- Jill Porse, 75, from Turramurra, NSW, met her now-husband Jorgen, at the dog park
- They were both dealing with grief and found it easy to talk to each other
- After some time, Jorgen asked Jill to dinner
Here she shares her story in her own words
Watching my little labradoodle puppy Coco, scamper around the park, I smiled.
As dogs big and small raced around, I chatted away to their owners.
Claude Cameron Grove dog park in Turramurra, NSW, was such a friendly place.
And for the brief time I was there, the sadness brimming inside me faded.
Just a few months earlier, my husband of 10 years had died of cancer.
Although he’d been sick for some time, it was still a huge shock, and the grief and sadness now he was gone were devastating.
With two daughters, Kate and Julia, I threw all my focus into spending time with family.
When my daughter suggested that I get a puppy for company, I knew she was right.
Bringing Coco home was like a breath of fresh air in the house, as she sniffed and explored every nook and cranny.
And taking Coco for a walk in the morning, then to the dog park in the afternoon, gave me something to look forward to each day.
When Coco bounded up to a beautiful Siberian husky to play one day in 2007, she was so happy it made me laugh.
He was much bigger than her!
I glanced over at the husky’s tall owner in white shorts and T-shirt, and he introduced himself.
‘I’m Jorgen, and this is Joey,’ he smiled.
Over the coming weeks, as I got to know more people at the dog park, I often walked around the park with friends, and Jorgen joined us.
As we got chatting, I learned he was a pastry chef with his own bakery, which explained his all-white ensemble.
Getting to know him better, I discovered Jorgen, then 55, was from Denmark, but had lived in Australia for many years.
He’d also suffered tragedy in his life.
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In 2005 his son Jimmy was involved in a fatal motorbike accident, aged just 24.
The pain had been unimaginable for Jorgen and his wife, and sadly they separated.
‘No-one was really to blame,’ Jorgen said gently about the accident.
I could see the sadness in his eyes.
It gave me the strength to open up about losing my husband.
Jorgen instantly seemed to understand the pain and grief.
And, like me, he seemed wounded too, but also wanted to live life.
‘Why don’t you come to my birthday drinks?’ Jorgen suggested the following July, to me and a few of our other dog park friends.
It was a wonderful night.
When Jorgen asked me out to dinner some months later, it seemed only natural to say yes.
He was so easy to talk to.
We both loved travel, and slowly things just clicked as feelings between us deepened.
When I introduced him to my daughters, they took an instant shine to him.
And I got on just as well with his son James.
‘We knew!’ our friends at the dog park laughed, commenting they’d noticed the closeness between us.
Within a year we moved in together, and I began helping Jorgen in his bakery.
Then two years later, in March 2011, we travelled to Las Vegas for a holiday.
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As I sat excitedly on the plane, the staff brought a bottle of champagne on a tray, and beside it was a box with a diamond ring.
‘Would you do me the honour of being my wife?’ Jorgen asked.
We’d never even discussed it – but I thought it was so romantic.
‘Yes!’ I cried.
I was sure we were meant to be together.
As we explored the city, Jorgen had another suggestion.
‘Why don’t we get married here?’ he said.
‘Not one of those drive-through weddings!’ I laughed.
Sharing the news with our families back home, they were all thrilled.
So the following July, back in Vegas for Jorgen’s 60th birthday, we shared vows on a beautiful hotel rooftop in front of 35 of our nearest and dearest, who’d flown out for the occasion.
As I floated down the aisle in my white gown, Jorgen looked so dapper in his white tuxedo jacket and bow tie.
After a beautiful dinner we took to the dance floor – our guests loved every minute of it!
Then we flew to San Francisco and drove down to LA to celebrate.
Now, 14 years on, we love to travel in our caravan, as well as all over the world.
We still have photos of my late husband and Jorgen’s son Jimmy in the house and remember them with love.
Although Joey and Coco, the pups who brought us together, have sadly passed, we now have a gorgeous six-year-old whippet called Rufus.
I’ll never forget my girl Coco – after all, she found me a hubby!
Jorgen, now 74, and I still go to the same dog park in Turramurra and love ‘Dog and Grog’ drinks on a Friday night with our friends.
And we adore spending time with my grandkids, Lachlan, 19, Oliver, 18, Ella, 15, Sophia, nine, and Olivia, six, and Jorgen’s grandkids, Louis-James, six, and Violet, three.
Sometimes when you’re not looking for love it just happens – and you’re never too old.
My advice to anyone that’s lonely or going through a sad time is to get a dog – they provide so much comfort and help you meet so many people.
And you never know what you might find at the dog park!
