Monty Don has sparked alarm among Gardeners’ World viewers after sharing a photograph of his dogs’ names engraved on the stone path leading to the Doghouse, with some mistakenly believing his Yorkshire Terrier Patti had died. The 71-year-old presenter posted a picture showing the names of Patti, seven, and Ned, four, on the threshold of the Doghouse at his Longmeadow garden in Herefordshire.
His caption read: “In the threshold of the Doghouse.” Fans flooded the comments with messages of sympathy, with one writing: “Patti died? I did not realise this I’m so sorry,” while others asked “Did Patti pass away?” and “I did not know Patti had died.”
However, other followers rushed to reassure everyone that the dogs were alive. As one commenter put it: “Guys it's his dog's names in the doghouse. They didn't die!!” Another suggested Don should clarify: “I think you need to post a clarification as there are a lot of upset people commenting here!”
The Doghouse’s Chelsea Roots
The Doghouse was originally built for Don’s first-ever Chelsea Flower Show design, the RHS and BBC Radio 2 Dog Garden. It was created using Ned’s natural pathways and built from reclaimed materials. While that show garden was later relocated to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London as a permanent sensory and training space for rescue animals, the Doghouse itself found a new home replacing Don’s battered potting shed in his own garden.
Tribute Follows Tragic Loss
Don’s tribute to Patti and Ned follows the death of his Brittany Spaniel Peggy in January. Announcing her passing at the time, he wrote: “Peggy died yesterday. She was an old lady - a few weeks short of her 16th birthday- and went as she had lived, gently and without fuss.” He added: “She was eccentric, quirky, infinitely gentle and loving and will be missed terribly. She is now buried in the coppice alongside Nigel and Nell and the other dogs.”
Nigel’s Lasting Legacy
Don lost his Golden Retriever Nigel in 2020 and Nell in 2023. Nigel, who died aged 12, had become a surprise star of Gardeners’ World, receiving his own fan mail and social media accounts, and lent his name to Don’s book Nigel: My Family And Other Dogs. Don described Nigel’s death as “quick” but “shocking” for the family.
Don has previously credited dogs with helping him through depression and a “simmering anxiety”. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “I think if you suffer from any kind of mental illness, whether be it depression or anxiety or whatever, having someone to look after, who returns that attention with completely unqualified love, is very powerful, it’s powerful medicine.”
He explained that dogs bring routine and purpose: “There’s just the basics – if you have a dog you have to take it for a walk, which means you have to go outside, you have to put your boots on and put a coat on and as anybody listening knows, when you are depressed, you don’t do any of that.”
Reflecting on Nigel, Don said: “He was a member of our family and there’s a great big Nigel-shaped hole in our lives. But he was 12, he had a lovely life. His death was shocking for us but it was quick and his last day we went for a walk and he ate and he was just super.” He added: “It was just a lovely day and I think we were blessed. I’ve had lots of dogs and I hope I have more but that one relationship lightened our lives and we were lucky, we were really, really lucky.”
