'Passing the baton': RecipeTin Eats founder adopts new canine companion

Nagi introduces her new taste-testing buddy, Jaffle. (Supplied: RecipeTin Eats)

Nagi Maehashi, the founder of RecipeTin Eats, has hired her new "chief taste tester", a golden retriever named Jaffle.

Earlier this year Maehashi announced the passing of her beloved golden retriever Dozer, a fixture of the RecipeTin Eats brand and a devoted companion to its founder.

Nagi took time off to be with almost 14-year-old Dozer in the "final chapter" of his life. (Supplied: RecipeTin Eats)

In a blog post on her website Maehashi says she didn't expect to get a new dog so soon after losing Dozer.

The best-selling cookbook author says she recently learned that a canine friend of Dozer's had fallen pregnant and that one of the puppies, a "chunky chunderbum of a boy destined to be big and gold" had stolen her heart.

"I picked him up 48 hours ago and he's already managed to completely wrap me around his chunky little paw. No surprises there."

Nagi said Jaffle is already right at home in the kitchen. (Supplied: RecipeTin Eats)

In February, Maehashi announced that she was taking time away from the spotlight to spend time with Dozer in his final days.

He featured across her website and cookbooks, and would taste test Maehashi's kitchen creations.

Maehashi said she missed Dozer every day, but rather than replacing him, "I'd much rather think of this as passing the baton to the next generation."

She says training has already begun, including the important lesson not to steal food from the pantry or off the counter.

"I am very happy to report that Jaffle is showing great promise for his future role as Chief Taste Tester of RecipeTin," she wrote, indicating Jaffle's early passion for cheese and distaste for kale.

Sajee Wijesena is a counsellor who works with clients on grief and loss, including pet loss, based in Bundaberg/home of the Taribelang people in regional Queensland.

She says while there is no right or wrong time to get another dog after losing one, there are signs you might be ready.

Ms Wijesena has also experienced the heartbreaking loss of dogs in the past.

For her, inviting another animal into her life shortly after a loss was helpful.

Nagi said she was 'was waiting for the right time and the right dog' after losing Dozer. (Supplied: Recipe Tin Eats)

"I didn't want to continue in that grief. It's not that you forget about the old one [or that] … you didn't love them," she says.

"Getting another one really helped my mental state because I started bonding with the new one."

Tracey Taylor, a dog trainer and PhD candidate at The University of Adelaid