Garner thanked Birdie “for being the world’s best dog”
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Jennifer Garner/instagram
Jennifer Garner is saying goodbye to her dog Birdie.
On Wednesday, Nov. 27, the Deadpool & Wolverine actress, 52, announced the death of her beloved golden retriever, Birdie, 9.
“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,” she began as the caption to an Instagram tribute in Birdie’s honor.
According to Garner, the family began to notice signs last week when Birdie, “a renowned foodie” who “never missed a meal” stopped eating, so they took her to the doctor.
“We were surprised to learn that, not only was she very ill, she was at the end of her life,” the actress wrote.
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Jennifer Garner/ Instagram
However, there was one thing Birdie needed to do before she could go, and that was say her own goodbyes to one of her favorite humans.
“The vet told us that dogs often hang on until their person comes home from college,” Garner said, referring to her oldest daughter, Violet Anne Affleck, 18. “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.”
One of Birdie’s favorite things to do was read, Garner said.
Her Instagram carousel showed a video of them lounging on the sofa as Garner read William Steig’s Pete’s a Pizza. Both Birdie and Garner wore reading glasses in the cute clip.
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We Rate Dogs/ Youtube
“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. 🐾🪽,” she concluded.
Garner often shared content of Birdie on social media, pointing out in Wednesday’s post that the family dog would be sure to make her way into episodes of her Pretend Cooking Show.
Earlier this year, the movie star and Birdie appeared as guests on We Rate Dogs’ YouTube channel to discuss Birdie’s nine goals to achieve before she turned nine in May.
One of her goals was spending time at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as a therapy dog.
“She wants to read some new books for kids. And speaking of kids, Birdie is a therapy dog,” the Alias alum said. “And she just got a promotion to work at Children’s Hospital L.A.”
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“So she’s excited. She wants to have her first time at Children’s Hospital L.A. before she turns nine,” Garner continued. “She’s a very good dog, a very good girl.”
The Daredevil star also said, “Birdie wants to skydive. Everybody should once and she thought before she turns nine is a good time.”