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Jennifer Garner’s beloved golden retriever, Birdie, has died at 9 years old.
The “Deadpool & Wolverine” actress shared the sad news via a heartfelt Instagram carousel on Wednesday.
“Birdie let us know on Thursday that she wasn’t feeling herself (a renowned foodie, Birdie never missed a meal),” she explained. “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,” she continued.
Garner’s eldest child, Violet, is an 18-year-old freshman at Yale University who likely returned home for Thanksgiving. Garner also shares Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, with her ex-husband, Ben Affleck.
“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),” the Emmy-nominated actress added.
Garner’s “Pretend Cooking Show” features her cooking up some of her easiest and favorite recipes.
“She lived a happy dog life and is now in the role she was born to play: angel girl,” she wrote as she concluded her post. “It’s a gift to love and be loved by such a creature as Birdie the Doggie. 🐾🪽.”
Garner included several photos and videos of Birdie in her tribute, such as one of her smiling wide while standing on some outdoor stairs and another of her wearing reading glasses.
She also added a video of herself reading William Steig’s “Pete’s a Pizza” to Birdie and a clip of them lounging in her home’s reading nook.
The nook features a stained-glass window with a scene of Birdie looking up at some owls sitting in a tree. She ended her slideshow with a snap of the special stained glass.
Garner exemplified her love for her pooch time and time again over the years.
Shortly before her ninth birthday, Birdie and her famous mom appeared on the “We Walk Dogs” YouTube channel.
During their appearance, Garner discussed the goals Birdie wanted to achieve before she reached her next year.
Some goals included eating an entire string cheese stick, singing at the Metropolitan Opera, skydiving and reading new children’s books.
The “13 Going on 30” star also revealed Birdie got promoted to be a therapy dog at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
“She’s a very good dog. She’s a very good girl,” she gushed.
Birdie came into the family when Violet was 10 years old.
“My eldest was 2 and decided she needed her own dog, and she talked about it all the time,” Garner recalled during their chat with “We Walk Dogs.”
“And I said, ‘When you’re 10, that’s the age that one might get their own dog.’ I thought she’d forget because she was just 2. But now we have Birdie.”
Birdie is survived by several animal siblings in addition to her human ones: a chicken named Regina, a dog named Kitty, a dog named Bugs and a cat named Moose.
