- Sarah Condello, 34, from Melbourne, SA loved her gentle giant dog Hugo who grew into a beloved neighbourhood icon
- After their cat passed away, Hugo was suddenly diagnosed with aggressive bone cancer, leaving the family heartbroken with only days to say goodbye
- They organised a final walk where the community turned out in force to farewell him, before Hugo was peacefully put to sleep
Here Sarah shares her story in her own words about her beloved dog Hugo.
Waking with a start, I was aware of heavy snoring like a whirring chainsaw shaking the bedroom.
Then, as two giant paws ran in circles in the air, one batted my face.
Laughing, I realised my Great Dane cross Neapolitan mastiff Hugo, then two, must’ve been chasing something in his dreams. On the other side of Hugo, my husband, Luke, then 31, was cuddling him like a baby.
Measuring up to my chest, and weighing 101 kilos, Hugie, as we affectionately called him, took up most of our king-size bed, but we loved our boy to pieces.
Welcoming him to the family in April 2018 as an adorable six-week-old puppy, weighing then just nine kilos, he made himself at home right away. Exploring his new surroundings, Hugo’s tail happily wagged everywhere he went.
Our rescue cat Donald ruled the roost and Hugie quivered in the hallway, afraid to move past him. It took Donald a while to adjust, but soon he warmed up and shared the sofa with his brother.
Hugie continued to grow and grow, turning heads everywhere we went.
‘Neighbours rushed to pat him.’
Strolling around our block, neighbours rushed to pat him.
‘Is he a dog or a horse?’ they’d joke, astonished by our pup’s size.
People driving past would often do a double take, snapping photos of our boy as they passed.
‘You’re like our local celebrity,’ I laughed.
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He didn’t let the fame go to his head, though. In fact, he didn’t seem to have any idea of his size.
At night he snuggled up on the lounge with us like a little lap dog.
And despite it being a fraction of his size, Hugie was terrified of the robot vacuum!
Following the birth of our son Levi in February 2023, Hugie was fascinated by the new arrival. Ever the gentle giant, he’d lie next to Levi’s bassinet, keeping a watchful eye over his little brother. When he was big enough, Levi would lay his head on Hugie’s back, as they happily watched TV.
Hugie was equally as protective when we welcomed our second boy, Jack, last November.
Sadly a month later, we had to put our precious 16-year-old puss, Donald, to sleep, after a long battle with renal failure.
‘Hugo was devastated.’
We were all devastated, especially Hugo. In the days that followed, he kept searching the house, desperately missing his furry companion.
During a trip to see relatives in Newcastle around 10 days later, at the end of December, he developed a limp in his right foreleg.
‘Maybe it was the long drive or even arthritis,’ I said to a worried Luke.
Taking him to the vet for an X-ray, nothing could’ve prepared us for the news to come.
‘I’m sorry, it’s aggressive bone cancer,’ she said, adding Hugie may only have days left.
Luke and I were shattered. There’d been no other signs something was wrong.
Because Hugie was so large, amputating his leg was a problem, as with only three legs he’d struggle to sustain his weight, and chemo was tricky because of his age.
I couldn’t bear to see him suffer. ‘We’ve got to let him go,’ I wept to Luke.
I’d never seen my big, tattooed husband cry so much.
‘I wanted to give Hugie a special send off.’
Before we said our final goodbyes, I wanted to give Hugie a special send off.
Writing a note to our neighbours – Hugie’s fans – I let them know the heartbreaking news, and my plans to take him on his last lap of the block.
Placing letters in people’s mailboxes, I asked them to come and say goodbye and attached a Schmacko for them to hand out. We would love for him to see what a good boy he really is, one last time, I wrote.
‘You might not get that many people,’ Luke said, not wanting me to get my hopes up.
‘If no-one comes, it’s still our last walk as a family,’ I reasoned.
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Then, on January 23 at 10am, we headed out the door with Hugie, Levi, and Jack in his baby carrier.
Reaching the end of our driveway, we were in for a shock. Both sides of the street were lined with people outside their houses. As far as the eye could see neighbours, young and old, were gathered to say goodbye to our big boy.
I was overwhelmed as people rushed to give Hugie a pat, and of course, a Schmacko.
As we walked further down the block, I was stunned to find people had set up camp chairs, cuppas in hand, waiting for Hugie.
‘We took a sickie from work,’ some of them confessed.
Some households had kindly made us key rings and Christmas decorations with Hugie’s face.
‘So he’s always with you,’ they smiled, warmly.
I couldn’t believe what an impact our boy had on everyone. It was so beautiful that Hugie had brought the whole neighbourhood together.
Hugie’s tail wagged like crazy as he lapped up the attention and snacked down the Schmackos.
Our usual 15-minute trip around the block took two hours, and by the end, Hugie was exhausted.
Back home, Luke and Hugie tucked into his final meal – a big steak.
When the vet arrived that afternoon, we held Hugie’s hand.
‘You’re such a good boy,’ we whispered as he crossed peacefully over the rainbow bridge.
‘The house feels so empty without Hugie.’
Two months on, the house feels so empty without Hugie and Donald, but their ashes have pride of place on the mantelpiece.
While Jack, now three months, is too young to understand, Levi, three, often asks me to lift him up so he can kiss them.
I hope Hugie’s story makes people hug their pets a little bit tighter.
Though he may be gone, his gentle giant spirit will live on with us forever.
