Anna Marie Tendler remembers dog who stayed by her during divorce and depression

Anne Marie Tendler, the former spouse of John Mulaney, has written a touching tribute to her deceased dog Petunia, who was a constant source of support for her during difficult times, including a mental health crisis that coincided with her divorce.

In her essay for Elle, Anne wrote, "Petunia and I moved to Connecticut in December 2020, in the wake of my severe mental health breakdown and what appeared to be the impending end of my marriage. We fused even more deeply together in an attuned and totally symbiotic relationship. She never let me out of her sight."

"My mental health hinged wholly on my dog," she continued in the beautiful essay. "When I was hospitalized for depression, self-harm, and severe suicidal ideation in the first two weeks of 2021, the doctors asked me to make a list of my reasons for living. Petunia was the one and only thing on that list."

After getting married in 2014, Tendler and comedian John Mulaney went their separate ways in May 2021.

She recalled her bulldog’s support during the most challenging times in life, saying, "She was my constant through marriage, four moves, graduate school, a career change (or two), a mental health crisis, a divorce, and finally a reinvention.”

Anne decided to facilitate the peaceful passing of her beloved dog when her health worsened and she developed "heart disease and a brain tumor or brain stem disease."

"I promised her that I was okay and that I would be okay without her; crushed, lonely, but okay. I thanked her for staying with me — for guarding me — until I was strong enough to survive without her.”