Professor Green has paid tribute to his rescue dog Ethel after she died at the age of 10. The rapper, also known as Stephen Manderson, shared several photographs of Ethel, a Presa Canario, on social media, including images with his other dog Arthur, who died four years ago.
Tribute to Ethel
In the caption, he wrote: “Our hearts are so sore man. Hope you two are back together now.” Manderson, 42, adopted Ethel when she was 18 weeks old in 2016.
The photos showed Ethel as a puppy next to Arthur, the two dogs together at home and at the beach, and even begging for scraps from his former partner Karima McAdams, 41. The dogs were inseparable until Arthur died from cancer in 2022.
Outpouring of condolences
In an Instagram Story, Manderson wrote: “Well and truly f***ing broken hearted.” Condolences poured in, with McAdams writing: “Ethel baby. HEART-ACHE.” The Dogs Trust Instagram account commented: “Our hearts go out to you following the loss of sweet Ethel. There’s nothing quite like the love we have for our dogs and saying goodbye is never easy. Thinking of you at this difficult time.”
Loose Women star Coleen Nolan commented: “So so sorry x” while singer Ella Eyre said: “Baby gurl [heartbreak emoji] sending so much love bro.” Another friend wrote: “Mate, I am sending you all my best, my love and I am so sorry for your loss bruv.”
Remembering Arthur
Following Arthur’s death, Manderson shared a photo of himself cuddling the white pit bull and described him as his “best friend”. He wrote: “You saved enough energy to give me a few seconds of excitement but afterwards couldn’t open your eyes: seeing you in that way, knowing how full of life you always had been (although a bit moany - like me) was horrible, I didn’t want to believe it but I knew you weren’t coming home.
“You had such a gorgeous soul, so loving to anyone who needed it. You were with me through the darkest periods of my life and I can’t help but think you were an angel on earth, you got me here, saw me with my son and said bye.”
Advocacy on dangerous dogs
Manderson has spent years defending dangerous dog breeds such as pit bulls, blaming owners for their pet’s behaviour. In 2016, he wrote an opinion article in The Mirror condemning the Dangerous Dogs Act, which imposed restrictions on four types of dogs, including pit bulls.
He said he had grown up around pit bulls and knew them to be “loyal, friendly and very safe”. He added: “I reckon, the most important thing, is that there needs to be better education among dog owners.”
