Amanda Keller is currently going through something every pet owner dreads.
During a segment on the GOLD network’s Jonesy & Amanda show this week, the 64-year-old revealed that her border collie Mini only had weeks left to live.
“I wasn’t going to cry, but I’ve cried every day for the last two weeks,” she admitted on air.
“Mini’s still with us. This is my 14-year-old border collie, who in my home is the sunshine and the glue.”
The morning after the Logies, the comedian and radio host felt a few lumps on Mini’s neck while she was having coffee with her son Liam.
Amanda’s sad family update: ‘We’ve loved her so much’
A quick trip to the vet confirmed the worst when Mini was diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer that’s common among senior dogs.
“They said, ‘Look, we’ve got maybe between four and eight weeks with her’, and I… I don’t even know if we’ll get that far, and so you know, I’m just, I’m just loving every minute,” Amanda explained through tears.
The Living Room host said she’s been connecting with other owners of senior dogs while out walking with Mini and she knows this is a heartbreak pet owners know too well.
“And the thing is, this is how it goes. This is the circle of life,” she explained. “When you buy a dog or a cat or any of those, 14 years is a good innings for a dog.
“And I know very well she’s had a brilliant life. We’ve loved her so much, and she’s loved us. But when you enter that contract, you know you will outlive your pet, but somehow you forget that.”
More heartache for Amanda
The news of Mini’s diagnosis comes after years of Amanda and her husband Harley Oliver navigating his ongoing illness.
Harley, who has been married to Amanda for 36 years, was first diagnosed with Parkinsons in 2017. She shared the news publicly in 2023.
Earlier this year, Amanda shared an update on Harley’s condition while talking about how he still went out of his way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her.
“It’s so hard, as you can imagine, to see the person you love not be as able as they used to be. Of course, it’s so hard,” she said at the time. “And so I’ve learned that sometimes those big events like birthdays, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, our easy banter, our easy chat, our easy being with each other isn’t as easy.”
She then went on to say she’d gone for a walk with Mini and came home to find a bouquet of flowers sitting on the kitchen bench.
“He obviously got someone to help him with that,” she explained. “And his handwriting is so scrawly now, but there was a little card that said, ‘Please be my Valentine’s forever’. And I just thought, when we’re just talking about the effort… You know, is the effort more than the thought, any effort from him like that just means so much to me. It’s a big deal.”
Amanda posted a tribute to Harley on Instagram earlier this year when the couple marked their 36th wedding anniversary, alongside a card with a photo of two old people on it that she sent Harley just before they got married.
“I sent this card to Harley just before we married, when I was away on a Beyond 2000 filming trip. I joked that we’d be sitting side by side in our dotage 40 years later,” she wrote at the time.
“40 years seemed like a crazy unimaginable leap. But I was keen for it all and I believed in us. Today is our 36th wedding anniversary. Not everything has been smooth sailing. Harley’s health means some days are scary, sad and confronting. But I’d still choose ‘us’ every day. Still on the ride. Still leaping and believing.”
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