Toya Bush-Harris Opens up About the Death of Her Dog Baileys

Married to Medicine‘s Toya Bush-Harris is mourning her family’s dog Baileys.

As viewers saw during Season 12, Episode 2, Toya learned of her longtime pet’s shocking accidental death on camera when she received a phone call from Dr. Eugene Harris and their 15-year-old son Ashton.

“They called me and I was in the middle of a scene, and everything just went left,” Toya recalled in an exclusive interview with The Daily Dish, before memorializing her beloved pup.

“After 18 years, she was like, ‘I’m good.’ She was like, ‘I’m happy,'” the Married to Med cast member shared. “It was so crazy, because she’s been at every house that we’ve ever lived in. And it was like, she finally came to this [new] house and was like, ‘OK, they’re good.’ And she passed away.”

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The Harris family eventually threw Baileys “an amazing doggie funeral,” as Toya put it, likening the event to her Season 11 Birkin party — “but with dogs” (more on that below).

Toya Bush-Harris explained what happened to her dog, Baileys

After receiving the devastating call from home, Toya explained to Dr. Simone Whitmore and newcomer Brandi Milton exactly what happened to Baileys during Married to Medicine‘s Dec. 7 episode.

Prior to joining Dr. Simone at Brandi’s med spa, Toya said that she had let her “perfect dog” go outdoors and asked her housekeeper to let Baileys back inside whenever she was ready.

“Baileys normally comes to the door and barks and tells her, ‘Hey, let me back in,'” Toya said in a confessional. “But Baileys didn’t. It didn’t even dawn on us to look into the pool.”

As Toya confirmed to Dr. Simone and Brandi, “She drowned in the pool.”

Inside Toya Bush-Harris’ dog Baileys’ funeral

After Baileys’ tragic death, Toya planned a funeral, which her Married to Med castmates attended, with some even bringing along their own dogs. Though Dr. Eugene worried that it might be “a little extra to do a funeral for a dog,” Toya believed that the celebration of life was a fitting tribute to Baileys.

She even decorated the sanctuary with flowers and photos, placing Baileys’ ashes on the altar in a plush pink dog bed. The couple also stood together as they delivered eulogies to their late furry friend.

Dr. Eugene went first, beginning his tribute by saying that he hoped the attendees didn’t “think it was silly to go to a funeral for a dog.”

RELATED: Why Eugene Harris Is Now Living in “A Hotel Room” for Most of the Week

“We lost a family member,” he continued. “She was a very kind spirit to everybody that knew her. And this is the first dog that I ever had. Baileys taught us how, I think, to be good parents before we were parents. I think Baileys just was the good in the Harris family.”

Toya, for her part, began her loving comments by recalling her final day with Baileys. As she told her fellow mourners, the dog had had an accident on her rug, but “thankfully,” she never lost her cool. 

“I wouldn’t have wanted that to be her last thought of me,” Toya remarked in her speech, before thanking everyone who came to support her family and remember Baileys. “It’s in these moments that you need your friends and your loved ones and people that don’t just take things out as a joke but really stand by you and love on you. And so, I appreciate you guys.”

As she added in a confessional, “When it counts and when it matters, we do show up for each other. One thing about Baileys is she was just like her mama… She brought everybody together.”

Don’t miss more new updates on Toya and her family from Married to Medicine Season 12.