Life is not defined by its beginning or end, but by what happens in between.
The dash between a birthdate and a date of death may be small, but its significance is profound. It represents the entire span of someone’s life—the years of moments, memories that occurred between those two dates.
Linda Ellis’s poem, The Dash, beautifully captures this sentiment:
“What matters is how we live and love,
And how we spend our dash.”
The dash may be small in appearance but monumental in meaning, representing the richness and fullness of a person’s life. A poignant reminder to live intentionally and make every moment count.
This video, created by Dasha Hugg, was for Darcy’s thanksgiving service soon after she left us on 22 January, 2022 was an essence of our time together. There was so much more I wanted to include, but it would have been movie-length. That little dash between her dates—her time with us—was filled with incredible adventures: travelling to 26 countries, searching for countless dog-friendly places and restaurants were our goals.
Back in 2011, we began our mission to make the world a bit more welcoming for dogs. Back then, the idea of taking your dog everywhere wasn’t as common as it is today. We wanted to show people that life with your dog could be extraordinary—they didn’t have to be left behind. All that led me to start her blog, Miss Darcy’s Adventures. That world, thankfully, is much easier to navigate today with a dog in tow.
As travelling was our thing, we were invited on ITV’s Morning Show to talk about how we travelled.
And featured in The Daily Mail.
She also inspired me to create a Cockapoo community.
In January 2013, we had the very first Hyde Park Cockapoo meet with just four dogs. The meets got larger and more doodle crosses started asking if they could join our meets. Eventually, it became Hyde Park Doodles. But when she passed, I decided not to carry on with this because Hyde Park Cockapoo/Doodles was synonymous with Darcy and myself.
Darcy tried agility and she would have been very good at it if I had persisted.
And during Covid, we attempted doing tricks and within three months she achieved her Expert Trick Dog title! I didn’t pursue the Champion Trick Dog Title. I am sure she would have done it but life got busy after we came out of Lockdown.
We even tried painting and I have a piece of art painted by her nose.
We packed it all in and there’s lots of footage to remember her by. Like her role in a Mandarin Oriental Residences video where she did what she did best – as the family had breakfast in bed, she leapt up on cue and duly stole a croissant. Made everyone laugh and perfectly performed when a butler served her a plateful of eats! She was a natural – LOL!
She modelled for Nikon Camera, Tesco trade amongst others …
and graced the cover of DOG magazine, which became one of their fastest-selling issues.
And appeared on ITV’s The Secret World of Posh Pets – showcasing The House of Mutt, her favourite holiday place. Love this because it shows Darcy’s love of being “dawg”.
And she even made it on France TV2
And Germany’s RTL.DE
And was featured in several national newspapers.
For awhile, she was the face of Pet Angel brushes on QVC
We met some famous faces along the way.
I could go on but beyond these accolades—and you’re only as good as your last act—what mattered more to me was the companionship she gave. The quiet moments, the snuggles every morning. Our nearly 11 years together were filled with love, achievements, and countless memories.
I’ll admit, I still think about the adventures we missed out on—trips we couldn’t take due to Covid and the unexpected, sudden end to her time here on earth. And I have to remind myself ever so often to be grateful for the 3,904 days—10 years 11 months 28 days—of unconditional love, laughter, and unforgettable moments. That was her dash.
Life itself is a privilege, but to live life to the fullest well, that is a choice.
