Kelly Ripa spent some time this week reflecting on the years she had with Chewie, the beloved pet that she once said was like her “fourth kid.”
The LIVE with Kelly and Mark co-host shared some resurfaced photos and videos of Chewie on Instagram on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The family dog was almost 18 when she passed away earlier this month.
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Ripa’s touching photo and video montage included clips of Chewie making appearances on her talk show and playing with the three kids that Ripa shares with Mark Consuelos, her husband and LIVE co-host.
In a lengthy caption accompanying the post, Ripa admitted that she has “been avoiding posting this because it somehow makes it real and I’m not quite ready to let go.”
“It’s been extremely painful to lose our beloved Chewie,” Ripa wrote. “We ache for her every single day. We still look for her and call to her and frankly feel lost.”
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Despite that pain, Ripa said that she and her family feel “so grateful” for the nearly 18 years they spent with their dog. “She grew up with our kids and remained at our sides when each left the nest,” Ripa recalled. “She waited by the front door to welcome her siblings back home when they returned for visits. She was our stoic constant companion.”
Ripa thanked the animal shelter that first connected her family with Chewie years ago and all of the family and friends who have sent condolence messages in the wake of the pup’s death.
“Our hearts may be broken, but are filled with the memories of joy Chewie gave us,” she concluded.
Ripa’s touching tribute to Chewie came a couple of weeks after the All My Children alums announced their dog’s death during their show on Feb. 5. Consuelos told their live audience that saying goodbye was “probably one of the toughest things” that he and his wife have ever “had to do as a married couple.”
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