What you need to know
Ariel Winter is mourning the death of her beloved dog Casper.
On Friday, Nov. 7, the Modern Family alum posted a heartfelt tribute to her Samoyed, which was accompanied by several photos of Casper over the years.
The 27-year-old actress said the past two weeks had been the “most heartbreaking week” of her life. “I lost my first baby and best friend Casper 💔,” she wrote about her first dog of her own. “He was the most special, funny, empathetic, loving, independent, cheeky, clumsy, and of course handsome, good boy.”
She said they “will be forever grateful for the 11 and a half years” they spent together. “He loved children, he played mischief occasionally, he loved cold floors, he took walks, he called out to you, he took pictures of himself in his Christmas pajamas, he wore a dragon scarf, he barked at the neighbor’s dogs, he policed his little brother and the fish, he had a lot of inner ear scrapes, but most of all he loved us.”
The actress said his death “still feels so surreal.” “I keep thinking that the hospital will call me and say that a miracle has happened and they will come pick me up and take me home,” she added.
Ariel Winter/Instagram
Winter went on to say that she hopes “Rainbow Bridge is filled with everything he loves and is a beautiful place with no thunderstorms” and that Casper is “happy and comfortable there.”
“I truly hope that one day I can see him again and tell him one last time how much he means to me and that he will always be a part of my heart,” she wrote. “Rip Casper, the scariest boy with the fluffiest feet, the best ears, the biggest teeth, the biggest tail and the biggest heart 🐾 We miss you and love you so much, buddy ❤️🌈.”
Ariel Winter/Instagram
Winter’s various photos included Casper playing with five other dogs in the snow. Winter also has a black French bulldog named Rocco, a German Shepherd rescue dog named Chloe, a rescue dog named Coby, and Cash and Cleo.
She also added photos of Casper in Christmas, Halloween, Fourth of July and Easter costumes, as well as snaps of her and Casper hugging and photos of Casper with boyfriend Luke Benward.
Benward, 30, also commented on Winter’s tribute, saying Casper was funny, stubborn, kind and “so special”.
“He’s literally the only dog that will talk back when you don’t want to do what you’re told,” Benward wrote. “But he was very empathetic, so he usually only came out of the cave when he wanted a pet or food, or when he felt his mother needed him.”
Ariel Winter/Instagram
Benward pointed out that Casper loves Winter and people very much. “Casper never met anyone he didn’t love, and never met anyone he didn’t love,” he writes. “I was so lucky to help raise that sweet boy for six years. He loved his mom more than anything.”
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Ariel Winter/Instagram
Several others also expressed their condolences to Winter. Shameless actress Emma Kenney wrote: “Aww, what a shame. ❤️❤️❤️.”
I Love LA actress Odessa Azion added, “I’m so sorry mommy because he was the sweetest boy in the world ❤️ He had the best life as a puppy.”
“What a shame! What a great, big, good puppy!” Fight Night actor Dexter Darden wrote.
