Usher is used to melting hearts with his moves and his music, but watching him love on a soft, sweet, cuddly dog is at least that adorable – and possibly more!

PEOPLE caught up with the 40-year-old singer recently and got the lowdown on his love for the pup he calls “his role dog.” And lots of great footage of him giving her belly rubs and kisses.

He refers to Scarlett as so many of us do our own pets, as an unwavering source of love and support.

“Some of my hardest times, she is always there with me.”

And although he notes that his sons, 10-year-old Usher V and Naivyd, 9, don’t walk Scarlett (apparently celebrity parents aren’t different than regular ones in this respect!), they have learned lessons of unconditional love for having her in their lives.

More about goldendoodles.

This “designer breed” has soared in popularity in recent years, but the goldendoodle first appeared in the 1960s – a cross between the poodle and the golden retriever (it is often called a “groodle” in Australia!) and the purpose of doing so was quite noble. The hope was to create suitable guide dogs for visually impaired people with allergies. Poodles do not shed and are therefore considered hypoallergenic.

Goldendoodles, however, are not predictably shed-free, though most do exhibit a low shed rate, and one MUCH lower than a purebred golden retriever. Over the years, they have been bred to three distinct sizes (standard, medium and miniature) and three coat types (straight, wavy and curly).

Goldendoodles are not recognized by any established breed association, but that hasn’t done a thing to tamp enthusiasm for them and in fact, they have gone on to become successful as guide, agility, therapy, search and rescue ad diabetic detection dogs, as well as beloved family pets, for they tend to possess wonderful qualities from each of their breed origins — the poodle’s intelligence and the retriever’s trainability.

They tend to be friendly, patient and loving of both children and strangers — and that super-soft and cuddly coat certainly doesn’t hurt!

Singer Alanis Morissette, 44, whose Grammy-winning 1994 album, Jagged Little Pill, became a musical production this year, is closing out the happy year on a sad note to which each of us can relate.

On Saturday, she announced to followers and fans via social media that her Chihuahua mix, Leelee, had passed away.

“Goodbye angel leelee. our souls are one. inconsolable. my girl. i love you,” the performer wrote on her Instagram account, alongside a photo of her cradling and kissing the small pooch.

Morissette often posts images of her canine family on her accounts, including the below, which appeared on Twitter a couple of weeks ago.

i love you lee. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/fYpVpQy6lp

— Alanis Morissette (@Alanis) October 17, 2018

This lovely shot of Morissette and Leelee was posted just 10 hours prior to press time.

Morissette regularly posted sweet photos of Leelee with loving captions on her social media accounts.

Little Leelee is survived by her canine siblings, Boogs and Circus; all three are pictured in these sweet lockets in a tweet from May of this year.

COPING WITH THE LOSS OF A PET

Grief is a very personal journey and for those of us to whom pets are family, can be just as big a loss as when a human we love dies. This means the full acknowledgement of such a loss may take time. For some pet owners, honoring their pet may mean adopting a new dog right away, for others it could take weeks, months, or years. It is important that we respect the ways in which others go through this loss, even if it differs from our own.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, owners in mourning should be kind to themselves as they prepare for the “new normal” of a life without their beloved dog.

“Just as it took time to build the relationship with your pet, it will take time to get used to him or her not being there,” their website reads.

Sure, why not — when it comes to dogs, we’ll always join the Royals watch!

Outlets around the world are reporting that Prince Harry and his wife, the new Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, have adopted a new dog!

The pup, purportedly a Labrador of some sort, has been with the newlywed couple since early this summer. No name has been leaked, but apparently the dog has been seen accompanying the Prince and Duchess on short trips to their come in the Cotswolds and around the home castle of Kensington Palace, as well. Palace staffers have not issued comment, but knowing the Duchess’ love of dogs, it seems quite likely.

Ms. Markle is a long time fan. In fact, around wedding time we reported the story of her dog, Guy’s enchanted adoption after having a less-than-stellar start in life. Now, he’s a former shelter dog who lives, quite literally, in a palace! Guy famously rode along with the Queen earlier this year – a fact reported by dozens of outlets who love to watch the Royal Family.

We’re happy to watch them, too, of course, when there’s dog news to report!

Queen Elizabeth II is a notable dog lover, as well. She bid farewell to Willow not long ago; Willow was the last of her famous corgis, a 14th generation pup who descended from the Queen’s very first, a corgi named Susan. The Queen has said she would breed no more dogs; now getting on in age, she didn’t want to leave any beloved pet behind.

She did bless grandson Harry’s union early on, though, as her dogs seemed to like Markle straight away. Harry said during their first post-engagement interview that he has spent his life being barked at by the Queen’s dogs, yet Markle never brought forth even a growl.

We’re itching to get a first look at this new royal adoptee. We’ll share it once we do!

Puddy was a part of Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s family for a decade, and, along with “wife” Pippa, was oft documented on their social media updates. Yesterday, a tearful Teigen took to Instagram to let fans and followers know that the English bulldog had crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

“Today our baby, Puddy, has gone on to the pup heavens,” she wrote. “10 years ago, on May 30th, I found the dog that would be there for us through every up, down, new house, new city, new tour, new travel. He welcomed new pups and loved on new babies and new bellies. He was there for everything.”

——————————————————————————————————————-

Today our baby, Puddy, has gone on to the pup heavens. John and I got Puddy in our first year of dating, when I convinced him half-birthday presents were a real thing. 10 years ago, on May 30th, I found the dog that would be there for us through every up, down, new house, new city, new tour, new travel. He welcomed new pups and loved on new babies and new bellies. He was there for everything. Every time I needed a taste tester, someone to kiss or needed to sob into his stinky rolls, he was there. It’s true what they say. We are their entire lives and it is the greatest shame that they can only bless us with a short spark of time in ours. I always knew I would lose a piece of me when he left us. I feel the hole now. I will love you forever, my boy. My heart aches. Thank you so much for everything, everything.

A post shared by chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) on Mar 7, 2018 at 9:50am PST

——————————————————————————————————————-

She went on to tell a bit of Puddy’s back story: she and Legend got him during their first year dating “when I convinced [John] that half-birthday presents were a real thing.”

She shared fun “wedding” photos, as well, from the day Puddy and their other bulldog, Pippa, were “married.”

——————————————————————————————————————-

——————————————————————————————————————-

Her thoughts echo just about every other dog lover in the moments when we are faced with losing them:

“It’s true what they say. We are their entire lives and it is the greatest shame that they can only bless us with a short spark of time in ours,” she wrote. “I always knew I would lose a piece of me when he left us. I feel the hole now.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Celebrities love their dogs just like the rest of us, of course. And so pop star and celebrity judge on “The Voice,” Christina Aguilera, posted a sweet tribute to Stinky, her dog of 17 years, on her Instagram account this past Friday after making the difficult decision to help her longtime friend over the Rainbow Bridge.

Aguilera has had several dogs over the years, but Stinky, whom she affectionately called her “Road Dog,” was the first.

“I had to finally make the hard decision to put my beloved Stinky down last night after an amazing 17 years together!” she wrote alongside the clip, which samples Kendrick Lamar’s single “LOYALTY.” featuring Rihanna.

RIP Stinky.
And much love to Aguilera and family as they grieve.