Remembering Alba: Sept 2015 - Oct 2024

I have some very sad news to share – my beautiful, White German Shepherd, Alba died on Thursday 10th October 2024. She had just turned nine years old and had been suffering from an illness which required daily medication for over year.

Me and my Dad got Alba as a rescue when she was 5 months old in January 2015, she was a very anxious and traumatised dog, but we did our utmost to give her the best possible life she could have and she was greatly loved, not just by us but by the pro-European movement in the UK.

Alba accompanied me on my first protest march and many more anti-Brexit protest events after, always happy to be dressed up in whatever outfit I created for her – she also joined us for a few stops on the infamous ‘Bollocks to Brexit bus tour’ as well as participating in both ‘Wooferendum’ marches in London. She also featured in many of my music videos, and was a star on social media well before me. Recently she was too old and unwell, to join me on marches and people would regularly ask me where she was and how she was doing. It really touched me that so many people remembered and loved her even in her absence. And now her absence is permanent it has left a gaping hole in my heart that I can only fill with happy memories of all the beautiful moments of joy I got to spend with her.

Alba inspired my first children’s picture book ‘Go Back To Where You Came From’ where I told the story of refugees through animal characters – this book was crowdfunded and sold in aid of the Sheffield City of Sanctuary raising £1800 for the refugee movement. I also wrote a sequel, ‘Alba’s Adventures in Europe’ which teaches primary school aged children some fun facts about the culture and history of the EU27 countries – copies of this book were donated to libraries and primary schools in England and Germany. These books will be a beautiful way to keep her memory alive.

Everywhere we went people would stop and comment on what a beautiful dog she was – always friendly she let anyone and everyone pet her. My Dad even started carrying around a little bag of badges I made with her illustration, to give to children that stopped to play with her.

She died peacefully on my Dad’s narrow oat at the marina where she spent her final months. She loved living there, surrounded by other dogs and beautiful places to walk. We ae planning to plant a Populus Alba (White Poplar) tree with her ashes in her memory near the marina.

Unfortunately, I could not join my Dad at the crematorium, as I had to travel to Cambridge for my Brexiles exhibition which he did not want me to cancel. It was hard to get through the event but I wanted everyone who had invested so much in organising and attending the event to have a good time. When I got home I met with my Dad, in my local pub where we regularly took Alba whilst we played scrabble and other customers made a fuss of her. He said to me, “You ended up picking a brilliant dog”, but I replied that any dog we got would have been brilliant because your pets are a reflection of the love that you give them. And Alba was loved dearly by so many people.’

On a lighter note, Dad also told me that she caught a squirrel for the first time in her life two weeks ago – after backing it into a corner on a building site (for the record: the squirrel was saved and escaped unscathed). She always went bananas whenever she saw a squirrel and would tear after it, barking up trees or charging through the undergrowth – all to no avail. It feels like she finally accomplished her life’s mission – and could die content in the knowledge that she was a good dog. The best dog we could have hoped for.

Alba's Media Appearances

Paris Match

RTBF

The Guardian (Digital)

The Guardian (Print)

The BBC

Grazia

Our First Protest March in 2016

Protest outside the Supreme Court in London, 2016

Our First Time Speaking on Stage at a Protest March, 2016 after marching with Eddie Izzard and Peter Thatchell

Above photo by Bruce Tanner

Letters to Europe Project, Brussels & the Netherlands, 2017

Photos from the Bollocks to Brexit Bus Tour, 2018

Leeds

Manchester Airport

Manchester

Sheffield

Liverpool

York for Europe Protest

The Wooferendum marches, 2018-2019

Filming 'We Won't Go Down Without A Fight' music video in York and Sheffield, 2019 with Jeff Kew

Filming for RTBF in London with Gilles le Suisse

Protesting in Shrewsbury with Auntie Space Angel

Miscellaneous Anti-Brexit Protests

Destroying the Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn dolls....

Protesting for EU pet passport...

Modelling a hoodie from Word Up Design...

Outside Europe House in London

Presenting awards to the children at the Market Drayton Arts Fest Award Ceremony

Celebrating Christmases together

The random Christmas Day dinosaurs and cave man who were walking down our street and stopped for a photo...

A gift sent to us for Christmas from a Facebook follower with an Etsy shop...

Modelling with Word Up Design towels...

Celebrating my 30th Birthday at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Posing with Ai Wei Wei's sculpture...

Alba's Holidays

Lake District

Bridlington

London, Olympic Park

Scottish Canal Network

Photos of Alba Enjoying Life in Sheffield

Alba enjoying her retirement on the narrow boat with my Dad

Our Last Train Adventure Together - to Edale

Miscellaneous Cute Photos

When she injured her paw...

The Last Photo Ever Taken of Me and Alba Together

Alba Inspired Artwork

By Mike Dicks for the Brexit Comic

I'm not sure who edited this graphic but it was shared by Stand Up for Europe

Alba's oil pastel portrait which someone bought a framed A2 print of...

This book was given to me as a birthday gift....

Illustrations from 'Alba White Wolf's Adventures in Europe'

Illustrations from 'Go Back To Where Your Came From'

Alba with her book

Contributions

I invited my social media community to send me their memories and photographs of Alba:

Photos by Bruce Tanner (professional photographer)

Bruce sent me an album of photos he has taken of Alba over the years...

Olivier Védrine sent me this article he wrote which was illustrated with a photo of Alba.

Kevin looked after Alba when I was performing at Glastonbury Festival in 2019, which Dad drove me to - these photos below are with his sons.

Photo from Carlos Conde Solares from North East for Europe

Photos from John Schwiller

Wendy Nowak

A press photographer who regularly attended Remain protests sent me an album of her photos.

Facebook Comments

The response on social media to my posts has been quite overwhelming. On Facebook, over 220 people have commented on my page/personal profile with condolences, photographs or memories of her.

Twitter Comments

Instagram Comments