Kaley Cuoco is mourning the loss of her dog Shirley — and revealing a tough choice.
In a video posted to her Instagram Monday, the “Big Bang Theory” actress shared that not only had her dog died at the age of 14, but that Cuoco had made the “excruciating decision” to rehome her a few years back.
“There’s something that’s been weighing on me that I think I’m ready to share now,” Cuoco said, before describing how Shirley, who was in her care since she was 6 weeks old, had begun fighting ferociously with her fiancé’s dog.
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Cuoco got engaged to actor Tom Pelphrey this year. The two began dating in 2022 and share a daughter Matilda.
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The “Based on a True Story” star said Pelphrey is “also a mega dog-lover,” but when he moved in with his German Shepherd, Blue, the dogs did not share the same connection their owners did.
“Shirley was determined to kill him,” Cuoco joked. She was more of a people’s dog, she said and often got in fights with other canines.
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“We obviously bring many dogs into our home,” Cuoco, who is known to adopt and foster canines and has her own pet care company Oh Norman! said. “I started to get really worried that she would really hurt another animal and I needed to make a very, very difficult decision.”
Ultimately Cuoco decided to rehome Shirley, moving the dog in with her pet handler Tony and his wife Angie. “I didn’t want her to end up in a home that didn’t understand her,” she said.
The actress, who fought back tears throughout the video, said she wanted to share the decision in case other dog owners were going through something similar.
Now that Shirley has died, Cuoco said she wanted to speak up on her behalf.
“She has had an amazing life,” the actress said. “I am devastated that she has gone over the rainbow bridge.”
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Despite worrying about being judged, Cuoco affirmed that she would continue to be honest about her experience caring for pets even when it’s not so shiny.
“I will speak up and stand up for every four-legged creature,” she said, “If you’ve had to place a dog elsewhere in another person’s home, I understand how hard those decisions can be.”
Cuoco has long been an animal welfare advocate, known for adopting rescue animals. The “Flight Attendant” star owns a ranch and rescue farm where animals of all kinds are given another shot at life.
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