Anna Marie Tendler said her dog, Petunia, was her one and only reason for living in the wake of her devastating divorce from comedian John Mulaney .

The artist, who was married to Mulaney for six years, penned an emotional essay about the life and death of her dog, who was also often featured in Mulaneys standup.

Petunia and I moved to Connecticut in December 2020, in the wake of my severe mental health breakdown and what appeared to be the impending end of my marriage, Tendler wrote in her piece for Elle, published earlier this week. We fused even more deeply together in an attuned and totally symbiotic relationship. She never let me out of her sight.

She added, My mental health hinged wholly on my dog. When I was hospitalized for depression, self-harm, and severe suicidal ideation in the first two weeks of 2021, the doctors asked me to make a list of my reasons for living. Petunia was the one and only thing on that list.