The Yorkshire Shepherdess said ‘you don’t get over a dog like that’ as Clive Owen buried their pet in the series finale.

There was sad news for Amanda Owen in Our Farm Next Door. (Channel 4)

Amanda Owen and her family had some devastating news in Our Farm Next Door’s final episode of the series, as their beloved dog Chalky died.

The little dog had been their family pet for 14 years, and Amanda and her children were in tears as her ex Clive buried Chalky at their farm with their younger daughters reading a poem in tribute to her. It made for an emotional last episode of the More 4 documentary’s third series.

The Yorkshire Shepherdess is very in tune with her animals – with much of the episode dedicated to how special both the farm animals and pets are to the Owens – and had a strong sense that Chalky was living out her final days before she eventually died.

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She said: “These last few weeks have been quite emotional because Chalky is fading away. She’s slowed down hugely. I think, on the quiet, that her time is nigh. She’s nearly at an end.”


Amanda Owen and Chalky the dog at Ravenseat. (Channel 4)
(More4)

At one point, Amanda had to rescue the little dog after she fell into a stream and said: “She’s not in any pain, but she’s soon going to be going to the kennel in the sky.”

Describing the family pet as “a real character”, she added: “To see her going downhill has been quite hard. My dream is for her to go to sleep in her little dog bed and just not wake up. Her dream is to go on a last big adventure.”

Amanda said that she had been making sure Chalky’s last days were filled with “TLC” and “a lot of cuddles and a lot of hand feeding. She’s pretty much gorged herself on sausages and wafer-thin ham. Hopefully, she’ll fall asleep in her bed and not wake up.”

Later in the episode, an emotional Amanda shared the sad news, saying: “It was really clear and obvious that Chalky was fading away. When the children came running out the house door saying that Chalky had passed away, they were absolutely bereft. They knew it was coming and I knew it was coming but still, just to see her laid there as peaceful as anything and still warm, it pulled at your heartstrings.”

“She had a good life,” she said. “I think it was fair to say there was not one bit of her that was trained in any way and she didn’t like having her hair brushed. She liked cheese…You don’t get over a dog like that but when you think of her you smile, rather than that initial sorrow.”


Amanda Owen with one of her sheepdogs in the snow near Ravenseat. (Channel 4)
(More4)

Looking back at Chalky’s life, Amanda reminisced about once having to drive to Middlesbrough to collect a missing Chalky. “She stowed away in a burger van. She went to a party, and I got a phone call from someone who said she was in the company of a Labrador in a hot tub.”

Amanda and Clive’s younger children were shown decorating a box to bury Chalky in and, along with some of their older siblings, they headed outside of the farmhouse to bury their dog. Clive dug a grave for Chalky as Amanda and the children cried, and read out their obituary poem.

Meanwhile, Clive told viewers all about his favourite – Nelly the sheepdog, who demonstrated her herding skills for the cameras. He said: “Nelly is as brave as a lion, she doesn’t lack in courage at all.”


Amanda Owen proudly showed off how big Keira the cow had grown. (Channel 4)
(More4)

Amanda also showed off one of her favourite cows, Keira, at the start of the episode. Viewers may remember Keira as she used to walk into the farmhouse when she was smaller.

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“Everybody thinks it’s either farm animal or pet,” said Amanda. “There’s actually quite a bit of crossover. There’s an enormous crossover.”

“It is really lovely when you have animals you’ve got an affinity with,” she added. “I prefer animals to people.”

Our Farm Next Door is available to stream on Channel 4.