Ben Fogle Loses His Best Friend After Labrador Was Put Down

TV presentation Ben Fogle was heartbroken after his Labrador and “best friend” Inca had to be put to sleep.

00:00 08 July 2012

TV presentation Ben Fogle was heartbroken after his Labrador and “best friend” Inca had to be put to sleep. 

 

Inca had been a constant companion of Ben for over a decade, during which she became as much a TV personality as his owner. She had been with Ben when the latter was cast away on a remote Scottish island as well as on the couch of Graham Norton’s chat show, right beside Sophia Loren. 

 

Ben had also met his wife Marina when they were both walking their dogs. 

 

But yesterday, at the age of 12, Ben had to take Inca to the vet to put to sleep. It was, as Ben had posted on his Twitter account, one of those “decisions that break your heart.” 

 

Inca had been diagnosed with arthritis and epilepsy and required a mix of medications that cost £5,000 per year. 

 

Marina, Ben’s wife, shared about the tough decision they had to make, saying, “We decided that as soon as she wasn’t enjoying life anymore we would let her go humanely.” 

 

“The day before she died we took her too the beach with my dog, Maggi. She couldn’t walk but she lay in the sand and watched the sea. In the end, it was very peaceful.” 

 

Fogle, who became known for his stint in Castaway 2000 12 years ago, had been allowed by the show just one luxury, and he had chosen to bring Inca. He had just bought the puppy for £1,500 before the show started. The name Inca was inspired by his travels to South America. 

 

Since then, the two had been through a lot together, including several BBC shows, a chat show guesting, and a magazine photoshoot.