Lindsay Ell Adopted a Dog During Her First Christmas Without Her Family

Due to the pandemic, 2020 marked the first year Lindsay Ell wasn’t able to travel home to Calgary, Canada to be with her family, instead spending the holiday season in Nashville. But she wasn’t totally alone — the country singer is now mom to a new dog named Hendrix. Ell told PEOPLE that she adopted her pup after a breakup with singer Adam Roa, when she got a text from a friend about the 1-year old Pomeranian.

“I guess I am the quintessential ‘break up with your boyfriend and then go get a dog’ kind of girl now,” she joked. “Going through a breakup over the holidays and not being able to go home to see my family, I just knew that waking up Christmas morning was going to be so hard,” she continued. “So I literally woke up one morning and said a little prayer that, ‘If I am meant to have a dog, please send the right dog into my life.’ Hours later, the girl that I had been in touch with from the shelter texted me about Hendrix.”

She got the text days before Christmas, taking a quick trip down to New Orleans with her bandmates to bring her new friend home. “I was so worried about if Hendrix would like me, but thankfully, she was so happy,” Ell shared of her pup, who is named after legendary musician Jimi Hendrix. “She just kept on licking my face and couldn’t stop moving her paws. She’s such a sweet little thing.”

The “wAnt me back” singer explained that she had gotten used to being around a dog again during her relationship with Roa and felt like she was at the right place in her life to welcome one of her own. “I wanted to rescue because I knew I wanted to find a little dog that really and truly needed a home,” Ell said. “And then when I found her, I knew I wanted to name her after one of my musical idols.”

Hendrix has already met several friends, including Carly Pearce‘s Shih Tzu puppy, June. “We have puppy training tomorrow,” Ell said. “She loves everyone she meets, but if I take her on the road with me, she has to at least know how to come and sit and stay and be able to listen to me. We have a lot to learn!”