Jennifer Garner is mourning a beloved member of her family this Thanksgiving.
The 52-year-old "Deadpool & Wolverine" actress shared on social media Wednesday that her dog Birdie died recently.
"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," Garner wrote in the caption of an Instagram post.
Garner explained that Birdie, a golden retriever, started behaving differently last week and wasn't eating.
"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," Garner wrote.
According to Garner, a veterinarian told her and her family that "dogs often hang on until their person comes home from college," something they believe Birdie did.
"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," wrote Garner.
Garner previously opened up about Birdie, who turned 9 this year, in an interview with We Rate Dogs.
"Birdie's a therapy dog and she just got a promotion to work at Children's Hospital Los Angeles," Garner said of her "very good dog" at the time. "So she's excited. She wants to have her first time at Children's Hospital LA before she turns 9."
Golden retriever therapy dogs 'bring so much light' to young girl with leukemiaGarner added in her post on Wednesday that Birdie had lived a full life, devoting time to her favorite activities and to her family.
"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)," Garner ended her post. "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."
