Jennifer Garner shared the heartbreaking news of her beloved golden retriever Birdie’s passing in an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday. The actress , 52, who welcomed Birdie into her life shortly after her 2015 split from Ben Affleck, paid a touching tribute to her cherished companion, who had been by her side for nearly a decade. Alongside a series of beautiful photos of Birdie, Jennifer 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.
" She explained that Birdie, who was nine, began showing signs of illness last Thursday. "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.
" Jennifer revealed that her family was touched by the vet’s observation that dogs often wait for their loved ones to come home before saying goodbye." 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," she shared. Birdie had been a constant source of love and comfort for Jennifer and her children, Violet, 18, Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, 11.
"Birdie loved to be read to, always found her way into a Pretend Cooking Show, and knew just how to give .
