Why Barnaby’s owner donated his body to science

Losing a dog is heartbreaking, but – with their life spans significantly shorter than ours – it is an unfortunate reality that all owners have to contend with.

And when Sharon Rose recently lost her Great Dane, Barnaby, she decided to use the painful time for the good of other animals by donating his body to science.

Mrs Rose and her husband have been giving a home to Great Danes since 1972, with Barnaby being their eighth, reports TeamDogs.

He died from gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) – also known as bloat – last month aged just three.

Mrs Rose said: “To say that I am devastated is an understatement.

“My heart has been broken. I know it sounds dramatic, it doesn’t matter how many dogs you’ve had, it always is hard and it just gets harder.

Join our brand new website TeamDogs now.

When you get there, make sharing a picture of your dog in our Top Dogs feed your very brilliant first job.

Maybe when you’ve done that, leave a recommendation to help fellow dog owners in the TeamDogs community.

“He idolised me. He loved my husband but he was mine, all our dogs are mine.

“He was amazing, his recall was amazing. He would come back from anywhere if I called him…he couldn’t do anything enough for me.

“He loved people, as all Great Danes do.

“He was a clown and he looked big and maybe scary, but all he wanted was hugs and a fuss and to be played with.”

Barnaby lived a full life despite his young age, placing third in his class at Crufts and even frequenting The Savoy Hotel.

When he passed away, Mrs Rose decided to donate his body to the Royal Veterinary College in the hope researchers might be able to find a cure to GDV.

Barnaby and fellow Great Dane, Brooke (Image: Instagram/@brookeandbarnaby)

Barnaby was also a blood donor for the college.

Mrs Rose said: “Everyone grieves for their animals in different ways. Some people may find it comforting that they’ve got the dog buried in a garden, or they’ve got the ashes, and they keep those. That isn’t us.

“To me, a dog’s body when they die, their spirit like ours goes, hopefully, to a better place and it’s just the shell that’s left.

“So, I’ve never had any ashes back after any of our animals have died.”

On why donating Barnaby was important to her, Sharon said: “Because in their lives, they give so much to people.

Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles

“If I say I don’t want the ashes back, they’re sort of thrown in the rubbish heap, their bodies are useless.

“This way they might find something, if it was bloat for example and they find something they didn’t know, it could save hundreds of dogs down the line, or thousands.

She added: “I think if instead of being thrown in the dustbin, it’s helping what could be my next dog. And even if it’s not to find a cure, it might be training other vets.”

Barnaby leaves behind fellow Great Dane Brooke, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be Mrs Rose’s only dog for too long.