Jennifer Garner announced the death of her dog, a golden retriever named Birdie, in a heartbreaking Instagram post Wednesday.
The actress, 52, paid tribute to her beloved pet, nine, who she acquired just after her 2015 split from Ben Affleck.
Sharing beautiful snaps of the dog, she wrote: ‘It is hard to know how to write this— it seems nuts, given the world, to mourn a pet, but since we have shared Birdie with all of you, it only seems fair to let you know of her passing.
‘Birdie let us know on Thursday that she wasn’t feeling herself (a renowned foodie, Birdie never missed a meal). We were surprised to learn that, not only was she very ill, she was at the end of her life.
‘The vet told us that dogs often hang on until their person comes home from college and we believe Birdie did just that, so that we could pet her soft ears together and thank her for being the world’s best dog. Birdie loved to be read to, always found her way into a Pretend Cooking Show, and knew just how to give people what they needed (as evidenced by her happy days as a dog therapy team with Mo).
‘She lived a happy dog life and is now in the role she was born to play: angel girl. It’s a gift to love and be loved by such a creature as Birdie the Doggie.’
Jennifer Garner announced the death of her dog, a golden retriever named Birdie, in a heartbreaking Instagram post Wednesday
Looking back on beloved memories, she wrote: ‘Birdie loved to be read to, always found her way into a Pretend Cooking Show, and knew just how to give people what they needed (as evidenced by her happy days as a dog therapy team with Mo)’
Garner had showed off her close bond with Birdie on Instagram and back in June posted an adorable video of her furry friend nailing the ‘Hands In’ social media trend.
Similar to a team getting ready to call a group cheer, pet owners bring their hands together in front of their cats and dogs to see if they will join in on the challenge.
The 13 Going on 30 star wrote ‘Trying the “hands in” challenge with Birdie,’ as she and an offscreen male reached their hands out.
Her furry friend understood almost immediately and put his paw in on the ‘first try,’ making Garner laugh.
‘Did you see, Birdie? Yeah, you did,’ the ex-wife of Ben Affleck said to her pooch. ‘I mean, first time.’
The starlet shared the post to her 16.2 million followers and jokingly captioned the silly clip, ‘I had much less success with the puppy.’
Fans went wild in the comments penning their support for the golden retriever’s adorable talent.
A top commenter said, ‘She’s like…. Come on… I’ve been waiting.’
‘Birdie let us know on Thursday that she wasn’t feeling herself (a renowned foodie, Birdie never missed a meal). We were surprised to learn that, not only was she very ill, she was at the end of her life’
Birdie was seen accompanying Affleck and then-girlfriend Ana de Armas on a family walk with his three kids in 2020
Amid her heartbreak Garner stepped out in LA on Wednesday
‘My dog did it a bunch of times but when we started recording she refused,’ one fan joked in the comments.
Birdie, who was a certified therapy dog, trained in order to visit the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
The star was frequently seen out on walks with her children and their beloved family dog with Birdie also seen accompanying Affleck and then-girlfriend Ana de Armas on a family walk with his three kids in 2020.
Amid her heartbreak Garner stepped out in LA on Wednesday.
She smiled, flashing her famous dimples while out and about with wet hair and thick-rimmed black eyeglasses.
The mother-of-three, who shares her brood with ex-husband Ben Affleck, added faded blue jeans and gray clogs.
Garner’s Apple TV+ series The Last Thing He Told Me is based on Laura Dave’s best-selling novel of the same name.
Season two, which will follow the upcoming literary sequel, was announced this past March.
Dave’s latest book will arrive in 2025, before the show makes its return, according to a report from THR.
When the continuation of the series — which was originally intended to be limited — was announced, Garner shared a statement about her excitement.
‘Like so many people, I fell for Hannah on page one of Laura Dave’s gripping novel,’ she said.
The star, who also serves as an executive producer, added, ‘The move to actor and producer from reader and super fan was delicious — and made even sweeter by collaborating with Laura, Josh [Singer], Reese and everyone at Hello Sunshine, as well as the amazing teams at Apple and 20th.’
