Losing a dog is never an easy situation. Having lost one myself almost a year ago, I feel the pain of every pet owner who has had to say goodbye to a loving companion, so today, I’m sending a virtual hug to Hilary Duff. The Younger star posted a heartfelt and tear-inducing tribute on Instagram to her Bernese Mountain dog Dubois, a/k/a “Dubie,” who passed away on Monday at the tender age of 10.
Along with a clip of her beautiful dog, Hilary wrote in a caption that got my eyes watery, “I never let myself imagine what this day would look or feel like. It was us. And we were invisible. I am having to look into your beautiful amber almond-shaped eyes and tell you goodbye today.” Acknowledging Dubie’s role as her best friend, she also wrote, “You have been with me though true pain, true happiness and joy, true confusion and disappointment and all over again.” If that’s not enough to hit you in the feels, she went on to say, “I will miss you everyday of my life my sweet boy. You were that once in a lifetime dog. That special bond that not everybody gets. And I got you. You picked me. You were a force. You changed me forever.” Wow. I need a moment.
Sadly, the loss of Dubie comes a year after Hilary and her five-year-old son, Luca, had to say goodbye to their Chihuahua, Coco. Hilary lost her French bulldog Beau in 2016 and another Chihuahua, Lola, in 2013. Fortunately, there is still the pitter-patter of puppy feet in Hilary’s home. In May, she adopted a black Labrador mix puppy named Momo and the family has another puppy as well, as evidenced in this adorable photo posted last month.
It’s true about missing a dog every day. My Boo is still never far from my thoughts. Of course, stupid Facebook’s “On this Day” feature often contributes to the fact that she will never be forgotten. I’ve got to imagine it’s even harder when you have to explain the dog’s passing to a child. My heart goes out to Hilary and Luca.
Photos: WENN.com, Backgrid, Getty Images, Instagram, Pacific Coast News
My cat woke me up at 5 am because he’s an a**hole so while reading this post I thought of all the dogs we had growing up and miss them. Unfortunately dogs aren’t in my future anytime soon. They take a lot more work than cats. Every week there’s also someone posting on our neighbor site looking for dog sitters etc. Thankfully with cats we can leave them for a weekend and know they’ll only be 90% feral when we get home.
Suffice to say, I’m that a**hole that silently corrected Hilary’s use of then instead of than.
Yeah, my husband wants a dog. I don’t. I grew up with dogs and know how much work they are. Plus if we go out of town, it is not a big deal with a cat. Clean litterbox, lots of food and water. Can’t do that with a dog. Plus my husband is not a morning person, I get up before him. So the dog will bark when I get up and then I’ll have to take her for a walk to quiet her down. No thanks pass!
Try letting him dog-sit for a friend. I love dogs, but we can’t have one because we have a senior free-flying cockatiel who would freak out if there was something else wandering around the house, even another bird; he just doesn’t realize he is a bird. So, to get my dog-time, I dog-sit for friends. I bring them home, have fun and love them as my own, and then they go back to their mom and dad. It’s what I imagine having grandkids is like! Our cockatiel goes to stay with my in-laws while I have furry friends over for a few days. He was a family-bird before I ever entered the picture, so then “Mom and Dad” get birdie time too — win-win for everyone. My husband, who was not a dog-person before this, has even grown to love our doggy friends too and looks forward to their visits!
HAHAHAHA, thank you for that last bit. Laughing through tears…
As a dog lover I feel her pain. I can’t imagine life without my boy. I try to spend as much time with him as I can. Some days I’m lucky enough to take him to work with me.
I’m looking to find him a four legged companion to keep him company while we’re at work. Doggie daycare can get expensive. I’ve rescued two pit bulls from the street but I found their owners thanks to microchips. Now a coworker just asked me if I would take in a pit bull pup that her friend rescued from being attacked and of course I said yes.
So sorry for your loss Hilary.
I had to say goodbye to my 13 year old minpin last month. He was my baby and my everything and I cry every single day. I don’t have kids, he was my world and the pain of losing a pet really sucks. I could only skim through this post, but I feel her pain. Xoxox it is not easy.
I’m so sorry for your loss
I could only skim also. I have tears streaming down my face though.
It’s so hard to lose a pet and my heart goes out to you. We had to have our little one put down a couple of years ago and I think of her daily. We still have her brother and he’s the love our life. He was just a groomsman at our wedding.
They are our family and bring so much joy to our lives, that the hole they leave behind is just too big.
Cherish all the wonderful memories and know you gave him the best life possible and vice versa xx
Aww big hug! That must be so painful, hope you find healing soon
Everyone grieves differently, but I suggest opening your heart to another as soon as you can. It really helped me deal with the loss of my 17 year old JRT almost four years ago.
Big hugs to you. Dogs are the best.
I really shouldn’t be reading this. I almost had a nervous breakdown last year when my vet told me my 17 yr old datsun “minnie pearl” was too old to have the cancer surgery she needed and I should just put her down rather than “waste” my time and money on the surgery which she probably wouldn’t survive anyway. Talk about a melt down. I almost mowed down a bitch who was prepping her for the shot and told my vet to go “f” himself. I took her home and cried for 36 hours until I could get her into the next vet who did the surgery and she came through with flying colors. Now with the cancer removed from her head she is getting around like a 10 yr old. Looking forward to her big 18 bday in August. My Pearl will live Forevah!
I fell her. My cat died last year, it was so sad
On Jan. 3rd Chuky, our french poodle, passed away at the age of 9. His demise was fast and it was a shock to us. The vets were never able to pinpoint what was going on with him. It was something degenerative because his last two days were spent unable to move much, just eat and drink water. He finally “disconnected” at 3 am and we had to put him to sleep at 5 am (he was non responsive but kept breathing… it was horrible)
I still hear him. I sometimes think I can see him in the house. I’ve often called out to him before realising he will not be at home. My mum is distraught, they were super bonded. She can’t get over the loss and misses him so much. My cat, who grew up with him, misses him so much, too. She follows my mum everywhere and cuddles her. Our pit-mix now lost her whole pack (on Jan 13 2016 our Irish Setter died at the age of 15. It took me 6 months to stop expecting to see him running around in the garden) and tries to make do with the cat, but they don’t like each other that much.
Dogs are amazing beings and you love them so much than when they die there’s a hole left in your family unit, even if said family is you and your dog.
I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost one of my cats last year and in the first weeks and even months after his death I thought I saw him out of the corner of my eye or expected him to be somewhere in my flat. One day I even wanted to stop my other cat running into the bedroom so she wouldn’t disturb him sleeping.
Gorgeous dog. I lost my 13 year old pomeranian Gambit last month. He developed a bowel infection and even with meds, within 48 hours he was too far gone 🙁
Let me go hug my choco bear a little tighter now my dog is like family.
that was beautiful, made me tear up too 🙁
On the bottom pic with three dogs on the stairs, the bottom dog looks like a Cairn Terrier to me! Our first puppy was a Cairn and he was much loved. He passed away over 4 years ago. We have two other big dogs now that are very much family dogs, but I’ve never bonded with like I did our cairn. (Although the kids and other half love through and through). We are on the waiting list for a cairn right now and just seeing the pics of her dogs makes me super excited!!!
So true, you still think of them everyday when they are gone. I took Quinn, my rescue Brittany, and my other rescued puppy to Newfoundland as a long road trip about six months before he died a few years ago.
I miss him so much still.
It truly is a wrenching loss. You always have a little special place in your heart to hold close both the memories of the love and the pain of losing them.
For those of us who teared up reading this post, check out the Hallmark channel’s show honoring rescue dogs- one category was Best Wiggle Butt!
This hit me right in the feels. We had to put down one of our kittens last week. Seven months old. Seven. Months. He had a congenital brain defect that just now manifested, it was causing seizure-like episodes and he was losing his motor skills. He was so sad and scared. I’ve missed him every single day since, thinking about how much more life he had to live. We have his sister too, she’s never known life without him. We just rescued a friend for her since she’s obviously so lonely and bored. We weren’t ready for another but it’s what’s best for her.
Sending love Hilary’s way. Losing animals is the worst.
crying crying crying. I don’t know what I’ll do when my Inky passes. My husband will lose it. I don’t know what we will do
I feel for her.. We lost our 10 yo doodle almost three years ago.. I still miss him. Most of the family wants a new dog but my husband – who works from home – was the one who did the twice a day walk, daily meds ( for Addison’s disease), grooming sessions and vet visits. He is still not ready to take another dog on.. so we are on hold till then. I of course have already found the perfect replacement dog- ten x over- but it’s not my call.
We lost our Max a year ago in October. The day we got him, my husband asked me to marry him. I had a sleeping puppy on my lap, and a sparkly new ring, and it was one of the best days of my life. Max was 12, and infinitely kind, loving and patient as our family grew to welcome two kids. He was an amazing dog, and I still cry when I think about him.
Telling the kids he was gone was hard, but we had been talking about how Max was getting older and trying to get them ready. It helped some, but nothing can completely ease that pain.
We got Bailey in August. I still didn’t think I was ready for a new furry friend, but my husband convinced me to “just go look” at the shelter and she looked so sweet, I knew she needed to come home with us. She is a doll, and I love her. The kids love having a dog again, and I know she needed us. But she’s not a replacement for my Max. He was my first baby and I will always, always remember him.
All of that to say, maybe just try to get your husband to go look. I would have kept thinking I wasn’t ready, but when I saw Bailey’s furry little face, I knew she was supposed to be ours.
Thanks AMA1977, I may do just that.
2/28 will be four years since I lost my JRT girl. I still miss her every single day. I adopted another JRT right after losing her to help me get through the grief. I love him so much, my heart could burst.
But I will never, every forget or stop missing my girl who was with me for 17 years.
Dogs are everything.
I have a little chihuahua named Bird. Bird is my entire world and the love of my life! Every night when I get home from work she is there to greet me with hugs and kisses…and every morning her happy face and gorgeous golden eyes welcome me to another day. I don’t know what I would do without Bird. She has been there for me at my happiest and saddest moments, and I do my best to give her the life she deserves. I do not have children (don’t want them) but Bird is like a child to me, spoiling me with her unconditional love. I love Bird more than words could ever adequately express 😍
Sympathies and love to Hilary Duff. May her sweet Dubes rest in peace 💕
I lost two beloved cats within 9 months of each other, so I definitely feel what she’s feeling. I think of them every day.