Molly-Mae Hague and her boyfriend Tommy Fury were pictured for the first time since the death of her beloved pet, Mr Chai.
The social media influencer quit social media last week after suffering backlash for importing the Pomeranian puppy, who was gifted to her by her beau just days before he died, from Russia.
And on Tuesday, the Love Island stars, both 21, appeared sombre as they unloaded the £2,000 Louis Vuitton dog carrier they used for the pooch from their car near their Manchester home.
First sighting: Molly-Mae Hague and her boyfriend Tommy Fury were pictured for the first time since the death of their dog, Mr Chai, in Manchester on Tuesday
The YouTube star has taken a temporary break from her social media channels after facing a barrage of criticism over her dog being imported from Russia.
A source told The Sun: ‘Molly-Mae is taking a break to have time to herself for a few days.’
MailOnline have contacted a representative of Molly-Mae for comment at the time of publication.
In the wake of the puppy’s death, both fans and celebrities spoke out about the importance of researching when buying a dog.
Memories: The Love Island stars, both 21, appeared sombre as they unloaded the £2,000 Louis Vuitton dog carrier they used for the pooch from their car
Sad: The influencer quit social media last week after suffering backlash for the passing of the Pomeranian puppy, who was gifted just days before he died (pictured last month)
Former Made In Chelsea star Ashley James, 33, wrote: ‘Please please do your research before getting a pet.
‘Do not import dogs from other countries unless they are rescues from charities. Please look into #lucyslaw and if you do go to a breeder then always make sure you see a fit and healthy mum!’
Katie Piper said on Instagram: ‘PLEASE PLEASE if you are getting a puppy during lockdown or in general please think! Puppy farms are exploiting the demand.
Low-key: The TV star went make-up free and opted for a dressed-down appearance as she stepped out with her partner
Taking a break: The YouTube star faced a barrage of criticism over her dog being imported from Russia
Love Island’s Olivia Buckland, meanwhile, shared a lengthy statement to her account on Thursday, urging her followers not to support ‘third-party breeders’ or buy dogs from other countries.
Stipulating that her discussion was ‘in no way towards my lovely Molly’ as she was ‘devastated’ for the reality star, Olivia explained that she was speaking out ‘to make sure this doesn’t happen again and to raise awareness.’
On Wednesday, Molly-Mae discussed the tragic death of her dog and addressed the backlash from importing Mr Chai from Russia, stating: ‘Whilst we completely understand everyone’s opinions about being shipped over from Russia, what you need to understand is that is not what made him die.
‘He was going to die regardless. The autopsy results showed his skull wasn’t fully developed and part of his brain was exposed. He didn’t have a single white blood cell in his body’.
‘If we had the time again we would have got a dog from the UK or got a rescue dog from the UK.’
Tommy bought the dog through Cheshire-based business Tiffany Chihuahuas & Pomeranians, which is licensed by Cheshire Council but not a Kennel Club assured breeder.
Breeder Elena Katerova has denied breaking the rules telling the publication, clients see the mother with their puppy via videos.
Upset: On Wednesday, Molly-Mae, who was gifted the pooch by Tommy for her 21st birthday, addressed the backlash from importing Mr Chai from Russia
Inevitable: ‘He was going to die regardless. The autopsy results showed his skull wasn’t fully developed and part of his brain was exposed. He didn’t have a single white blood cell in his body’
She said: ‘I’m truly devastated to learn about the death of Mr Chai. He was a beautiful young dog with a loving, playful temperament. I’d watched him grow up, having regular video calls with his birth family.
‘My heart goes out to Molly-Mae and Tommy. Mr Chai was a healthy dog, I only work with trusted people and have a small network of reputable breeders who care for their dogs to the very highest standards and and see animals as part of their family.’
Meanwhile, Molly-Mae told her viewers: ‘Neither of us wanted to film a video or talking about this but after everything we’ve seen today and reading everyone’s opinions, I think it’s really important that we actually do sit down and talk about it and explain how we are feeling and what we now know after receiving the autopsy results.’
Heartbroken: The reality star announced Mr Chai had died last Tuesday, six days after welcoming the pup into her home
Shock: Molly-Mae’s new puppy was not from a registered breeder, The Kennel Club confirmed
After describing how Mr Chai was energetic in his first few days with them ‘as a puppy should be’, they soon noticed he started showing symptoms, with Tommy explaining: ‘His poo was runny, he was vomiting, he wasn’t running.’
The pair took him to the vet and Molly recalled that while waiting outside, she could ‘tell something was wrong’, adding Mr Chai was ‘wriggling’ and said dogs ‘almost know when they are about to die’.
Molly-Mae said 30 minutes later, the vet rang and informed them Mr Chai had had a seizure and died.
‘We were both utterly shocked’, she explained. ‘Tommy literally just threw up everywhere’.
Upset: Meanwhile, the dog breeder they brought the pup shared her devastation over the pup’s death and insisted that he had been ‘healthy’
A representative of Molly-Mae and Tommy confirmed Mr Chai had died of ‘a seizure and neurological issues.’
A statement read: ‘Chai died of a seizure and neurological issues. This probably relating to the puppies skull not being fully formed (see note on anterior fontanelle below).
‘Chai passed away with a number of health issues outlined below and the puppy clearly was not at full health and potentially had been carrying an infection and fighting it for some time before reaching Molly and Tommy.’
It then listed a number of ailments the dog suffered from, including: ‘no white blood cells present in blood, anterior fontanelle not completely ossified, body condition 3/5, liver congested, spleen enlarged congested, adrenal glands enlarged, kidneys congested, colon congested, lungs congested and Heart right ventricle dilated.’
Tough times: Mr Chai’s death has prompted several stars to speak up about the importance of researching when buying a dog. The couple set up an Instagram account for Mr Chai last week