Martin Rütter Mourns His Dog Emma: 'I Cried on Stage'

Dennis Agyemang Editor

June 26, 2025, 10:06 am | Read time: 2 minutes

Star dog trainer Martin Rütter mourns the loss of his dog Emma, who passed away at the age of 12. The 55-year-old shared the sad news with his more than 500,000 fans on social media.

Most people know dog expert Martin Rütter for his easygoing manner and cheerful appearances. But now, the 55-year-old is showing his emotional side. In a video, he tearfully reported that his dog Emma has passed away. Just last October, he celebrated the twelfth birthday of his loyal companion. “She was still fit then and chased a heron through the garden,” he recalls on Instagram.

“It was totally unexpected”

But then he noticed at some point that his pet was wheezing and seemed increasingly tired and sluggish. He then visited a veterinarian. There, the shocking diagnosis: terminal lung cancer. “It was totally unexpected, and we didn’t have it on our radar at all.” The vet estimated that Emma had only two weeks to a month left to live.

However, there was a significant risk that one of the tumors could rupture or burst. “That would have meant she would have died a terrible death by suffocation,” Martin Rütter describes the sad diagnosis conversation with the vet. Therefore, he decided to put his dog to sleep the next morning. “Then she lay there, about two hours before the euthanasia, wheezing and snorting.”¹

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“I hope that I can eventually open up to a new dog”

“Anyone who has ever lost a pet knows how that feels. And for me–even though it’s been a few weeks–it still feels completely unreal.” He continues: “This finality is just so terrible.” He had to weigh whether his Australian Shepherd-Terrier mix might live another two weeks, but possibly suffocate painfully, or if he should allow her a dignified death.

“Emma also deserved not to be put in such a situation, out of the selfishness of wanting to spend a few more days with her,” he concludes.

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Therefore, he did his utmost to spare Emma from a painful suffering. The grief over the loss is still deep, yet he tries to look positively into the future. “I hope that I can eventually open up to a new dog.” Even though this step will surely take time. However, he now finally feels able to speak publicly about this heavy loss.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of PETBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@petbook.de.