Missy Elliott delayed tour plans to care for her dying dog

Missy Elliott delayed her plans to tour to care for her dying dog.

The 52-year-old singer is hitting the road for the first time since 2004 with her first ever headline concert series Out of This World — The Missy Elliott Experience, which will also feature her friends and collaborators Ciara and Busta Rhymes.

She admitted she had postponed her performance plans several times over the years, most recently to care for her beloved pooch Hoodie, who passed away in November.

She told People magazine: "I stayed home a lot because I didn't want to go out on the road, and something happened.

"He was 17 and lived a long, happy life.

"[He was] so pretty and lived a very long time."

After Hoodie's death, Ciara encouraged Missy to get back on stage.

She added: "So I said, 'Okay, now I can leave the house without having to worry about anything.'

"So Ciara and my dog played a big influence in me making the decision to go out."

The rapper will be accompanied on tour by her other dog, Miss Fendi Dior.

She said: "She's six years old. So [she's] got her clothes ready to go out on the road with us. [It'll] be fun, fun."

Missy claimed the dog is "excited" to wear matching outfits with her on the road.

She said: "I know people sometimes be like, 'Why y'all dressing those dogs?' ... But she likes clothes. She really [does] like clothes. She [sees] me pulling out the outfit [and] she's running. She knows what that means."

Missy has been working hard ahead of the tour, which starts on Thursday (July 4) evening.

She said: "It's full days, then I go home, and the work continues. But I feel good. I'm super excited."

The singer has struggled with autoimmune disorder Graves' disease — which can cause anxiety, fatigue, and weight loss — and depression over the years but she recently revealed she is feeling "so much better" now.

She told People magazine: "Every day I wake, I'm blessed to be here and in good health.

"I'm feeling so much better now. That was a run. Every now and then you get a little ache in the leg or the knee, but outside of that, I feel good."

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