Mandy Moore is grieving the unexpected death of her 12-year-old dog Joni following complications from surgery to remove a mass on her liver.
The 36-year-old This Is Us star – who is currently pregnant with her first child – mourned the loss of her furry companion in a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday.
‘My heart is utterly shattered. She was my first love and best friend,’ she wrote as she shared some photos of she and Joni throughout the years.
Grieving: Mandy Moore, 36, is coping with the unexpected loss of her 12-year-old dog Joni as the This Is Us star shared a tribute to her ‘first love’ on Instagram after her Monday evening passing
‘Last night, very unexpectedly, we lost our Joni girl. Yes, she was almost 13. Yes, she had pretty major surgery a week ago to remove a mass on her liver but she was recovering really well.
‘Until last night. I knew something was amiss when she, lifelong food-obsessed, didn’t finish her dinner and couldn’t get comfortable in bed (despite being on pain meds). My mama intuition told me to bring her in and I’m glad we did,’ she said.
Moore continued with a trip down memory lane as she wrote about the first time she met Joni.
‘I saw her puppy mug online way back in early 2008 and drove down to San Diego to meet her at @thebarkinglotrescue and was instantly smitten. I’ll never forget the drive home, telling her that it was just us against the world now.’
Puppy love: Moore said she rescued her in 2008 after seeing her online and was ‘immediately smitten’ upon meeting her; pictured in 2008
Mother’s instinct: After noticing Joni was not acting like herself she brought her to the vet
The post continued, ‘To know her, was to love her. She never met a stranger. She was waaaaay more human (or muppet) than dog. She loved ANYTHING she could eat, even if sometimes it was gross (cat poop). Seriously, she was a vacuum.’
‘She loved to give very stinky kisses. And I have no doubt she knew what an absolutely indispensable part of our lives and cherished soul she was…right until the end.’
‘My heart is utterly shattered. She was my first love and best friend. Through every twist and turn of life of this past decade and change, she was right there. There’s a deep chasm of emptiness that will never be filled but I am so grateful for her sweet nature and the endless connection, compassion, responsibility, patience and devotion that the love of a pet can bring into your orbit.’
Emptiness: She wrote that there was a ‘deep chasm of emptiness that will never be filled,’ as she gave details about her sweet girl’s personality
‘The boss’: Trying to add some levity she shared that her husband dubbed Joni the boss and had primary ownership over her heart having had her for 13 years and him for only five
She continued, ‘When mulling over the details of her surgery last week, my husband sorta joked that everything would have to be run by me because I’d had Joni for 13 years and only had him for 5. He’s right.’
‘She was the boss and a total mama’s girl. I’m so sad she won’t get the chance to meet her human brother soon but maybe she wasn’t ready to share. Or be a suction cup right by my side every night.’
Moore concluded, ‘I will love and miss you forever, my Joni. Thank you for beyond a lifetime of love.’
She received an outpouring of support from famous friends including Maren Morris, Amanda Kloots, Chrissy Metz and Busy Phillips.
Baby on board: Mandy and Goldsmith are expecting their first child together in early 2021, announcing the pregnancy news in September; pictured November 15th
True love: Mandy and Goldsmith wed in 2018 in the backyard of their Los Angeles home after dating for three years; pictured 2018
Despite the gaping hole in her heart, Moore is currently pregnant with her first child with husband of two years Taylor Goldsmith.
Expecting a baby boy in early 2021 the couple announced the news on Instagram in September as she gushed with excitement.
After announcing her pregnancy, she opened up about her rough first 15 weeks that included feeling super sick and a serious food aversion that caused her to lose a ton of weight.
In a SiriusXM radio interview she said, ‘I couldn’t eat. I lost a bunch of weight. I just, like, I just stayed in bed all day. But luckily, I know that’s not the case for everybody that it sometimes can, you know, persevere for the entire pregnancy. So, I’m lucky that that kind of trailed off and I feel much better now,’ she said.
Bumpin: Moore lost a ton of weight at the start of her pregnancy due to serious food aversion and feeling ‘super sick’ all the time; pictured November 20th