, he died as well.
“I truly believe he didn’t want to live without her,” Johnson said. “They had a special bond. I always worried how Willow would act after Kona passed. She was younger than him, so it never occurred to me that she would go first.”
While Kona’s death was less unexpected given his age and health issues, Johnson said the timing made it clear to her that their connection ran deeper than she had understood.
“We had both of them since they were babies,” she said. “Losing them on the same day was devastating.”
The family buried Kona and Willow together at their cottage overlooking a lake—one of their favorite places. A memorial stone marks their grave, engraved with the words: “Two souls, one journey.”
“I believe with all my heart that is true,” Johnson said.
...This is not the first time a pet has been seen struggling with the loss of a friend. Earlier this year, one family shared how after the heartbreaking loss of their dog Lucy, their other dog Reggie started doing something amazing—walking slowly across the backyard patio, quietly carrying Lucy's collar in his mouth.
A New Beginning
After losing both dogs on the same day, Johnson said the silence in the house felt unbearable. One night, she found herself speaking out loud to Kona.
“I cried and said, ‘If we’re meant to have another dog, Kona will have to send it to us,’” she recalled.
The next day, she saw a post from Rebel Dogs Detroit about a Shih Tzu found as a stray in the city. The family agreed to foster him—and soon adopted him. They named him Buddy.
“He is our little buddy and came into our lives at the perfect time,” Johnson said.
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